How do you find a reliable mechanic? Or do you have to get 3+ opinions?

[citytravelfotos]

I can never seem to find a reliable mechanic. I've gotten burned at least with smaller mechanics ever since I bought my van (before on my Honda I'd have everything done in the dealer, and it was very reliable.)

For instance, I had a mechanic that was referred from churchgoers from my mom's church in Tucson, AZ. He seemed to be very nice and knowledgeable. However several months ago he insisted that I needed to have inner link and tie rods changed on the van (and that would cost $700, not including alignment.) I didn't have it replaced and about less than a month ago I took it to be inspected by a mechanic in L.A. (who has stellar reviews on the internet) who previously replaced the ball joints. They said that everything is ok except for the shock absorbers and the front brake pads, and quoted about $1000 to replace all 4 shock absorbers (and $300 to replace the brake pads). I then just today went to a Ford dealer in the Sacramento area who said that the inner link and tie rods are fine, the shock absorbers are fine, but that I need a pivot arm bushing and two camber bushings replaced (as well as the front brake pads). They quoted me about $500 to replace the 3 bushings. I'm wondering if they are telling me the truth or am I going to have to now take it to two more mechanics to figure out if what they are saying is true? Who the hell can I trust?

I'm quite pissed off of this and consider it a significant downside to doing Vandwelling especially with an older vehicle. I don't like dealing with mechanics. I miss the simplicity of my Honda SUV.

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

Yeah i always worry about too. I had a mechanic here who i think broke a lug off my minivan. I brought it back and the owner wouldn't admit his guy did it but still fixed for free. Now i go right to the owner and he treats me good, often giving me breaks. He also helped me out on inspections, like offhandingly mentioning metal tape is sufficient to cover body holes that would fail inspection, handing me some tape then taking a walk inside for 20 mins

Anyway, sometimes its a nefarius underling at work.

 

[Stargazer]

That's a tough call. I have a mechanic that I trust although I've never gone for second opinions. The times I've taken the van in, it was because something was wrong and after he fixed it, the problem was gone. So I assume he made the right repairs.

Some things are obvious, shocks being one of them. Too much bounce means bad shocks. Screwy steering, noisy front end, all could point to tie rods, bearings, etc. Been there, too.

I found him on the Internet with nothing but rave reviews, and lots of them.

Good luck!

 

[ccbreder]

check with Car Guys, they have a list of recommended. here in small town the guys with lots of cars in their yard are the bad ones, but cheap. the good ones are pricy but do well. the most expensive are not as good.

 

[idn88]

The short answer is that you can't. Nobody is perfect, no mechanic knows every vehicle, and many items are a judgement call (if your fixing something before it breaks). There are factory minimum specs for everything, but most mechanics don't own or use a dial caliper, and the specs are sometimes hard to find.

So you need to learn how to fix things yourself, or at minimum learn how to diagnose things yourself. For example, you mentioned steering linkages and tie rod ends. Those are pretty easy to diagnose yourself without any tools if you know what your doing. Brakes, especially if their disk brakes, are really easy to determine if need replacing by removing the tire.

If you own an old house you need to know how to be handy. If you own an old vehicle you need to know how to do repairs. Or, go spend 40K or so on a new van and don't worry

 

[citytravelfotos]

If you own an old house you need to know how to be handy. If you own an old vehicle you need to know how to do repairs. Or, go spend 40K or so on a new van and don't worry

I wish someone would've told me that BEFORE I bought my van. I kinda miss cardwelling in my Honda CRV.

 

[AltTransBikes]

One sure way is to have three sons. Send one to med school, one to law school and one to ASE tech school. The one who becomes a certified mechanic will save you enough to pay for the other two.

Seriously though, it's tough. Maybe stay in one spot long enough and you weed out the bad mechanics. Grassroots level or something.
A good friend of mine who used to flip maybe 5 or 6 cars/trucks a year as a hobby used to say:

"I've learned over time to just go to the most expensive, best equipped, best warranty-on-the-work shop right from the get go and by-pass the budget guys. If they demand top dollar and I in turn am gonna demand top work and warranty"

 

[user 423]

Join an online Ford van forum and ask questions. Buy a factory service manual and a Haynes manual and try to understand the basics. There are online repair estimate sites you can check to get at least a ballpark idea of what a repair should cost.

 

[citytravelfotos]

I was looking at how much of my money actually goes to the technician who is doing the work. In a dealer that charges $105 to $120 an hour, the actual technician is really only getting maybe $20 an hour. So the rest is fluff, goes toward the company for operating expenses and profit.

 

[idn88]

I was looking at how much of my money actually goes to the technician who is doing the work. In a dealer that charges $105 to $120 an hour, the actual technician is really only getting maybe $20 an hour. So the rest is fluff, goes toward the company for operating expenses and profit.

The technician is only labor. I also believe they make more than 20 per hour. On top of that you have property tax, building cost or rent, the cost of all the equipment in the shop, salary tax, etc, etc, etc. Not to say their not making a profit, but I wouldn't call it fluff. You might find a mechanic on Craigslist working out of their house or even out of their truck, and you might get them for 40-50 per hour since they don't have all the overhead. I have a couple times, but your taking a risk. No warranty, liability is on you...

 

[TALLMAN]

An idea, not sure how good, auto shop is a pretty expensive overhead, you might want to try a backyard mechanic from craigs list. Such as this near Daytona Beach Fl Auto Repairs (New Smyrna Beach)
Backyard mechanic. Can fix most any repairs! Save money. Call Paul (38six) 84six- two 93 one. If you do let me know how it works out, has worked for my daughter.

 

[Donedirtcheap]

I can never seem to find a reliable mechanic. I've gotten burned at least with smaller mechanics ever since I bought my van (before on my Honda I'd have everything done in the dealer, and it was very reliable.)

For instance, I had a mechanic that was referred from churchgoers from my mom's church in Tucson, AZ. He seemed to be very nice and knowledgeable. However several months ago he insisted that I needed to have inner link and tie rods changed on the van (and that would cost $700, not including alignment.) I didn't have it replaced and about less than a month ago I took it to be inspected by a mechanic in L.A. (who has stellar reviews on the internet) who previously replaced the ball joints. They said that everything is ok except for the shock absorbers and the front brake pads, and quoted about $1000 to replace all 4 shock absorbers (and $300 to replace the brake pads). I then just today went to a Ford dealer in the Sacramento area who said that the inner link and tie rods are fine, the shock absorbers are fine, but that I need a pivot arm bushing and two camber bushings replaced (as well as the front brake pads). They quoted me about $500 to replace the 3 bushings. I'm wondering if they are telling me the truth or am I going to have to now take it to two more mechanics to figure out if what they are saying is true? Who the hell can I trust?

I'm quite pissed off of this and consider it a significant downside to doing Vandwelling especially with an older vehicle. I don't like dealing with mechanics. I miss the simplicity of my Honda SUV.

What is the problem with your van? What is it doing?

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

Yeah but sometimes tinkering or self learning for10 hours in your only vehicle and home isn't a viable option, especially if you work.

 

[Darth_Muerte]

The only mechanic I trust is me. Good mechanics make more than $20/hour. Much more if you understand how "flat rate" works. For example, I made $30/hour at my last retail mechanic job. The flat rate manual might call for 2 hours to do a job. So I got paid 2 hours for it even if it only took me 45 minutes. That puts my real pay at ~70 dollars per hour. I currently do side work at $40/hour for automotive( I charge different rates for household repairs, though I charge the same for golf carts.), but that is actual "clock time" not "book time". I also don't charge for parts, letting the customer go purchase their own parts. However, if I have to spend my time getting the part or going with them that is on the clock. My time is valuable to me.

 

[GotSmart]

I do most of the repairs myself. Those I am unable to do, I find out what the problem is, and research the parts online. Between eBay and Amazon, I can find what I need and save up to 80%.

You need to ask around to find out where to go to. Ask at several parts houses to find out who they think the most highly of. I got lucky and found a kid fresh out of school that had some talent. Now, 5 years later he will diagnose it for free, and cut me a deal on the repairs I have him do. (I have sent him perhaps 30 steady customers over the years.) Things like brake work where liability is an issue, he does. My daughters Buick needed rotors, and I found a pair online with ceramic shoes for $48 delivered. He installed them for $65, and we saves perhaps $400 off the dealers price.

 

[citytravelfotos]

I was looking at how much of my money actually goes to the technician who is doing the work. In a dealer that charges $105 to $120 an hour, the actual technician is really only getting maybe $20 an hour. So the rest is fluff, goes toward the company for operating expenses and profit.

Since you realize how much you are paying per hour, I can only assume that when you work you must be paid a lot more that the $120+ per hour in that you don't want to do this yourself and would rather hire some one to do it for you. Auto mechanics is not rocket science or astro physics.:s

Doing mechanical work is not childs play, it's more complicated and hinges more on skill than anyone alone could do. Also, I don't want to work on my vehicle only to screw something up and have it towed to a mechanic to fix things, or worse, have something fail on me when I'm driving because I didn't do a procedure well. At the very least you need a "training vehicle" to learn this stuff.

Another thing is that I don't have a place where I could work on the vehicle.

 

[user 423]

The more you can do yourself to save money on the littler stuff, the more money you'll have to pay a pro on the important stuff. Oil changes,changing belts,cooling system repairs, tuneups,etc. aren't rocket science. As mentioned before, online forums are a great source for learning just about any repair specific to your vehicle. You can even ask for opinions on whether a rookie should attempt a particular repair. JOIN ONE TODAY...

 

[idn88]

There is nothing on a vehicle I don't understand. However there are jobs I will do myself, and those I will take to a mechanic because I either choose not to do them, or don't have the right tools to do them. 120 an hour for a skilled mechanic in a good shop is a bargain for some things - like banging on ball joints or fixing a transmission, and way overkill for others like swapping an alternator or changing fluids. The difference is that I know what I am getting fixed and pay for that. I don't pay them to troubleshoot. I take mine to the dealer in my case (my dealer is quite good as it turns out) and they have all the right tools and they work on that vehicle all the time. The best thing you can do is educate yourself about your vehicle, whether you choose to fix it yourself or not.

 

[Darth_Muerte]

There is nothing on a vehicle I don't understand. However there are jobs I will do myself, and those I will take to a mechanic because I either choose not to do them, or don't have the right tools to do them. 120 an hour for a skilled mechanic in a good shop is a bargain for some things - like banging on ball joints or fixing a transmission,

Ball joints are easy peasy. King pins OTOH I won't even do unless in a shop with air tools, a torch, and a press. Transmission overhaul depends on the tranny. Most RWD trannies I will go ahead and do. FWD cars, well I won't own one so I definitely will only do them in a shop.

 

[Zil]

Someone mentioned car guys, i think they are called car talk.
Find recommended mechanics here; http://www.cartalk.com/mechanics-files