We have looked at the ethical mechanic. Now it is time to investigate the unethical auto repair man. Probably in many cases there are aspects of the subject of auto mechanics (basic terms and actions) that they do not understand, so they get lousy results. Desperate for business (their reputation precedes them), their concept of professional ethics goes out the window. Maybe they have incorrect concepts about how cars work and what can go wrong with them. Perhaps there are aspects of running a business itself they do not understand, such as promotion and marketing and customer service and so they are desperate to make a buck. No doubt in some cases they are just criminal, believing it is perfectly okay to take something for nothing.

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Regardless of the reason let's see how they operate and what the customer can do to safeguard against getting ripped off:

- As many as 90% of the scams that occur involve the pretended repair of parts that don't need to be replaced. It goes like this:

-A customer comes along who looks like they can be taken for a ride. The mechanic tells the customer that he needs a certain part replaced when in fact there is a simpler solution and the mechanic knows it. The customer agrees to the work and goes away. Instead of replacing the part, the mechanic cleans up or paints the part so it looks like new. You pay for a new part and the labor to put a new part on. This could be done with just about any part of the car.

There are two ways to fool the mechanic who is trying to fool you:

11 You always, always ask for the old part back that supposedly was replaced. In fact the correct way to do this is to ask the mechanic before he does the work to keep the part that he replaces.

2. Go through your engine and mark every single part that you can reach. Take a knife of some kind and just make a small mark that is not very visible, but will be recognizable to you. It will take you about 30 minutes to do this to the whole engine. If you get a part replaced check to see if your mark is still there.

- Another trick used by the unscrupulous is to simulate problems that don't exist. Here are some examples that we have seen or heard about.

1. The customer comes in with a car that is overheating a bit. The temperature gauge has been going up. The mechanic tells the customer that he will diagnose the problem and to come back a little later or to call and find out the diagnosis. The mechanic puts water into the oil in the engine and turns the engine on for a few seconds. The oil will turn into a frothy milky fluid. When the water has leaked into the engine through a blown head gasket, the oil looks just like this. The customer is told they will need a new head gasket and the heads have to be resurfaced. This is several hundred dollars cost to the customer. The mechanic just drains the oil, cleans up the engine and changes the oil. Perhaps the problem was simply a bad thermostat, a need for coolant, or other minor work.

If a mechanic says your head gasket has blown there are several simple checks you can do. The head gasket keeps oil sealed into the engine and keeps water out of the engine. Water and oil don't mix. If the head gasket is blown you can:

a) check the water in the radiator to see if it feels oily,

b) check the oil in the engine to see if it has any water in it, is bubbly or foamy,

c) leave the radiator cap off and start up the engine. If the head gasket is blown the water will shoot out of the radiator.

2. On front wheel drive cars there is a flexible joint on the drive shaft that allows the wheels to turn. It is called a CV (constant velocity) joint. This joint is kept greased by a part called the CV boot. The mechanic cuts the CV boots to make them look bad and tells the customer "better get the CV boot replaced, you could have a drive-shaft failure", and charges to overhaul the shaft and replace the CV boot.

3. If there is a brake fluid leak the brakes could fail. By pouring brake fluid over the brake calipers a leak in the brake system is simulated and the customer pays to have the whole brake system fixed.

4. Similarly pouring oil on the sides of the engine will simulate an oil leak "requiring" the replacement of seals, gaskets or other engine work that doesn't need to be done. Clean up the oil, start the engine and see if any fresh oil appears.

5. A transmission leak can be simulated by draining your transmission fluid and telling you that the transmission is leaking and has to be overhauled. You can fill up the fluid, drive the car if it is otherwise okay, and see if the fluid goes down again.

6. It is quite simple for a mechanic to short out your electrical system, by exposing a wire and touching it to another wire. Shorts can be difficult to find and you are charged long labor hours to "find" the short.

7. Loosening your oil pan will make it look like you have a major oil leak and need engine work.

8. Cutting fuel lines or crimping (bending or twisting the lines to cause a blockage) the fuel lines will simulate a problem with the fuel system.

9. Back brakes are unlikely to be seen by the customer. More than one customer has been charged for new back brakes when they only needed and only received an adjustment.

10. The engine contains a vacuum. There are various vacuum hoses that keep the vacuum maintained. One of the hoses can come off and the engine will sound awful. All that is required is to put the vacuum hose back on. Instead you are charged for a complete tune-up, or worse.

These are just a few of the tricks that occur. If you always get the parts back after replacement, if you mark all the parts under your hood, if you find a mechanic you can trust and if you apply the DO's and DONT's in handling mechanics you will prevent the vast majority of such treachery. If you suspect that a trick is being pulled on you then go get a second opinion (without telling the second mechanic what the first one said). The best prevention of all is to ensure that you yourself gain a good understanding of the basics about cars. It is very hard to fool someone who knows.