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Old 1st February 2025, 15:10   #1
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What's a common scam or shady practice at garages that people should be aware of?

Hey guys,

So, I had a bit of a run-in recently that got me thinking – and a bit annoyed, if I’m honest! Our Dzire's ride was feeling like I’d traded my springs for rocks. It was also shaking quite a bit, pointed out by my neighbour who observed my rear tyres slightly wavering. Took it to a garage I got recommended by someone, and the guy starts going on about the “suspension overhaul, control arms needing replacement, along with a full bush kit.” The price he quoted? Let’s just say my jaw hit the floor – and my wallet started to hyperventilate .

Luckily, a buddy of mine suggested I get a second opinion. So I did, went to this other workshop, and they took a good look. They suggested a shock absorber repair, essentially replacing the struts. Now, I’m no mechanic, but this made more sense given how the car felt. And guess what? They did the repair, and the ride’s back to being smooth!

What's the punchline? The first guy was trying to get me to replace a ton of stuff that I really didn’t need. The control arms, suspension parts, and bush kit would’ve cost me more than three times what the shock repair actually did, plus hefty labour charges on top! Absolute daylight robbery.

This whole experience got me wondering... what are the common scams or dodgy things other mechanics are pulling? I'm sure I’m not the only one who's been through something like this, so let’s share our stories.

Have you ever been overcharged? Had unnecessary parts “replaced”? Been given some ridiculous diagnosis that turned out to be wrong? Share your experiences so we can all be more aware of these dodgy practices. Maybe we can start some kind of "mechanic red flag" list?

Let's help each other stay out of those expensive and unnecessary repairs!

Cheers,
Wheelspinner

Last edited by wheelspinner : 1st February 2025 at 15:12.
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Old 1st February 2025, 15:30   #2
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Re: What's a common scam or shady practice at garages that people should be aware of?

Quote:
Originally Posted by wheelspinner View Post
Our Dzire's ride was feeling like I’d traded my springs for rocks. It was also shaking quite a bit, pointed out by my neighbour who observed my rear tyres slightly wavering.
Strange, when your shocks are gone, your car will bounce up and down more. If anything it will feel the exact opposite from springs like rock.

What do you mean by wavering? Some movement? Nothing to do with the shocks.

Honestly, based on those two descriptions I would have thought the suspension needed a good overhaul with at least some of the bushings needing replacement.

Did the second guy check the bushes for wear and tear and play?

Jeroen
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Old 1st February 2025, 15:43   #3
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Re: What's a common scam or shady practice at garages that people should be aware of?

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Originally Posted by Jeroen View Post
Strange, when your shocks are gone, your car will bounce up and down more. If anything it will feel the exact opposite from springs like rock.

What do you mean by wavering? Some movement? Nothing to do with the shocks.

Honestly, based on those two descriptions I would have thought the suspension needed a good overhaul with at least some of the bushings needing replacement.

Did the second guy check the bushes for wear and tear and play?

Jeroen
Dzire's suspension is actually quite soft so it has always felt a bit bouncier. Nope, what I wanted to mean is the ride felt way too stiffer, and the car would feel like it is hitting hard whenever I cross a bump. I could feel every bump, and there is a thud sound like it hit some rocks. Sometimes while accelerating, the car was swaying/shaking quite a bit from the rear (left to right movement).

He said, it wasn't a suspension issue. He did inject some lubricating grease inside the stabilizer link though.

When the shocks become weak there is some kind of play in the tires too .

I did some research on this.

Last edited by wheelspinner : 1st February 2025 at 15:55.
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Old 1st February 2025, 19:16   #4
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Re: What's a common scam or shady practice at garages that people should be aware of?

Quote:
Originally Posted by wheelspinner View Post
Nope, what I wanted to mean is the ride felt way too stiffer, and the car would feel like it is hitting hard whenever I cross a bump. I could feel every bump, and there is a thud sound like it hit some rocks. Sometimes while accelerating, the car was swaying/shaking quite a bit from the rear (left to right movement).

I did some research on this.
You might want to do some more research.

How worn shocks manifest themselves might be a bit different depending on the kind of suspension you have, whether its the front/rear shocks, front/rear wheel driven, independent suspension or not. E.g. Worn shocks on a rear wheel driven trailing arrangement is very susceptible to wobble.

However, all worn shocks will make the car bounce more, not less. To some extent, but only in extreme cases shocks also ensure your suspension wont hit the mechanical stops. (which can be the thud like sounds).

Shocks dampen the spring action. Nothing more, nothing less. Worn shocks mean your spring action does t get dampened, so you get a more bouncy ride. As per the video it also means the tire(S) tend not to follow the bumpy roads as well, so less traction.

Again, from your description I would have thought it was more than just shocks. Of course if you had bad shocks and they are now replaced, potential worn bushes and or other play in the suspension becomes noticeable less.

Testing/inspecting shocks is really easy and straight forward. Suspension inspection and testing can only be done with both wheels front and or rear of the ground and knowing what to look for and where and how to check for play. In some cases you need to lift both wheels and subsequently pre load the suspension and then check for play.

Jeroen
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Old 1st February 2025, 22:27   #5
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Re: What's a common scam or shady practice at garages that people should be aware of?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeroen View Post
Strange, when your shocks are gone, your car will bounce up and down more. If anything it will feel the exact opposite from springs like rock.
Jeroen
I have worn out bilstein b6, they have progressively become harder as they are getting older.
They were harder than stock to begin with.
But I think the valving must be malfunctioning making them hard ?
Soft and bouncy is the strut failing.

I agree bushings make the car feel tight. Change them. Suspension jobs are better done all at once. Only then you will get the joy of driving a "new" car again.
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Old 2nd February 2025, 12:50   #6
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Re: What's a common scam or shady practice at garages that people should be aware of?

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Originally Posted by paras211 View Post
I have worn out bilstein b6, they have progressively become harder as they are getting older.
They were harder than stock to begin with.
But I think the valving must be malfunctioning making them hard ?
Soft and bouncy is the strut failing.

I agree bushings make the car feel tight. Change them. Suspension jobs are better done all at once. Only then you will get the joy of driving a "new" car again.
He said it was shocker issue, and suspension had no unusual noise. The problem is I got scammed so many times at so many instances that I find it hard whom to trust

He showed me that when he compressed the shocks, the shocks would remain depressed and not come out unlike the new shocks he had from another car that quickly bounced back up.
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Old 2nd February 2025, 14:45   #7
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Re: What's a common scam or shady practice at garages that people should be aware of?

Let me share a general view on how to deal with FNGs, their shady practices, incompetence & scams-

I have grown up spending quite a lot of time with FNG mechanics from the Premier Padmini days back in the 90s.

If you are not well versed with your car, do avoid FNGs & stick to the company service centers unless you are sure about an FNG who is honest & meticulous about the small details.

Reasons-

Most of the FNGs goof up with the exact fluid level or grade that is required for the particular car. Refer to the car's owner's manual or the service manual if you can get hold of one.

Many FNGs lack modern pieces of equipment. Old or non-compatible equipment may further damage your car.

The exact torque on which a certain bolt needs to be tightened is most often overlooked and they end up tightening it more than the required torque/specs.

There is a big scam that goes on with the spare parts.
For example, Duster AWD uses shock absorbers from Monroe. If you buy it from outside or from a website like Boodmo, it will cost you 5.5k per piece. Now if you buy the same shock absorber with Renault/OEM badging, it will cost you Rs 8k+. Now by paying 3k extra in the service center, you get a piece of mind of a 6 months/1 year warranty which you won't get outside.

Now coming to another point. Let's take the Duster AWD as an example. Parts like the brake pads, shock absorber, and a few more components vary from other Dusters. If you give your Duster to an FNG who is not aware of these changes will end up getting the spares from a 110 ps or an 85 ps Duster which will eventually give up or won't fit or will damage the car further. But if the owner knows about these minute details about his car he can definitely give his car to a FNG. Trust the FNGs who ask for your car's vin number to procure the exact spare parts.

FNGs use different types of spares. Refurbished spares, spares from scrapped cars, compatible spare parts made by local manufacturers, spares by branded manufacturers, OEM spares, and spares from the old lot or from the failed QC lot which they can buy for cheap or they repair a particular spare part instead of replacing. For example, one can change the steering rack or it can be sent to the lathe too! So the owner must be aware of what exactly is going on with his car.
Another point is, that a guy working at a Renault workshop will easily open up a Duster than a guy who works in an FNG and deals with multiple cars from different brands. So a trained mechanic from a service center generally pinpoints the exact cause of the problem faster than the FNGs.
But then there are many cases where the service center guys failed or gave a hefty estimate where the FNG guy detected the exact cause and sorted the issue at a very reasonable rate.

Identifying which parts actually need to be replaced and which parts have been included to unnecessarily inflate the bill is important.

The new cars always get software updates from time to time. These won't be available in a FNG.

The body shop is another important factor. For eg VAG/Skoda cars come with MIG welding, so in case of welding work is required and the FNG is unaware of exactly what welding is required on which parts like spot welding or MIG or any other, this can lead to safety hazards later on.

The paint booth is another factor. Do they have a heat chamber or what quality of paint are they using?

So, before giving your car you need to evaluate which will be more suitable for the kind of work you require. If you are well versed with your car's minor details and you know you can guide the FNG mechanics on how you need your work to be done, then you can go ahead with an FNG.

Now one may ask, are company-authorized service centers 100% trustworthy?
The answer is no. As this thread is on the FNGs, I skipped going into that part.

Last edited by Samba : 2nd February 2025 at 14:55.
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Old 2nd February 2025, 16:36   #8
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Re: What's a common scam or shady practice at garages that people should be aware of?

My elder brother had retired from the Army. He has been owning a Maruti 800 (1996 model) that has been with him since then. Later in his service life he would get the staff car. Hence the Maruti 800 was not used much. He gave the car to a local workshop recommended by me for a general checkup oil changes, fuel line checkup and so on. Post checkup the bill in five figures came to above Rs 10,000.00.

I checked through and found that he has been billed for synthetic oil that was purportedly used to refill the engine. The normal oils cost about Rs 1100.00 ( Servo etc) to Rs 1500.00 ( the premium ones) for 3 litres.

But he was billed for synthetic engine oil with the oil filter the total coming to around Rs 4,700=00. In the synthetic oil range the cost of a 3 litre can is below Rs 3 K. But he was given the astronomical bill?

https://www.industrybuying.com/engin....ENG.721747566

The above is a link for Shell Helix Magna Xtra. 3 litres of this brand costs about Rs 4365.00, which I am sure was not the oil used. My brother had already paid the bill. I gave the workshop proprietor a piece of my mind and my brother instantly changed over to a better workshop.

Maruti 800 with synthetic engine oil ? Tomorrow they could recommend it for even the Tata Ace. Hence, we need to be on the watch out from such predators.

Last edited by anjan_c2007 : 2nd February 2025 at 16:39.
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Old 2nd February 2025, 19:27   #9
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Re: What's a common scam or shady practice at garages that people should be aware of?

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I checked through and found that he has been billed for synthetic oil that was purportedly used to refill the engine. The normal oils cost about Rs 1100.00 ( Servo etc) to Rs 1500.00 ( the premium ones) for 3 litres.

But he was billed for synthetic engine oil with the oil filter the total coming to around Rs 4,700=00. In the synthetic oil range the cost of a 3 litre can is below Rs 3 K. But he was given the astronomical bill?
If your brother was not present, he might have even given him used (lightly used) oil from the drums. They mostly give engine oils from the drums they buy in bulk, I heard it's cheaper for them. So they overcharged around 4-5x.

I was once given engine oil that was already used, I suspect. Because, I didn't check the oil at that time. Within a few months, it turned dark after barely running 2000-3000 kms. Since then all oil changes are done in my presence.

Last edited by wheelspinner : 2nd February 2025 at 19:31.
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Old 2nd February 2025, 19:55   #10
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Re: What's a common scam or shady practice at garages that people should be aware of?

So because of rats damaging the ECU of my Storme, the truck spent 6 months in different garages with different people trying to diagnose the issue unless one found it and fixed it. So sharing my experience and learning from it all.
  • Always, always, always, carry spares and fluids yourself, if the garage is bringing spares, be very clear that you need to see the photos of the packaging before opening, and they have to be Genuine Parts. This is because as someone pointed out above, FNG will never stick to manufacturer specifications and add whatever fluid they feel is fine and claim it is alright.
  • Be very clear that you do not have concerns spending money on the repair but will not accept shoddy work. Assurance of money prevents many of such folks from trying to replace parts or doing similar stuff. Somehow I have observed that when they are assured of money, they even kept my interiors very clean, they would put some bedsheets before putting any spares on the rear seat and all.
  • Explicitly ask the FNG if they have ever worked on your particular version of the vehicle. For me, with a Storme, this was equally important because not many mechanics have experience working with Storme and one wrong part broken can lead to the car sitting in garage till parts arrive. Usually try going to a garage where you can see your model getting repaired. In Tata world, it is unspoken that if you come across a garage where your car model is standing, we go to that mechanic only. This is not a bad approach TBH.
  • Try not to leave your vehicle at the garage for a long time. What I usually do is get to the mechanic, get a list of all that needs changes (along with justification), then ask him to order the parts / order parts myself. Once all parts arrive, will take the vehicle to them, get it repaired and then come back.

Hope if helps.
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Old 3rd February 2025, 11:56   #11
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Re: What's a common scam or shady practice at garages that people should be aware of?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Samba View Post
Let me share a general view on how to deal with FNGs, their shady practices, incompetence & scams-

Now coming to another point. Let's take the Duster AWD as an example. Parts like the brake pads, shock absorber, and a few more components vary from other Dusters.

FNGs use different types of spares. Refurbished spares, spares from scrapped cars, compatible spare parts made by local manufacturers, spares by branded manufacturers, OEM spares, and spares from the old lot or from the failed QC lot which they can buy for cheap or they repair a particular spare part instead of replacing.
Exactly what happened to me. I gave my Creta to a Multi-Brand repair shop for routine service last year. They told me that my brake pads need to be replaced so I said go ahead. Weeks after this, we had taken a road trip to Goa. Every time I braked, it would screech, so bad it was embarrassing.
It turns out they have put in a TVS or some other brands' pads and even after normal wear, it still makes the noise. I will eventually have to go to a Hyundai SS and get it replaced again. Never going to go to these outlets unless it is an emergency. Lesson well learned.
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Old 3rd February 2025, 12:21   #12
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Re: What's a common scam or shady practice at garages that people should be aware of?

I've been driving my vehicles 2010 Bajaj Pulsar, 2012 Hyundai I10(sold in 2022), 2022 Creta. Overall I owned these vehicles for 15 years and might have serviced 2 wheeler on average for every six months and 4 wheeler for every 1 year. In all these years I never went to them even for 2 wheeler also, I have trust issues and feel that these people steal the original parts and sell them outside the market and I'm also not sure about how much information they have about each vehicle for ex. authorised service centers send their team to training centers to train them on how to service each vehicle. Giving the vehicles in the authorised service centers give peace of mind as there is management who is responsible.
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Old 3rd February 2025, 14:18   #13
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Re: What's a common scam or shady practice at garages that people should be aware of?

I once went with my Swift to a garage whom I used to go earlier. I carried with me the Swift manual and instructed them that the Swift takes around 3.1 litre of oil as per the manual and not to use the entire 3.5 litre oil I had provided them with. The gentleman began to inspect the manual and obliged though his tone changed to “who are you to tell me how to do my work”. Next on another visit I had asked him to change coolant which as per manual is again to be changed every 2 years and mine had exceeded that duration, but he refused to change it stating it is in good condition. There was a sound coming from the lower suspension which he did not bother to inspect stating let it get aggravated. We had trouble location the sound since his area has good roads and the sound was coming on bad roads only. He said he will re-torque the suspension which ideally would have been a harmless task but post returning the car from his garage the right side strut started to leak oil something which was not there earlier.

I have now though managed to find a new FNG who only insist on original parts (how many garages do this) and he was recommened by a fellow Bhpian. Overall with both FNG and A.S.S I have had mixed experiences with even authorised centres goofing up eg My M800 broke down twice (car stalling etc) post service from MASS (Sai Service/Kalpana Auto). Sai service once installed the fuel filter the wrong way something which was pointed up by an FNG. All in all, it boils down to your luck and knowledge of vehicles to keep your car running in good condition
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Old 3rd February 2025, 14:20   #14
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Re: What's a common scam or shady practice at garages that people should be aware of?

I remember one instance particularly about 25 years back when mahindra MM540 was my main drive. I wanted to modify it and also change the engine from OEM to toyota 2C. I discussed it with the Mechanic and then I got busy some where for a couple of months. When I again visited for some minor issue he said that the engine is about to die and needs overhaul and its better to change it. But I was doubtful and consulted another garage and he said the engine was perfectly fine. I immediately switched the workshop.

Around two years back one of the heaters in Nissan Micra went kaput. My Mechanic said that its heaters are very slim and nay break if we try to replace and then whole head assembly would have to be pulled. And there is no need to do anything and its still doing great
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Old 3rd February 2025, 14:20   #15
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Re: What's a common scam or shady practice at garages that people should be aware of?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Samba View Post
Let me share a general view on how to deal with FNGs, their shady practices, incompetence & scams-
Interesting take on FNG Vs A.S.S.

I swear by AFM parts, Chinese & Mayapuri made 2nd grade or 3rd grade spares, I swear by BOODMO also, DIY's and carrying own oil and filters to extract the max out of your car. My Chevy Sail thread can be a nightmare for you I suppose, because I did not have a choice and I was a DIY'er at heart.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-...m-7-years.html (Living with a (abandoned by maker) Chevrolet Sail in India | EDIT: Sold at 182,500 km & 7 years)

But I see lack of accountability is the primary reason why car owners these days would want to avoid FNGs. They would never back their word if anything goes wrong because they do not generally offer warranty on their work.

PS - As recent as yesterday, I had to change 4 coil packs and 4 spark plugs on my 2012 Altima. The mechanic quoted 700AED for parts (Chinese), many other shops quoted 600AED, (OEM was very expensive). I got them home delivered from Amazon for 320AED overnight, working perfectly fine now!!

Last edited by svsantosh : 3rd February 2025 at 14:33.
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