The Truth About Mechanics

September 21st, 2005

[this phone conversation took place at 11am in Phoenix, AZ between a mechanic and Gustavo]

"Hello?"

"Mr. Camacho, this is Zach from [name deleted]. We've determined the cause of your car's problem, and also ran a diagnostic test to see what else is wrong with the car."

"Eh...okay."

"We found a melted fuse on the EGR valve which we went ahead and replaced. We also had to take off the steering wheel in order to fix the clicking that happened everytime you turned the wheel. We found something in there that we have no idea what it is. We've also located a few leaks in the struts, and a big leak in your oil pan. We recommend a flush of all the fluids in your car...transmission, cooling system, power steering...they're all full of rust and other gunk. The brakes seem okay, but you might want to..."

"I just got the brake pads replaced last semester."

"Ah, yes. Okay, well the front ones are fine...the back ones may need replacement soon. You might want to do it now and get it out of the way."

"Err...how much is this going to run me?"

"Including all the parts and labor, it looks like it's going to be...$1736.00."

"Excuse me?"

"Uh...it'll be $1736.00. But that's with tax included."

"Haha. You're joking right? I can't do that. Haha. Do you realize that would be 2/3 the price of the car...5 years ago? All I want are the most essential things. What needs to get fixed for my car to just run."

"Well, everything is pretty essential."

"What about the struts?"

"Well, if we don't replace them you'll feel every bump you hit on the road."

"Yeah...that's really not a problem. Let's leave the struts out. And I'm already aware of the oil leak...I've been aware of it for 5 years...so don't do anything with that."

"Ah, yes, okay, so that leaves us..."

"And the brakes are fine. They're under guarantee at [name deleted] so they'll replace them for free."

"Hmm. Mmmhmm..."

"Look, here's what I want you to do. Just this. You've already fixed the steering wheel problem and the EGR problem. That's good. Now just do a transmission flush...just the transmission...and that should do it."

"Are you sure you don't want any of the other services? They're highly recommended..."

"If you do them I can't pay for them."

"Ah okay. So the total then comes to...err...ah...$429.00, including tax."

"That's not including the ASU student discount is it? I think ASU students get a 10% discount."

"Okay, that'll be $387.00."

"I've also got this $10 off coupon from your website...it says in the bottom I can use it for any service."

"Really? Huh. Alright, your total comes out to $377.00. You can pick up your car after 5:30pm."

"Thanks very much. What time do you close?"

"6pm."

"I'll be there at 5:55."

[click]