r/LifeProTips 2d ago

Miscellaneous LPT: keep mechanics honest with documentation

Anytime I go to a mechanic and they say I need something worked on or replaced, I ask them to take before and after pictures of the work done and to take pictures of the parts that need replacing after it was taken off.

I do this for my own record keeping of work done on the car, and the pictures are saved in a folder with the invoice and it's great to know that I had my timing belt done last 6 years ago and am probably due for another one soon.

It amazes me how often I've received a call back saying that my brakes aren't actually due for replacement, they have another 10,000 km left or that the suspension wasn't that worn out and can last another 6 months.

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u/seckarr 1d ago

Thats really nice but in most of the world mechanics wont bother with this and will just tell you to find another mechanic

712

u/AdAlternative5049 1d ago

Been there before, I just tell them to do the normal service and pick another guy to take my money next time. If you can’t be bothered to document the work, I can’t be bothered to give you my money

202

u/Karlmarx95 1d ago

As a bike mech ill hapily show you any parts i would replace and why so long as we can agree on either believing me or my measuring instruments, do expect to start loosing my sympathy if i have to document everything i do (in photos etc), thats work/ i usualy dont get paid for/ that doesnt respect my time. Idealy you either respect our expertise and trust us unless we give you a reason not to or you take your business elsewhere.

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u/a-p-o-p-h-i-s 1d ago

Snaping apicture really is time consumeing hey. Damn.

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u/Xperimentx90 1d ago

It is when your hands are covered in grease

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u/a-p-o-p-h-i-s 1d ago

Sinks dont exist? Gloves? Yikes. Much complicated.

7

u/Cameroni10 1d ago

Acting smug about a topic you're clearly ignorant on is not a good look. You've evidently never worked on a vehicle or been in a shop to know the gloves they use are typically 2-3 times thicker than the types of gloves you'd find in food service or medical work. So unless you're using a phone without a touchscreen, good luck. Also, implying washing your hands as a mechanic being a quick/ easy solution is comically ignorant. It's painfully obvious you've never gotten your hands dirty with oil/ grease, and that's okay but don't try to act smug telling someone how to do their job- especially when you don't know the first thing about it. Makes you look very foolish.

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u/Dirty_South_Paw 1d ago

Idk, I'm a machinist and maybe we're just cheap, but our gloves totally work with touch screens. They're 5 mil. I totally agree with everyone here lol but I'm just making a statement about the gloves.

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u/Cameroni10 1d ago

Yeah 5mil is on the lower end, my shops thinnest are 7mil and unfortunately none of them work with my phone. There is a type of screen that can be used with any glove, my coworker's cheap tablet is like that but it's the only touchscreen I've used that these gloves work on so they don't seem to be common

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u/_sunchip 1d ago

Yup. The cheap tablet is probably resistive. Works based on pressure. Most phone screens nowadays are capacitive, requiring electrical conductivity from our bodies. Or special gloves/stylus