Don't worry about it, there will always be mechanics. And of those
mechanics, half will be below average and 10% (or so) will be excellent.


Doug Kanter wrote:
I hope you're right. I just had some recall work done on the truck. Against
my better judgement, I let the dealership's idiots do an oil change, too.
Went to pick up the truck and found oil dripping underneath. You're supposed
to remove the skid plate, which is a major undertaking involving 4 small
bolts. The plate gets full of oil when the drain cap's removed. The service
writer's comment: "It don't drip for very long".

You're right, he's a moron. Guys like that should have no
connection whatever with any technical service.


.... I put my credit card back
in my wallet and had them finish the job. I got the feeling they wouldn't
want to stop by and clean my driveway.


If you ask around discretely, you can find out which auto
shops (dealers & otherwise) pay the service writers a
commission on each job. Avoid those places like the plague.
Believe it or not, our local Toyota dealer doesn't do this
(it's depressingly common practice). Which is good, because
my wife has really tried to kill this car... the fact that
it's still driving pretty well (95k miles) is a testament to
it's original quality.

Regards
Doug King