Unless you're a car expert or best friends with a mechanic, you might be paying for services you don't actually need. Here's what you need to know.
How to Protect Yourself from Common Mechanic Scams and Avoid Overpriced Car Repairs
Updated on Mar. 25, 2025
Follow your owner’s manual
The first step to avoiding common car repair frauds is to read that book that’s been gathering dust in your glove compartment. “I think the best thing people can do is follow their owners manual and the recommended maintenance schedule for their vehicle,” Bennett says.
Getting your vehicles serviced on schedule, rather than waiting until you’re in dire need of help, reduces your stress over potential repair shop scams because you know exactly what your vehicle’s original equipment manufacturers (OEM) recommend. If a mechanic says you need a transmission flush (a common unnecessary repair), you can point to the manual and say “not for another 20,000 miles.”
“In the long run, it is less expensive to maintain a vehicle than to repair one,” Bennett says, so get your car serviced on a schedule and feel good about avoiding mechanic upsells.
Get to know your mechanic
Second on Bennett’s list of ways to avoid overpriced car repairs is to find a shop that you trust and stick with it.
“When you take your car to a repair facility to do normal, regular maintenance, they get to know your car and your driving habits,” Bennett says. As you establish a rapport, mechanics are more likely to give you honest feedback and offer reasonable solutions and timeframes, rather than try to rope you into car repairs that you don’t need.
Let’s say you take your car in for an oil change, and the techs notice an oil leak. “Maybe it’s a small leak and it’s just seeping, not dripping oil,” Bennett says. A good shop will give you options, not make you feel like the world is ending: “We could do it now, or you know what? You’ve probably still got a little time before you have to replace that.” (If that doesn’t sound like your mechanic, find a new one.)
Ask to see video of the problem
A common suggestion for avoiding mechanic scams is to ask to see the broken part they want to replace. That’s great if you’re knowledgeable about car repair, but Bennett says most people don’t really know what they’re looking at. “You know, asking to see the part is good, but I’m not necessarily sure that most people would be able to look at it go ‘oh you’re correct! It needs to be replaced.”’
Plus, if an untrustworthy mechanic handed you a dirty air filter, would you even know if it came from your car? You could ask to go back into the garage and watch them remove the filter, but Bennett says video is the wave of the future.
“One of the things that shops are starting to do more and more is take video as they walk around your vehicle,” Bennet says. It’s a great way to not only get a visual representation of what they’re inspecting (and asking you to pay to repair), but getting a video assures you that it’s actually your car that the part came from.
Get a written estimate
To avoid paying for a repair you didn’t authorize, or finding a charge on your bill that you weren’t expecting, “ask for a written estimate that details what exactly is being done, what is the cost of the part and what is the cost of the labor,” Bennett says. Typically, written estimates stipulate that the repair shop cannot exceed 10% of the estimated cost without your written approval.
Bennett gives an example of an air conditioner that isn’t cooling. The shop should charge a diagnostic fee, perhaps one hour of labor, to figure out what’s wrong, then provide a detailed breakdown of what’s needed to fix it. “They should be able to go: ‘okay, you need a new compressor, and we’ll recharge and replace the refrigerant, and your total bill is this.'”
A good repair shop “should be able to get fairly close” to the final tally, Bennett says, and if you have a signed estimate in hand, they have to contact you before proceeding with more repairs than you authorized, or if the total bill will exceed 10% of the estimate.
Ask the technicians questions
People are often intimidated when they take their car in for repairs, but don’t be afraid to ask questions. It’s your car and your money, and a mechanic that blows you off or refuses to answer simple questions about your car sends up all kinds of red flags, and are signs of a bad mechanic.
Let’s say you go into a shop because your brakes are squeaking. The technician takes a look and says you need new brakes. Brake pads have a minimum thickness that’s safe to drive on, typically between 3 and 4 millimeters, so ask what yours measure. They should be able to show you (again, video is a great idea here), and to give you an idea of how long you can go until they’re at the minimum.
“You could straight up ask, ‘Is this something that’s critical, or can I wait a couple of months?'” suggests Bennett. “If they don’t explain to your satisfaction, or you’re getting a bad vibe because they won’t show you the pads or thickness readings, move on to another shop.” (But do it quickly! Brakes are a common repair scam because no one wants to drive around with bad brakes.)
Get a second opinion
Bennett compares going to the repair shop with going to the doctor, and just like a health diagnosis that you don’t agree with or are worried about, it’s perfectly reasonable to say “no, thank you” and leave the repair shop. If a mechanic tries to pressure you or dissuade you from going elsewhere, that’s a red flag that your car’s diagnosis might not have been on the up and up.
Ask to see test results or computer outputs
Some repairs are fairly easy to understand, and visually confirm: Brake pads get worn, air filters get dirty, tire tread depth gets thin. But many of the parts in your vehicle require diagnostic testing to know that they’ve gone bad. That’s why Bennett says it’s not all that helpful to ask for a mechanic to hand over, say, your alternator to “prove” it needs replacing.
But, you can ask them to show you the test results, and even to watch them while they use a multimeter to check the voltage output. And you should. According to Bennett, a reputable technician should be able to explain in detail the expected vs actual readings for your year, make and model car, and “based on this reading, this is why we recommend it being replaced.”
Understand (and research) your own car
Cars are complicated, and unsavory mechanics know it. Luckily, most of us carry around a smart phone in our pockets or purses, or have computers at home. To avoid getting saddled with unneeded repairs from a mechanic scam, take a beat after getting an estimate and research what your mechanic wants to do.
One common mechanic scam that you could foil simply by understanding a bit about your car is replacing your timing belt. In the old days, every car had a timing belt that required replacing after a certain number of miles, but nowadays many cars use timing chains instead of rubber belts. Timing chains are designed to last the entire life of your vehicle. If you don’t know this, an unscrupulous mechanic could suggest a replacement that’s not needed.
Use your senses
Quick-change oil and lube shops are notorious for upselling things like transmission flushes and air filter replacements. Bennett says these aren’t necessarily scams, but you can use your eyes and nose to sniff out an unnecessary auto repair.
Your owner’s manual will specify how often you need to change your transmission fluid, but Bennett says it’s typically every 60,000 miles. If a mechanic tells you you’re due, ask to look at the fluid. “If it’s bad, it’s going to smell burnt,” and the color won’t be the clear pink of fresh fluid. As for your air filters, Bennett says to shine a flashlight through the filter, or hold it up to the sun. If you can’t see the light, it’s time to replace it. If the light shines through, it’s fine for now. This works on engine and cabin air filters.
“You know, typically people that are going in for that quick oil change are going in there because it’s 15 minutes in, out and I’m gone,” Bennett says. “You’re not ready to sit there for an hour as they change your transmission fluid.” A quick air filter change is one thing, but if you’re getting a hard sell and your fluid doesn’t smell burnt, decline the upsell and take your car to your regular mechanic on its regular schedule.
Go to an inspected, approved service station
You’ve done everything right, and you have a trusted mechanic who would never steer you into a repair shop scam. But what happens if you’re travelling, or your kid away at college needs to get their car serviced? You don’t have the luxury of waiting until you’re on your home turf, but you’re worried that an unknown mechanic will see you as a fresh mark for an auto repair scam.
Before picking any old shop and hoping for the best, do your research. Google reviews, the Better Business Bureau and AAA’s repair shop locator are great ways to find and compare reputable auto shops. Bennett says AAA lists over 7,000 approved repair shops, and they must pass a thorough annual inspection, including site visits and reviews of training and financial credentials, to be listed with the service.
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Sources:
- David Bennett, repair systems manager at the American Automobile Association; phone interview, March 11, 2025
- American Automobile Association: “AAA Approved Auto Repair Facility Locator”
- J.D. Power: “Timing Chain Vs. Timing Belt”
- Your AAA Today: “How to Care for Your Car Brakes”
