A DIEHARD wrencher who has saved $800 in repairs by fixing his car has been left biting his tongue as his fiancée prefers to take her car to the dealership for service.
David Tracy considers himself a do-it-yourself guy who would rather save thousands on car maintenance by doing the repairs instead of taking it to a dealership.
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In his latest post on The Autopian, Tracy described his long determination to save big bucks by buying car parts on Advance Auto Zone for his Jeep.
“For the longest time, I’ve been my own work on my cars,” Tracy declared.
“It’s saved me bundles, and – at least when it’s relatively easy stuff like brakes and wipers and batteries – I quite enjoy the wrenching.”
Tracy explained how his fiancée enjoyed taking her 2017 Lexus EX350 into the dealership for maintenance, something that “kills” the diehard wrencher.
“I don’t protest it. But here’s the thing: Sometimes the dealership suggests expensive repairs that I can do myself for cheap,” he said.
“But I’m starting to get the impression that my fiancée, Elisa (not her real name) would rather just have the dealer do it, especially since my last few repairs haven’t quite gone… swimmingly.”
Tracy described how the last time his fiancée’s Lexus needed to service its brakes, rotors, and wipers, he purchased the best parts from Advance Auto Zone and insisted on fixing it after the dealership quoted them $1,120.70 plus tax.
“$1,120.78 plus tax, so about $1,200 all-in for a basic brake job?! No way,” he said.
“I ordered the best parts I could find from Advance Auto Parts: That only cost me about $400, saving us $800 in total – a total no-brainer.”
He replaced the battery and the car’s windshield wipers with no problem after making some purchases on Amazon.
However, Tracy encountered a problem when he learned it was recommended to install original equipment manufacturer parts on his fiancée’s Lexus instead of parts from Auto Zone.
He said he did a “basic brake job” on his partner’s car with the cheap parts – but 4,000 miles later, Tracy reported the vehicle was “trashed.”
With brake dust on the wheels and a shuddering steering wheel, Tracy also noticed that his online-bought windshield wipers were even leaving streak marks on the car’s glass.
“My two most obvious repairs had failed, and I think Elise wants to go back to just having the dealer do the job. If I were her, I would, too,” he wrote.
How to avoid being scammed at the repair shop
Motorautocar and the AARP have east-to-follow tips to avoid being scammed by a repair shop.
- Motorautocar suggests asking to see parts that have been replaced or to see old fluids after they were swapped. If the shop says that’s impossible or refuses, it could be a sign it wasn’t done.
- Ask for a walkaround of the repairs that were done. Most mechanics are happy to show you what was done in the shop. While being walked around, look for evidence of repairs like the area being cleaned off, shiny new parts, tool marks on the bolts, tools being out or nearby, etc.
- Before taking your car in, look at other customer reviews on Google, Yelp, or Facebook. Many customers only review a company if they have negative reviews, so keep an eye out.
- For costly repairs, consider getting multiple opinions. If two to three shops suggest identical repairs, it’s likely to be true.
- Test a new shop with minor issues you’re aware of to see if they add anything to the repair bill.
- If applicable, bring someone to the shop who knows about cars to have them double-check or read a repair bill.
- Get everything on paper. Not only is it important for your repair records, but it can help protect you if legal measures are necessary.
Source: Motorautocar, AARP
“So I’m trying to figure out how to salvage this, because I do think doing our own brake and suspension work is going to save us a bundle long-term.”
READERS WEIGH IN
Tracy opened the dilemma up to car experts in his comments to weigh in on what he could do to save the car. Readers quickly advised Tracy to take the car to the mechanic.
“It grinds my gears to pay others to work on my car too, but it comes down to this: you can have money or you can have time, but not both. And it’s harder to make time than to make money,” one wrote.
“This will become even more apparent when you become a parent.
“As for parts quality, OEM Lexus/Toyota would be the way to fly. Think about it: Toyotas are some of the most reliable vehicles on the road. Their parts break less. If you have to buy things twice, are you saving any money? At least buy a higher quality, well-reviewed option.
“Also NEVER cheap out on brakes.”
Scratch your wrenching itch with your own fleet. Life will just be better.”
The Autopian reader
Another agreed, “A few years back I came to this realization. When its a car you have to depend on to get to work, just let the mechanic do it.
“When its something you can afford to have sit because you made a mistake (like a project car or off road toy) feel free to DIY. Its saved me a ton of headaches over the years.”
“Swallow your pride and let Lexus service her car. Scratch your wrenching itch with your own fleet. Life will just be better,” another simply added.
The U.S. Sun has reached out to Tracy for comment.
A parts store owner recently told The U.S. Sun that OEM parts are the way to go when handling your own repairs – but that there are ways to get cheap parts still.
The veteran mechanic advised buying parts directly from manufacturers instead of auto shops that might mark up the prices.
