Since publishing our first list of mechanic pet peeves, we've received a lot of feedback on the ones we might have missed. Therefore, we've come up with Part 2. These are some of the pet peeves of professional mechanics across the country, let us know if you have any more of your own in the comments below.
1) Fixing horrible DIY repair attempts - There are plenty of people who attempt do-it-yourself repairs to save a little bit of money, which is great IF you know how to do them. Unfortunately, many end up doing more damage to their car than there was to begin with, and then have to take it to a mechanic for a real fix. Everything from duct tape to paper clips gets used in shoddy DIY work. So if you're unsure whether or not you can pull it off, leave it to a trained tech.
2) Missing tools - In a shop, a mechanic's toolbox is a sacred item, not to be messed with. But some mechanics work with lots of other techs and have to share or let people borrow tools, and in the worst cases, they just end up going missing. There's a reason why Snap-On has built a business that has lasted for decades driving to shops around the country and selling their tools: because mechanics are willing to spend their hard-earned money on them. So when they go missing, it really hurts.
3) Omitting information before diagnosis - It's human nature to want to minimize your own responsibility for problems that creep up, but when it comes to car repair, you're only hurting your own wallet. Consumers may bring in a vehicle for repair, and explain the symptoms, but leave out the important parts, like "I violently smashed into a giant pothole," or "I dumped a liter of soda on my radio." While it may seem harmless, not allowing a mechanic to get the full picture of what could have caused your issues only hurt their effort to fix your car, so remember; honesty is the best policy.
4) Safety issues being ignored - Mechanics see some pretty scary stuff, but it can be really upsetting when you see serious safety issues ignored. For example, a mechanic may see a van used to drive around a family with young children with brakes that are so neglected, that they are a major safety hazard. Unfortunately, sometimes money plays a big role in issues like these, with people unable to afford proper car repair, but it doesn't make it any easier to deal with. Mechanics want people in safe vehicles, and when they see major neglect, it causes great concern.
5) Getting a free diagnosis then taking it elsewhere - While this doesn't happen very often, there are some people out there who have found a way to game the system. They know which mechanics are willing to do a free diagnosis, and they will take a vehicle having issues to that shop and when they have gotten the information they need, they will then have a friend, family member, or cut-rate shop perform the work, saving the costs of the diagnosis. Again, this is an outlier, but it is certainly unpleasant to a mechanic working at an hourly rate.
6) Friends looking for free repairs - I know what you're thinking, "that's what friends are for", right? Look at it this way, would you perform your job for free for your friends? The answer is probably: sometimes. While mechanics don't mind helping out a close friend with their auto repairs, some people expect too much. The type of work mechanics do is grueling, and frustrating. And since they typically don't make much money, it can be even more unpleasant to have to do it for free. So if you have a friend who is a mechanic and you want them to help you out, offer them something in return, whether it's dinner, a pack of beer, or, if you really want to be fair; money.
7) Cars blocking the bay - Whether you're a fellow mechanic, a customer, or a delivery person, blocking the bay door with your vehicle is unsafe and very frustrating. A mechanic may need to back a vehicle out, pull a new vehicle in, or otherwise have access to the bay for any number of reasons, and having a car parked in front, especially with the driver nowhere to be found can create a big and annoying problem.
8) The cost of equipment - There are mechanics who have tens of thousands of dollars worth of tools. Yes, tens of thousands. The costs of doing business these days are not becoming cheaper, even though the cost of owning a vehicle appears to be. Advanced technology in automobiles requires advanced technology in tools and equipment in order to be able to keep up. And when you start getting into high-tech systems for alignments, diagnostic testing and the like, you need to have a very high credit card limit if you're a mechanic looking to work.
9) Poorly designed cars - It's pretty safe to say that when engineers design vehicles, they don't always have the mechanic's best interests in mind. From a mechanic's perspective, design and engineering is much more important than from the customer's point of view, since a mechanic needs to actually work within the framework of that design. Inaccessible parts, unreliable technology, and overly-complex engineering can make a mechanic's life incredibly difficult. While some manufacturers are worse than others (VW), there are plenty of tough vehicles from across the spectrum.
10) Fixing incompetent mechanic's mistakes - If a customer has had their vehicle serviced by a mechanic, and the issue hasn't been fixed, or as in some cases, it's even worse, they are incredibly frustrated and rightly so. The same goes for a mechanic who has to undo the damage of another incompetent mechanic's work. Not only do they have to deal with the mechanical implications of work that hasn't been performed properly, they also have the added stress of an upset, distrustful customer who has even less money than they did before to pay for repairs.
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