i8acobra

iTrader: (6)

One very quick and easy way to tell... look at their work area. Is it clean? Their probably good.

Golden_Armz

iTrader: (3)

It's hard to find a good, trust worthy mechanic. My friend brought in her car for oil change and tire replacement. They charged her 800 bucks, and I asked to see the receipt. They charged her 60 bucks for synthetic, and I asked why did u put synthetic in there, it's a nissa, altima. They said they come with synthetic from the factory. I thought that was BS. I highly doubt they came with synthetic oil.

i8acobra

iTrader: (6)

If it's a '13 or newer... Yes, it came with synthetic. Nissan recommends Mobil 1 5W-20 in the '13 and newer Altimas. Ester is recommended for Maxima's and 370's. GTR's get 5W-30 Mobil 1. That being said, using other oil does NOT void your warranty and we at the dealership would use 5W-30 syn blend for anyone that either didn't want to pay for syn or had the $19.99 coupon.

dSpaceman

iTrader: (2)

True or nah

i8acobra

iTrader: (6)

Nope. I spend all day fixing other people's cars. Last thing I wanna do when I get home is fix my own. I've owned brand new cars for as long as 3 whole years and as little as 27 days. I don't buy used cars any more unless they're very low mileage and something specific. For example... I'd buy an '03 or '04 Cobra with less than 30k miles in factory (un-modified) condition.

That being said, my Hardbody, which I've had since new, has 465,000 miles on the original motor.

zakmartin

The good ones always want to drive off with your SAAB.

Justin100

trust me guys,

mechanics are human beings, and human beings make mistakes.


i had my rear hub assembly replaced and the high performance shop for honda messed up and wouldn't admit to it. my rotor got grinded down from the inside because they bolted the wrong bolt that was longer so basically the bolt was right on my rotor from the inside. and as i was driving you hear screeching sounds......its gone now because the bolt probably grinded away the rotor to make room for it. i will eventually need to change out my rotor.

GO BACK TO THE OLD SIMPLE SAYING. IF YOU WANT SOMETHING TO BE DONE RIGHT DO IT YOURSELF.

when i do work on my own car and mess up, i can only blame myself, go back and fix the mistake....trial and error. but shops they know their reputation is on the line. so they don't want to admit to f7ckups because it makes them look bad.

VaGentleman

Thanks for all the info folks. Still looking for a good garage in the area, (Alexandria), to "pep-up" my first and only 350Z (55k miles). Onward I search!

Wietse350Z

I took my car to a mechanic for replacing the complete clutch and flywheel some time ago.
Good thing is, as it's not a company but a father and son doing this for a living (mainly Z's) and i could stick around and help/assist.
As they have the tools and equipment to do the job, have the experience as well and in the meantime i learn something and can see how the job is being done.

But i think when visiting a garage to have a look if they can help you just keep your eyes open and observe.
How is the state of the workshop, unorganised tools and old parts lying around doesn't give me the impression of them actually caring much.
Some places you walk in and it looks like a hospital, but you know they are always busy and plenty work being done they also take their time to keep the place in a good shape will tell you a lot of how they work.

Justin100

Unorganized doesn't mean anything i would say when you work on your own car you put pride into it fixing or modifying it properly with all of the little details. Call it labor of love.

For instance the people at the tire shop tighten the lug nuts and bang their impact wrenches in the hole of the rim causes scratches. And instead of tightening them to 80 ft lbs of torque and in a star pattern they tighten it in a ring formation they just torque it down all the way until they are super super tight which can warp the rotors.

A mechanic at a shop just wants to finish quickly they don't really think about the small details they just want to make money quickly and not waste time.

travlee

iTrader: (8)

bboypuertoroc

iTrader: (4)

i8acobra

iTrader: (6)

We're talking about mechanics, not the McDonald's cast-offs the tire shops and Jiffy Lube's of the world hire.