10 things your car mechanic won't tell you

Matthew DeBord

March 7, 2019 6:06 PM

Matt Cardy/Stringer/Getty Images

1. You can change your oil yourself.

Everybody needs a trustworthy auto mechanic with all the required professional certifications to keep a car in tip-top shape.
But there are some things mechanics avoid telling customers.
It never hurts to be educated when dealing with car mechanics.

Unless your car is brand new and under warranty, it's likely to need some maintenance during a given year. This could range from minor stuff, such as a routine oil change, to deeper dish repairs.

Most car mechanics independent or employed by a dealer or repair chain are ethical people who won't steer you toward needless work. But they might also insist that you hire them to perform maintenance that isn't entirely necessary.

Their arguments are sound: Why wait until a small problem becomes a big one?

But it's also your money, and you should know about the things your mechanic will never tell you.

For the record, I had a mechanic in Los Angeles for years who was a model of being up front about what absolutely needed to be fixed on my cars and what could wait, or even be ignored. But such a mechanic is quite rare. So the best thing you can do is educate yourself.

Here are ten tips about what even the best mechanic might not tell you:

See the rest of the story at Business Insider