A mechanic worked on a customer’s vehicle after the dealership told them it needed new lifters. But after he took a look, he started to suspect that the dealership had sabotaged it.
This case is a prime example of why it's sometimes a good idea to get a second opinion about auto repairs.
TikTok creator Jimmy Avila (@boss_shittg) recently posted a video about the situation. “So we have scamming dealers,” he says to start the video. “And this is really a scamming dealer. This truck was at the dealership, and they told this customer they needed lifters.”
Avila adds, “The truck was making a big vacuum noise where it was sucking air from somewhere else. Turns out that they left the injectors loose. And they didn’t put the seals on the injectors.”
Did The Dealership Replace The Lifters?
The video cuts to a view of under the hood. “Now, customer states that the lifters have been replaced,” Avila says. “So I told him if you paid for that I don’t think it’s been replaced. Y’all can see right there how the head gasket is not a new head gasket at all.”
He continues, “If y’all hear that little tapping noise, that’s because the rear spark plug is loose. So if I come here and I actually hold it, y’all see how that noise went away? Y’all hear that? That’s pretty much a loose spark plug.”
In conclusion, Avila says, “I know this customer’s going to be coming because he was already thinking on trading this truck in. He was tired of it, but we got him a solution and I’m happy for that.”
Viewers Praise The Mechanic’s Integrity
In the comments section of the video, viewers agreed that Avila is a trustworthy person and businessman.
“Young man, I am so proud of you,” wrote one person. “Keep helping the people and doing the right thing.”
“Brother, keep doing good work. It will come back to you,” said a second person.
“We love you for your honesty,” a third person said.
The Reality Of Dealership Scams
While many of them are trustworthy, it is unfortunately that car dealerships do sometimes take advantage of customers by adding on suspicious labor charges or unnecessarily replacing components. That’s why experts recommend drivers familiarize themselves with their vehicle’s owner’s manual. And, as this customer ultimately did, drivers can always seek a second opinion.
That’s essentially what the Reddit users on a thread on r/whatcarshouldibuy recommend.
“Take your dealership’s recommended upcharges to different independent mechanics for second opinions,” one person said. “The ones who say ‘you don’t need that’ are generally ones to trust. May be oversimplified and overgeneralized advice, but I think it’s a good starting point.”
Another person added, “You’re not going to prevent them from upselling stuff to you. That is the advisor’s job and that’s a big way dealerships make money. The best thing you can do is be an informed customer and find the factory maintenance schedule for your car in the manual. If they try to sell you stuff outside your factory maintenance schedule, politely decline and move on with your day.”
Motor1 contacted Avila via TikTok comment and direct message for comment. We'll update this if he responds.
<blockquote class="tiktok-embed" cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@boss_shittg/video/7623916706364263710" data-video-id="7623916706364263710" style="max-width: 605px;min-width: 325px;" > <section> <a target="_blank" title="@boss_shittg" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@boss_shittg?refer=embed">@boss_shittg</a> What yall think?‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️<a title="everyone" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/everyone?refer=embed">#everyone</a> <a title="everyday" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/everyday?refer=embed">#everyday</a> <a title="bluecollar" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/bluecollar?refer=embed">#bluecollar</a> <a title="fyp" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/fyp?refer=embed">#fyp</a> <a title="viral" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/viral?refer=embed">#viral</a> <a target="_blank" title="♬ original sound - Jimmy avila" href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/original-sound-7623916712672480031?refer=embed">♬ original sound - Jimmy avila</a> </section> </blockquote> <script async src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js"></script>
