Do shops still sabotage cars for profit?

ramenth said
To me, the "want fries with that" mentality is trying to shake the customer of every dime possible, today, not tomorrow, but today. Maybe not sabotage, like 'spaz is talking about, but trying to rip the customer, nonetheless. One of the chain stores here in the northeast even went so far as to advertise "free brake inspection with every oil change!" Now talk about looking for the upsale! It didn't last long, when they realized that people weren't going to wait around for 45 minutes just to get an oil change. And when it dawned on them that the customers really didn't appreciate having some jamb a brake job down their throats on an LOF.

Wow..... Talk about a different approach! So what your saying is if a customer came into your shop for an oil change and two days later his brake sensor started touching the rotor, I'm sure he's going to return and ask: What did you do to my car?

He got the oil changed and now it's making a noise. Remember, the average consumer doesn't know much about cars and will suspect the shop did something wrong, and in the example you gave, you did. We go over EVERY CAR that comes into our shop. If I see drive belts starting to crack, I report it. If I see brake pads worn to within touching the sensor, I report on it. Even if the customer declines the repair, when that brake pad sensor starts squawking the next day, we can pull the file and remind the customer they were advised of the condition. Would you want a contractor coming to your house to hang sheet rock on rotting beams? Or would that be considered ripping off the customer too because your new sheet rock fell off of rotting beams that your weren't made aware of?

There's a difference between fixing cars and performing maintenance. Maintenance is being made aware you will need brakes within the next month as opposed to just bringing the car in for an oil change and having the "technican" miss the bad brakes. That's the QUICKEST way to loose a customer! That's when you have to "fix" the car with an angry and un-trusting consumer at your shop. IF they come back to your shop.

And as for a seasoned diag. tech swinging engines, well.... shop policy varies from place to place, as you pointed out.