How do you avoid na "maloko" ng mga repair shops?

[Ningaskugon]

Mga fellow tsikoteers ano po ang ginagawa ninyo to avoid na maloko ng mga repair shop?

I have a not so good experience even from my I thought was a “trustworthy” mechanic.

This is specially helpful also sa mga wala pang suking mekaniko.

There are cases that a repair shop will tell you that this or that is broken and needs replacement and then after a while the symptoms will come back. In which case you already spent on the parts and labor eh hindi naman pala yun ang sira. Nagagawa nyo bang ipa-balik yung dating piyesa and pa-refund yung cost ng piyesa na inilagay nila?

Or there are cases where iniwan mo yung sasakyan sa kanila, (unavoidable sometimes) they said they did this and that and will charge you so much pero they did minor things lang pala.

Sa dami ng mga manloloko na gusto lang gumawa ng pera at sa increasing cost of maintaining our rides we really need to be cautious. Some pointers from you guys will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

[chris_d]

For me, I know my car and the parts it has, unless electrical problem I can probably identify the possible problems and fixes. Medyo mahilig rin kasi ako sa DIY.

I also often browse forums or do searches online so I can also better understand the problems I have and the solutions available.

[chris_d]

Two weeks ago I went to an aircon repair show near our place, the blower wouldnt go on (Ford Telstar), sabi nung mechanic linis katapat, sabi ko hinde, alam ko kasi kung more or less ano problem, kaya pinacheck ko sa kanila yung electrical, naayos naman nila (hit & miss malamang), pero I wouldnt go to that store again, kasi alam ko medyo nanghuhula lang sila.

[Asus700]

Number 1. When a shop or mechanic tells you that a particular part is broken, don't have it fixed right away. Ask for a second opinion and maybe a third. Too many of us jump right away and ipinagagawa na agad. Parang tao din yan na nagpapagamot, pag sinabing kanser, they ask for another opinion right?

It's good to maintain 2 or 3 shops or mekaniko to go to in shoping for those opinions.

Secondly, always ask for the part that was taken out as proof na pinalitan nga iyung piyesa na sinabing sira.

Just my suggestion.

I usually avoid yung mga large chain shops like R**%de, the manager of these shops usually have quotas and they will do their best to extract the most peso from their victims. One time nasira yung break master assembly ng ride ko pinapalitan ko sa kanila (I was inexperienced then, may repair kit pala nun I learned later) after 4 days ang bumigay naman ay yung break booster, makes me think na nasira nila or sinira? They are charging me P16,000 for it and may surplus daw P13,000 lang.

I took the car home kahit mahina yung break and have it checked by another mechanic. Break booster nga daw ang sira. The difference is in the cost of the surplus part, P800 lang! And the labor cost? Bahala na daw ako! So binigyan ko na ng P500, sandali lang ginawa.

[GlennSter]

be knowledgable.read read...google....research...etc.

[flakez]

yup, tama dapat marunong ka din, kaso ako wala akong alam. hehehe. kaya tiwala na lang, tutal ung mekaniko namin mekaninko ng lahat ng sasakyan namin. hindi naman taga maningil.


pero na biktima na rin ako niyan. sa scooter pa! ung isang piyesa ko pinalitan ng sira tapos ang lakas pa ng patong. ang masama pa non halos parang kamag-anak pa namin ung gumawa. tsk tsk.

[mikey177]

Learn all about your car and the different systems that make it run smoothly. Knowledge is power, as they say.

[GlennSter]

ako bago may ipagawa sa car..nag reresearch muna sa net.herherhehr.

[bardigones]

gaya ng sinabi ng iba:

google and car fora are your friend.
get a 2nd opinion.

caveat emptor!

[artpogi]

mag ask-ask ka lang dito sa tsikot sure-ball lagi yan mga tip nila

[squala]

Yes, the best thing to do is ask for 2nd, even 3rd and 4th opinion before having your car repaired. One time, we had aircon trouble on our trip to Baguio and looked for repair shops. One told us that the compressor needs replacement (3,000). We didn't want to spend hefty cash right away so we consulted another shop. Turns out that there was an ice buildup somewhere, preventing airflow inside the cabin. The honest mechanic asked us to switch off the A/C button and move the temperature controller to the red part (heater) so as to melt the 'ice.' Everything went well until we got to Baguio and back to Manila. A simple aircon cleanup got the job done thereafter.

Let that be a lesson to you guys. ;)

[j_avonni]

After I bought my first car (an old one) I bought a book from Reader's Digest "Complete Car Care Manual". I learned a lot from it - how the car runs, how to fix minor problems and the do-it-yourself maintenance. If I could not do the repair, I asked from friends for their recommended mechanic. Now, we have the internet and the car fora, like tsikot.

[sirkosero]

basa sa tsikot.com, kotse.com, autoindustriya.com, piyeza.com tapos hanap ng service manual... kuha ng idea dun sa mga nabasa tapos tanong sa mga kasama sa forum..... more heads are better than yours like what i always think. tapos punta sa repair shop to estimate what needs to be done dapat pasulat lahat.. get a second and third opinion. kung ano ang common na sinasabi nilang sira, yun ang almost 90% sure na sira. minsan kasi hit and miss ang mga mekaniko kaya "baka ito... baka iyan..." yung iba kasi dinadagdagan talaga ang sira daw para dagdag labor. minsan naman, after ang online diagnosis ng mga resident experts sa mga board, punta ka sa mga shops na suggest nila at tried and tested tapos sabihin mo dun sa gagawa na nirefer ka ni ganito o ganyan from the board kasi syempre, alam nila na kapag pumalpak sila, bababa ang tingin sa kanila ng mga suki nila at baka ikalat pa. kaya ayun...

[sirkosero]

isa pa pala, tingin ka sa mga board ng shops to avoid nandun ang reasons ng mga members kung bakit ayaw nila dun at ang experience nila kung pano sila niloko. dont ever go to the shops na nandun sa shops to avoid... meron ata nito sa kotse.com...

[OTEP]

Before I have work done on my vehicle, I usually browse the forums or ask around. Research muna ika nga.

[BoEinG_747]

marami na tayo forum na ... naka ads ang mga bad egg na shop

surf sa net and ask mga

mekaniko ,electricians ,air con tech.,painter .denter or drivers din

[silhouette]

read, ask, read, ask. yan ang technique. and wag masyado maniwala sa sabi-sabi. tapos pag may ginawa sa ride mo, tandaan mo kung ano ginalaw at pano ginawa. para next time diy ka na lang.

[fakesaint]

be cautious lalo na sa mga aircon technician, iba pa rin yung recommended ng mga kakilala, the key word here is ASK....bago magpagawa sa kung sino sino, dami na fly by night mech. na natuto lang as apprentice, nakalagay na sa sign e "expert" daw....nasiraan na ko non ng aircon, many years ago, relay lang pala sira, umabot ng 2,000 bill pati daw karga ng freon and linis....kya pagawa ako aircon ngyn home service na lang para kahit pano e nababantayan...

[speedyfix]

as they say, knowledge is power.

also, ask questions. any shop owner or good mechanic should be able to answer all the questions you have about the work to be done until you are satisfied.

[buknoy2002]

browse through the list of recommended/not recommended shops in this forum.

also post ka ng questions here. para marami ka opinion, bago mo pagawa.