I was deceived at a car service center - where can I complain? "Are they being deceived at the service station? It's their own fault." We explain how to properly send your car for repairs. What to do if you get scammed at a car service center.

Of course, first of all, the cost of service is related to the policy of the owners of technical centers, as well as whether the service center is an official representative of a particular brand. But also with the special cunning of car mechanics. So how do they deceive us or try to cheat us out of large sums in car services? Read the most popular methods of deception at car services.

Imposing unnecessary repairs

The most effective way to increase the check at a car service center is to impose unnecessary repairs or unnecessary work on the client. How does this happen?

For example, you come to a technical center with some problem, which clearly does not indicate where the source of the breakdown is. In this case, comprehensive diagnostics is necessary to determine the cause of the problems. As a result, we agree to have the car diagnosed in the hope that this will help identify the true cause of the problem. But in reality it turns out quite differently. Often, after diagnostics, the technician announces to us that more than one problem has been found that requires elimination first, pushing the malfunction with which we went to the auto repair shop to the background.

As a result, we agree to repair the component that we didn’t even suspect was faulty when we went to the technical center. Yes, of course, there are respectable craftsmen who will never deceive you or impose unnecessary repairs. But, unfortunately, in most cases the opposite is true.

When you come to a car service center, you usually give your car for service and wait in a specially designated area. After the work is completed you receive vehicle with confidence that everything is fine. But remember that even an expensive and well-known dealership is not a guarantee that it employs respectable craftsmen who... How? Very simple. For example, during an oil change you will pay for a certain amount motor oil and for the work performed, but in fact, unscrupulous workers will pretend that they changed it. There are usually two types of deception:

1. Simulation of an oil change, the purpose of which is to create external signs that the work has been carried out. For example, cunning auto repairmen can deliberately stain the engine cover with engine oil, and also attach a special sticker that indicates the date of engine oil change. Thus, workers will simply create the appearance of work being carried out .

2. Partial replacement engine oils. For example, dishonest craftsmen will drain only half of the old oil from the engine. Next, pour in new oil, partially mixing it with the old one. .

The purpose of this fraud is to “promote” the client for money, as well as to steal motor oil, which was paid for by the unsuspecting owner of the car.

Cheating on the cost of spare parts

This method of deception usually occurs at unofficial dealerships. For example, when you arrive with a breakdown, you agree to pay the cost of the original spare part and the cost of the repairs. A dishonest technician can deceive you by installing a non-original spare part, the cost of which is several times less than the original one.

Also, they may actually install the spare part that you paid for, but in reality you will overpay, since dishonest auto repair shop workers can deceive you on the cost of components for the car. For example, they may sell you a spare part twice as expensive as its cost in online auto parts stores or even more expensive than it costs at the dealer.

Artificial increase in standard hour

Usually, . For each type of work at any car service there is its own standard hour. At many technical centers for car repair and maintenance, in order to increase the average bill for repairs, technicians artificially increase the work time. It is noteworthy that even if the master sees that the car owner is savvy and familiar with the time limit for replacing a particular part, the client can still be deceived. How? Very simple. In this case, the client may unexpectedly find out that another breakdown has been found in the car, which prevents basic work from being carried out, etc.

To ensure that you do not artificially increase the time your car spends in the auto repair shop, before putting your car in for service, ask your mechanic or master what the deadline for repairing or servicing the car is. In addition, never hesitate to ask in advance how much a particular job will cost and how much the necessary spare part will cost.

Bottom line

Of course, within the scope of this article we cannot tell you about all the ways technical centers can deceive you during repairs or Maintenance cars. Naturally, there are a huge number of ways in which we can be deceived at a car service when repairing a car. Despite the fact that it is impossible to know all the methods by which we are deceived at auto repair shops, each of us is able to protect ourselves from fraud. To do this, you need to be vigilant, not trust words and check everything that was done at the car service after maintenance or repair.

For many, car repair is a big problem. Only some car owners take on the repairs themselves; the rest are willing to pay any money to fix the problem. Unscrupulous car services take advantage of this and can often pass off a ten-ruble breakdown as an expensive repair or deceive the client in other ways.

“AiF-Chelyabinsk” has already shared that they easily sell overdue drinks under the guise of shares that pour unfinished drinks into a glass for a new order, and now they have prepared new revelations. This time, auto repair shop workers shared their secrets. The site's correspondent interviewed current and former employees services. They agreed to comment only on the condition that their real names would be changed.

“The main thing that car service clients should understand is that, if possible, repairs should be carried out in front of you. You need to carefully observe what they do with your car,” says Ivan, a former auto mechanic with experience.- In your presence, it will be more difficult for an employee to cheat, but many foremen do not like and even swear when someone stands over them. In addition, you should not leave your car for a long time in any car service. I know a lot of stories when people ask me to leave a car for a few days, not for repairs, but to drive it at night.”

Substitution of parts

First of all, car repair shop employees evaluate car owners. The easiest way to deceive an inexperienced client, or better yet, a woman.

“If the client doesn’t understand anything at all, then you can supply a used spare part instead of a new one or even replace parts - remove the good ones and keep them, replacing them with worse ones. I know that they often install worn-out pads, rarely they even remove a good signal from someone else’s car and install another one,” Ivan continues to say.

Andrey from Chelyabinsk Once I almost became a victim of such a scam.

“I came to a car service center to change the timing chain on the six,” says the man. - I brought a new chain, the car mechanic in front of me threw it into a bucket of oil, supposedly to lubricate it. But I sensed a catch, because I know that the new chain does not need to be lubricated. I stuck my hand into the bucket, and there, in addition to my chain, there was another one, but it was clearly used.”

Pseudo-breakdown

“There can be many options, for example, the lighting fuse has blown, but we tell the client that the headlight control unit is faulty,” says auto mechanic Sergei.- Replacing a fuse costs 20 rubles, and blocks up to 50 thousand rubles. Favorite scheme: due to one worn rubber band on the silent block, replace the entire suspension down to the struts. Or from the classics - when inspecting an engine, one auto mechanic distracts the client, while another one pours antifreeze into the oil. The oil turns into an emulsion, and they pass it off as a blown cylinder head gasket, and the work of opening the cylinder head is considered expensive. Often clients are deceived major renovation engine, although in reality they simply change worn out belts and wash the engine with a Kärcher so that it is as good as new.”

Broken parts

Unscrupulous auto mechanics intend to extract as much money as possible from the client’s wallet. more money. That’s why they love so-called additional services: “Let’s change it along the way.” If the customer does not agree, then the service center workers may intentionally damage the part.

So, resident of the Chelyabinsk region Vladimir Semenov car mechanics cut the drive belt, which he did not want to change “along the way.”

“Visually the belt was good, so why change it? As soon as I drove away from the service, it burst. Is it really a coincidence? - asks Vladimir.

Butter mix

Horror stories about oil changes are perhaps the most common. And, indeed, auto mechanics confirm that the oil may not be added, it may be changed, it may be filled with used oil, or they may even make a mix - mix from what was poured - 0.5 from one car, 0.5 from another. Besides, oil filter They may not change at all.

From the car owner Hyundai Santa Fe by Eduard Tumanov Butter is a different story. A young man had been changing his oil at the same car service center for five years. Each time he was asked to bring two cans of oil. Many years later, he stopped by another place, also with two canisters. Imagine his surprise when the master returned one full canister to him with the words: “Why so much?”

Can a minor malfunction in a car, the elimination of which costs a maximum of 5,000 rubles, result in a major repair, which is 20 times more expensive? Yes maybe. Moreover, such situations are regularly encountered by motorists who independently seek repair services from the capital’s car repair shops.

As a result, Internet sites are full of reviews of deceived clients about workshops of various levels - from “garage” to “official”.

It should be recognized that for most Russian car repair shops it is simply unprofitable to carry out simple and inexpensive repairs. To justify the cost of rent in the capital, salaries for craftsmen, work, and so on, car services try to find as many different “faults” in the car as possible. This is why most auto repair shops are not interested in telling the client the final price of the repair in advance.

I’ll tell you about the five most common ways to deceive car owners, as well as how they can be avoided.

Method number 1. You “need” balancing

Wheel balancing is one of the most common services for car service clients. As a rule, it is carried out when replacing tires or when necessary. For example, if at a speed of 60-100 km/h a beat appears in the steering wheel, this is a clear sign of imbalance. If you drive on regional off-road areas with many holes and potholes, you may need the service more often than usual.

The procedure itself is carried out for each wheel on a balancing stand equipped with a special computer.

The process is easy to observe, so there is no need to be afraid of a catch in this case. You should be wary if the technician offers to correct the curvature of the discs.

Repairing the damage here and now may seem like a tempting idea, especially if the consequences of the malfunction are described to you in all its glory - from the prospect of suspension repair to the threat of a serious accident on the road due to steering failure. But is this operation really necessary for your car? This is far from a fact, and perhaps the master just wants to earn an extra 1,500 rubles for each wheel.

What can be done

We recommend asking a technician to show you how your car's wheel actually rotates. If the disk is really crooked, as they are trying to convince you of, even a beginner who is inexperienced in repair will see it. If you do not notice any peculiarities in the rotation of the wheel, do not agree to repair.

Method No. 2. Installing cheap spare parts instead of branded ones

Often, when repairing a car, unscrupulous repairmen use cheaper analogues from lesser-known manufacturers instead of original spare parts, which are much more expensive. As a result, instead of MANN or Bosch oil filters, your car will have filters from Kross or PMC. And instead of Sachs or Kayaba shock absorbers, you will get parts under the Fenox brand. Not to mention the fact that the place of quite worthy manufacturers can be taken by Chinese analogues purchased via the Internet for pennies.

It is possible that they will serve you faithfully for some time, but you will pay for them significantly more than their real value. For example, air filter from MANN costs 600 rubles, and the Chinese equivalent is 6 times cheaper. By the way, repairs may not be carried out at all, especially if the old part can be slightly updated with improvised means, and the master will simply keep the new one for himself.

What can be done

You can purchase auto parts yourself and hand them over to an auto mechanic, and then carefully monitor what exactly he installs on your car. You will spend time, but you will be sure that all spare parts have been replaced with high-quality ones. If you doubt that the repair took place at all, ask the technician in advance not to throw away the disk or hoses that have become unusable and return them to you upon payment. This is the only way you can be sure that the repair has actually been made.

Method No. 3. Replacing the timing belt and related parts

It is recommended to change the timing belt after every 50,000–80,000 km. If the timing belt requires replacement, then the tension roller must also be replaced along with it. In practice, enterprising craftsmen often bill for replacing the entire set, but in fact “forget” to change the roller.

As a result, you will not only pay extra money, but will also inevitably find yourself in a car service center again, and very soon - without a new tension roller, the belt will not last long and will break, which threatens much more expensive engine repairs. In this case, it will be almost impossible to prove the service’s guilt. They earn from such deception from 1000 to 7000 rubles.

What can be done

The only way out is to monitor the repair process and make sure that the repairman actually replaced the entire set. Or ask for the worn tension roller to be returned to you. In this case, the temptation to fool you will be reduced to zero.

Method number 4. Expensive auto hum

Almost every novice driver who recently got behind the wheel of a used car periodically hears an obsessive hum when driving a car and, of course, rushes to contact a car service center (often the first one they come across). The most common cause of such a hum is a faulty wheel hub bearing. However, car mechanics often take advantage of the inexperience of car owners.

After hearing complaints about the hum, they tell the newcomer about serious problems with automatic transmission transmission As a result, instead of 4–5 thousand rubles (that’s how much the bearing and its replacement cost), you will receive a bill for ten times more, while the gearbox repair, as you understand, may not be carried out at all.

What can be done

Ask the mechanic to “lift” the car and spin all the wheels in turn in front of you. If the hum was caused by a worn-out wheel bearing, you will hear it immediately. A broken wheel will show play as it rotates.

Method No. 5. Intentional damage to silent blocks

A characteristic knocking sound in a running car, especially at low speeds, may be the result of damaged stabilizer struts, which also affect the car's handling. The racks themselves, as well as their replacement, are inexpensive (the cost of auto parts starts from 500 rubles, labor - from 1500).

In pursuit of a larger check amount, an unscrupulous service may simply burn through the rubber parts of the silent blocks (one of the suspension connecting blocks) with a torch.

As a result, a complete replacement of the suspension arm will be required, which will cost three times more.

What can be done

Before starting repairs, you should try to inspect the car with a mechanic and once again discuss the entire scope of work and cost. And, of course, it is better to be personally present at the auto repair.

And these are just the most common violations...

Is it possible to reduce the risk of fraud to zero? Of course, if you contact only reliable car services. We cooperate with car services that have undergone multi-stage testing to ensure compliance with strict quality standards.

• Firstly, the car service should be located “on the first line” of the road: it is easy to find and easy to drive up to.
• Secondly, each of our partners agrees to work according to a fixed price list for all services.
• Thirdly, the car service documents are carefully checked.
• Fourthly, each workshop undertakes to receive clients at a strictly designated time, without delays or queues.
• Fifthly, our car services are equipped with modern equipment and have customer lounge areas with comfortable sofas, TV, and free Wi-Fi. In addition, before connecting to our platform, each auto repair shop must pass a Mystery Shopping check and receive an excellent rating.

This makes it possible to make the market for car maintenance and repair services as transparent as possible and protect the car owner from overpayments and unreasonable increases in the bill. When making an appointment for repairs through us, the client knows the final cost of the repair at the stage of confirming the application.

If during the repair process any questions or disagreements arise with the car service, the client can at any time contact a personal assistant - a representative of the online platform. He accompanies every application from the moment of registration until the completion of the repair and is ready to help resolve any situation. By the way, car services that begin to receive negative customer reviews are disconnected from the system. This approach helps the company control the quality of services provided by partners, and helps clients save time, money and nerves.

In general, the following situation happened to me. I decided to buy myself a car. There wasn’t much money - 70 rubles in total, so I chose, so to speak, from the bucket list. Many will say that if you don’t have money, walk, but I categorically disagree with them. Everyone has their own income, but everyone needs to travel. I wanted to take something old, but one that would drive and break as little as possible. After a long study of reviews on the drome and other sites, the choice fell on the Audi 100. Great, there are a lot of domestic spare parts suitable and, as they wrote, indestructible. The choice has been made. The search for a suitable car began. I looked at 4 cars - all turned out to be usable except to get to the landfill. There was no money to restore the car, so I wanted to get the car at minimal cost. And then I came across an advertisement - the machine is not running, but there are all the spare parts to restore it. I drove up and looked... The body is smooth, well-maintained, the engine runs quite smoothly. Moreover, it was sold normally and my budget should have been enough for repairs. But, as they say, trust but verify. I decided to check the car at a service station just in case. Complete diagnostics. Since the car was not running, it was decided to drag it to the nearest service station. There was a long line at one service station and we were dragged to another. The seller did not know about it - 100%. They dragged us to the service station, the guys seemed smart. Well, after climbing around the car, they named those shoals that the seller said + small things (silent blocks and other rubber bands). The price tag announced for the repair was fine. It's decided - I'll buy it. We gave the spare parts to the service station workers. Everything is decorated - beautiful! And, as they say, away we go...
They call from the service station and ask if your revs are fluctuating a little, we suggest cleaning the carburetor. Clean? Without any ulterior motive (I don’t know much about cars myself, I thought they were professionals, they knew better) I agree. As the salesman said, the vacuum on the clutch was broken. Even at the time of purchase, the STO dealers said that it was not a vacuum, but a clutch slave cylinder (which was ultimately purchased at the expense of the sale). And then they call me and say - the slave cylinder is normal - the MASTER cylinder has failed. I went on the trail. the day I bought it - it turned out to be exactly it, and they replaced it for me. TOTAL: at the service station they did the following work for me - they changed the lever assembly, changed the clutch master cylinder, washed the carb, changed the oil and spark plugs. About 6 thousand were paid for everything. They worked for 2 days, and after 2 days I became the happy (hasty conclusion) owner of an Audi) When I pick up the car, a crunching sound on the right is alarming. STOshniki say that the grenade crunches. I - why the hell didn’t they tell about her right away. They replied that you couldn’t tell whether a grenade on a lift was crunchy or not. Well, okay, the grenade is a trifle, it will be tolerated. And it was quite a long drive - from Svoboda Street to Berdsk. I ask - will it definitely arrive? The answer is - anyone! I drove home without any second thought. I had just reached the hipodrome when the car stalled! It stalled and gasoline started pouring out of the carburetor like a fountain! Thank God the engine was still cold! I call this service station and explain the situation. They send a repairman (and it was already in the evening, the repairman had already left for home). I waited for him for about an hour. Then the repairman fiddled around for another hour, but didn’t do anything. As a result, that day I took the car back to their service station. On the trail. day they call me and say that it’s not their problem, they say they didn’t do anything to the carburetor - they just cleaned it, but my carburetor was damaged and that they are ready to fix it for 1000 re. I emphasize that at that time my knowledge of car repair was minimal, and again I agreed. The next day I took the car from them and drove home. But again I didn’t get there - it stalled again, again there was a river of gasoline + the hall sensor flew. But this time I was already far from the service station - and it was decided to drag the car to Berdsk. I didn’t want to give the car back to these unfortunate repairmen, and decided to make the car myself. With the help of the Internet and some mother, for the next 2 months I repaired it myself + drove the car to other service stations (in particular the carburetor). I called the manager of this service station - he said, let’s get it repaired and we’ll decide there, they say, we don’t give up on our mistakes. The fact that the carburetor began to deteriorate is their fault; when they cleaned it, they did not set the floats correctly. Moreover, I noticed a stain in the interior under the clutch pedal. When I looked there I was absolutely amazed! The cylinder they installed leaked. So they also installed it in an eerie collective-farm way, replacing the original hoses with something incomprehensible. In the end, I fixed the machine, I called that manager. I explain the situation with the carburetor and clutch cylinder (and I spent 4 thousand on them at their service station). In response I hear: “Of course I understand, but that service station is no longer there, and I won’t give money from my pocket.” People, tell me what can be done in such a situation?! They did not give receipts; the only contacts I have are the phone number of the manager and the repairman of this service station. Is there any way I can get mine back?! Moreover, in addition to these jambs that they called me during the diagnosis, others also came out, knowing about which I would not have bought it at all!
The service station was located on Svoboda Street (I don’t remember the exact house number) not far from the Planetnaya stop. A few houses from the intersection of the street. Svobody and st. Planetary in the barn.
I understand that I screwed up myself, but still...

Auto experts told AiF.ru how to check whether the mechanics did their job conscientiously.

You shouldn’t tell the workers at the door of a car service center that you don’t know anything about cars. The more you talk about it, the more expensive the repair will cost you. Hearing such words, mechanics quickly inflate the cost of repairs, change completely suitable spare parts and create the appearance of serious work, experts say.

“It is impossible to know the structure of the machine thoroughly. If you are sure that there is a need to repair some component, then you should read automotive resources where motorists exchange operating experience. You can ask whether repairs are possible under such and such circumstances. You need to understand for yourself what problem you are going to the dealership with. The question “something is knocking” always ends with a big bill, so you need to study everything first in order to talk about repairs in the service in detail,” says chief trainer of the center “Move without danger” Vladimir Bakharev.

Diagnostics

Before repairs, it is advisable to diagnose faults, the expert believes. It will help you find out exactly what needs to be repaired - and you can already use this data when talking about repairs with mechanics.

“The user is unlikely to be able to determine any complex technical nuances on his own. The result of the diagnosis should be an identified malfunction. If it turns out that the diagnostics showed one thing and the repair was another, then this is the responsibility of the service. Don't overpay. You pay not for the process, but for the result. After a malfunction is identified and the service claims that they will repair exactly this, it is necessary to talk, or better yet, record on paper the required amount of work, what spare parts will be replaced and what the costs of materials will be. That is, you don’t need to give the car away with the words “do it, please.” Such a phrase will always end with a big score,” says Bakharev.

Diagnosis is best done by official dealers, especially if the factory warranty is still valid, otherwise during repairs there is a risk of losing this warranty partially or completely.

“The quality of services from official dealers is the same, plus or minus. But the only thing that can be recommended is to study the reviews on the forum of owners of this car brand and do not hesitate to ask questions. If there are certain items in the preliminary calculation that seem unjustified or questionable, you need to ask questions and then discuss them with the acceptance master,” says auto expert Yuri Uryukov.

If the warranty period has long expired, then diagnostics and repairs can be carried out in services that do not work with all brands of cars, but specialize in a specific brand.

“Owners of used cars do not go to the dealer; they are looking for more profitable and cheaper options. Here you need to rely on your instincts and reviews. There are many services, so it’s better to contact one that specializes in a specific brand, because there are no universal solutions. Cars are all complex and designed differently. If the service does everything in a row, this is an alarming sign. You need to turn to professionals who, even if they work with one or two brands, but know how to handle them,” says Uryukov.

Replacing a working spare part

The list of planned work must be agreed upon before the start of repairs. “You can’t leave everything to chance and pay the bill without looking. If faults are discovered during the repair process, they must always be agreed upon with the owner. If this does not happen, this is precisely a sign that something is unclean in the work of the dealer or service center. In fact, all this can be done when filling out an application for repairs, writing in it the phrase “please agree with me on all types of repair work" If the dealer does not do this, no matter whether there was a written agreement or not, then this is in any case an alarming sign and you need to look for another option,” says Uryukov.

When sending the car for repair, you need to discuss with the service employees so that they do not carry out work to replace additional parts without your approval.

“The part may have a lot of wear, but it may still work. The decision to replace such parts should rest with the owner of the car, and not with the service. If you agreed on the replacement of parts in advance and you have a list of work, but the work that was performed was not agreed upon with you, then this is a precedent that needs to be considered at the level of administrative law,” says Bakharev.

Overpriced spare parts

A dishonest repairman can deceive you by installing a non-original spare part, the cost of which is much lower, and selling it at the price of the original one. It is better to use original spare parts and track their replacement, says Bakharev. In modern services you can be present in the repair area, this somewhat disciplines the staff. You should only leave your car in case of long-term repairs.

People can also cheat with routine car maintenance, especially when changing the oil. Unscrupulous workers change oil and other consumable parts without complying with the automaker's regulations. “The decision should always be up to the car owner. Before you go and change the oil, you need to check the filling volume, how many liters are included. It’s worth bringing your oil and putting your autograph on the jar, and after replacing it, ask to return the jar. In this case, you will not have to overpay for extra liters. Otherwise it will look like this - you will pay the cost of the oil, but they will not fill it for you. The oil will be put on the table and then sold to another car owner,” says Bakharev.

Working hours

In order to increase the average bill for repairs, craftsmen artificially increase the work time. The client is told that another breakdown has been found in the car, which prevents basic work from being carried out, etc. You can check this using video recorders, or, if you have free time, then follow the master during the repair.

“Professional drivers very often post videos from dashcams. They leave the device on and turn off the shutdown function. The recorder films everything constantly, and this way you can later see what happened. But this is not a guarantee, since the grip of the device will be small. An alternative solution is to use the increasingly popular “service support” service. What does it mean? A person is assigned to the machine, who, as an independent person, will monitor all the work. This is a third party and, as a rule, these are people who have worked in appraisal and technical companies. This step will provide some kind of guarantee, but this is an additional expense that not everyone will agree to,” says Bakharev.

Try to pick up the car from repair yourself, rather than asking a friend, relative or wife to do it. They have a vague idea of ​​what repairs were carried out and will not be able to assess whether all work has been completed. “If you passed it yourself and accept it yourself, then you can evaluate all the changes and compare it with what it was,” says Bakharev.