The Value of a Car Inspection: A Cautionary Tale

When it comes to maintaining our vehicles, we often take them to trusted mechanics for a once-over. However, there's a common phenomenon that can leave car owners feeling ripped off and confused about what they really need. The mechanic may inflate the cost of repairs by charging exorbitant prices for work that seems unnecessary or excessive.

A recent experience with a 2009 Honda Civic owner illustrates this issue. The mechanic quoted $5,000 for repairs, which seemed like an outrageous amount to the car's owner. They began to question whether they were being taken advantage of and wondered if there were cheaper alternatives. With some research, they discovered that aftermarket parts could be used to replace control arms, brakes, and rotors at a significantly lower cost.

As it turned out, many aftermarket companies produce high-quality parts that can easily replace the original equipment manufacturer's (OEM) components. For instance, control arms are essential for maintaining stability and safety on the road. However, they can be replaced with aftermarket options without breaking the bank. By shopping around and exploring alternative suppliers, car owners can often save hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

In addition to cost savings, working with a reputable mechanic who is willing to provide recommendations and alternatives can make all the difference. A skilled mechanic will take the time to assess the vehicle's condition and identify any necessary repairs while also providing options for cost-effective solutions. By doing so, they empower car owners to make informed decisions about their vehicle's maintenance and repairs.

On a related note, Tesla has recently announced its plans to produce its first type of truck on its assembly line in Austin, Texas. While this is an exciting development, there are concerns among experts that the company may overestimate demand for such vehicles. The market for electric trucks is still evolving, and it's unclear whether consumers will be willing to shell out top dollar for a cutting-edge vehicle like Tesla's.

One thing is certain, however: people have always been eager to buy new technology and gadgets when they're first released. This phenomenon is evident in the sales of smartphones, laptops, and other electronic devices. When a new device is launched, consumers are often willing to pay top dollar for it, even if they may not fully understand its capabilities or benefits.

It's also worth noting that Elon Musk's vision for an "army" of robots taking over various tasks has sparked debate among experts. While the idea of having intelligent machines perform menial labor might seem appealing, there are concerns about job displacement and the potential risks associated with relying on AI-powered technology. As we move forward in our technological advancements, it's essential to consider the implications of these developments on our society and economy.

Ultimately, car owners should be cautious when taking their vehicles to a mechanic for repairs. By doing some research and seeking alternative options, they can often save money without sacrificing quality. Additionally, it's crucial to work with reputable mechanics who will provide transparent estimates and recommendations. As we navigate the complex world of automotive maintenance, it's essential to stay informed and make decisions that benefit our wallets – and our cars.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enrev up your engines well I was just reading an article in the New York Post and I found it interesting they're talking about the myth of the Green Revolution right now I was saying oh we're green we're changing blah blah blah here's the truth it isn't really happening very fast even though from 2004 to 2022 4.1 trillion dollars was spent on wind and solar power but during the same period of time Global hydrocarbon use oil gas and call it increased by 110 exit joules that's a lot of energy so oil and gas increased by 110 exit joules during that period of time well wind and solar only increased 32 exit joules so it's not decreasing it's actually increasing as I said in the article and I quote it took a global pandemic and months of draconian restrictions on Commerce and movement to Dent the march of hydrocarbons and then after 2020 it went right back up again he used the hydrocarbon so you see these things that people are talking about it's a spit in the bucket they're trying to act like it's doing something it really isn't doing much of anything whatsoever other than the politicians lips are flat happening more than usual and they're all smiling about how green everything is while they sweep everything else under the carpet I mean that more movies that all the green people got mad at him because he showed them as far as the green wasn't Michael Morris guy is sitting in Flint Dessert Day a third thing the guy's on the stage saying oh this Earth day's all powered by the solar panels two blocks down the street in Flint Michigan right and then the camera guy follows the wires going to the stage and they go to two giant diesel generators and the guy says what's this and they got working there says well these are the two diesel generators of power this whole thing don't listen to it it's a lot of horse manure make GM great against us should I buy this Bentley I'm looking at a 2005 Bentley Continental GT with 101 000 miles for nineteen thousand dollars I don't know Bentley's what did you say should I get one well if you've lost your mind go ahead and get one or if you're independently wealthy and money means nothing to you go out and get one but then again if money meant nothing you wouldn't be buying a used Bentley they are one of the biggest Money Pit cars in the world the Bentleys now I guess it's in with the rappers they always have to find something new now they like Bentleys right it doesn't make any sense but truthfully you don't buy that car unless you want a lawn ornament at the park on your blood those things cost a fortune to repair their very hard to get parts for in the United States I'm assuming you're in the United States now if you're in England you know an English mechanic that works on them you might have it as kind of a toy right the English put up with all kinds of stuff lousy weather politicians that just tax you until there's nothing left to text good luck if you're in England I mean then you don't have any money left anyway so what the heck why not get a Bentley the government will take it from you otherwise interpawn size I got a Honda Pilot brand new I changed my own fluids I changed transfer case fluids before but Honda manual says do not service yourself take it to the dealer I don't understand why the main thing is you have to use the right fluid those Honda transfer case use a very special fluid right just go to the Honda dealer and buy the fluid and do it yourself then right you don't want to mix another fluid and they're saying you mix another flu you can destroy it which is true it might you go to the Honda dealer you buy the fluid yourself and you can do it drain it out whatever comes out measure it and put that back in that's they're just saying it because it's a special fluid right they just want to scary you just want to use the correct fluid that's on you've changed them before in your other vehicles just go right ahead and do it I'd do it like every it's a transfer case every 40 50 000 miles right it's easy enough to do just make sure you use the Honda fluid they're very specific about that here's another one this time it's at a Ford dealer Richard sends an email he buys his fancy Ford a 2023 F-150 XLT pickup he requested and paid 610 bucks for the premium audio system eight speaker system so it picks up the truck and it doesn't sound that good so he took the speakers out of the door and here's what he found he found that you see a cheap regular Ford speakers in the vehicle they want what he paid for he was supposed to have a fancy amplifier and a subwoofer he looked the amplifier is just a stock cheap Ford one that's made in Mexico and he sent an email to bang and all of them and they said don't blame us go to the dealer that you paid the money to banging all of them said and I quote you need to get in touch with the dealership regarding this car is we did not officially support this anymore bang Olufsen has been taken over by another company in may 2015. he paid 610 bucks he didn't get anything extra they just lied to him now it comes to the point that you buy something you pay for it at the dealer you gotta check yourself to see if you actually got him he didn't even get what he paid for they took a 610 bucks extra and they gave him a crappy sound system with most of the parts made in Mexico so if I had a Ford dealer hasn't done anything for him I suppose they will now that I brought this out in the open no problem said oh we're so sorry they haven't done it yet but maybe they will after this video comes out well here's something to watch out for the finishing expert if you're buying a car Dave Lord sends me a letter from Peterborough Ontario and you can't make this stuff up my grade for today formerly finance an insurance person one was actually called finishing Specialists they're the ones who are the polished smooth talker want to sell you extended warranties or worthless electronic rust proofing module for eight to a hundred dollars this is where they really make their money I never buy it but I couldn't believe that they actually have a finishing specialist now yeah watch out they're always trying to sell you extra crap right my favorite is well ceramic coat your car right hey it's a brand new car that's painted and sealed it should be perfectly fine but then they try to sell you this BS oh it's ceramically coated well spraying some crap on the outside of it isn't going to really do anything okay you got paint and then there's the clear coat on top of it it's already there right you spray something on it there's no real ceramic Bond going on there it's just another buzzword to sell your stuff just like the extended warranties that when something does break they say well we're sorry the extended warranty doesn't cover that part because you didn't read the small print I paid 77. that said basically we're not going to fix anything for free there's an exercise I have a 2009 Honda Civic the guy told me these normal repairs are the value of the car they say that it needs brakes spark plugs and a couple maintenance items and that it needs a right front control bushing and recommend two lower control arms assembly the total is five thousand dollars is it worth spending this on the value of the car is about that there's no way that you should pay that kind of money for that kind of work go somewhere else the guys really charge you for a bunch of stuff that you may or may not even need I mean it's a 2009 Honda Civic it's not all that old I got a 2007 Matrix still runs like a clock doesn't need any of those parts right so go ask your friends who they use as a mechanic I've often seen guys this guy wants like five grand to work I've seen guys do that same work for maybe fifteen hundred dollars you can get after market parts you don't have to go to Honda to buy control arms as many aftermarket companies out there that make perfectly good control arms and you can get all their work done it's just bolting stuff on and off if you want watch my videos most of those products are just bolt off bolt on you can easily do it yourself with simple little hand tools and any mechanic that's a good mechanic that knows this stuff can honestly show you here well we should do this first this is the more dangerous you can work on doing this other stuff over time and if you don't care we can get aftermarket parts you get aftermarket brakes and rotors they don't cost that much of discount auto parts stores and they work perfectly fine start with another mechanic or try to do it yourself I would fix it those are excellent cars I think you're just getting taken for a ride I see that all the time too try to find a more honest guy who isn't so outrageously priced and get another opinion on what you actually need I've had people bring me cars like that I look at them I say if you want to spend three 400 bucks doing some brake work going that the rest of the stuff is still perfectly strong and stable there's nothing wrong with it well finally Tesla says they just produced the first type of truck on their assembly line in Austin Texas are they going to fall apart are people going to buy that many of them no people are stupid so a lot of people will buy them because they want to get the newest thing the people that a new iPhone is on I got to buy a new one my old one doesn't brush my teeth like the new ones does right so there's nice fools out there that are going to buy stuff like that so they'll certainly sell a certain amount of them but let's see how they hauled up and no more people are going to buy them because the people that wanted to bought them and the ones that broke probably get people mad and so they'll hit a glass and it always happens with cars it's something new comes out they sell the heck out of them but then hit the glass ceiling where nobody else wants some stupid looking thing like that it's not really a truck you take a look at it it doesn't really have a big giant bed or anything on it and from what I read it done you have a little tunnel that's supposed to go in the middle so you can fit longer things they rushed this thing in production because they people say well when's it gonna come where's it coming so now it's out like I say people will buy them people will buy anything when it first comes out you know we'll see if it has any stain part like the Toyota Corolla where they sold over 50 million the Volkswagen Beetle let's see how it really pans off well elon's at it again check it look that's one of his Terminator machines he wants to build now he's saying he's going to build artificial intelligent robots and they'll do all the work he's read too many science fiction novels right and then people can do physical work only if they want to you know they can all go in their pelotons or they can garden for fun but they won't have to work actually doing things with their hands the robots will do it all well I don't know but to me that looks awful like in one of the Terminator robots this is Elon Saloon she says you know there's a labor shortage in this country and I said let's build robots instead okay who's gonna build the robots there's a labor shortage if he already tried building his cars with robots in the beginning it failed and he ended up hiring people to work in tents to build them so that was a dismal failure I mean he thinks he's going to have an army of robots doing everything because there's a labor shortage right hey I don't want a building an irony of terminated robots I don't like the idea of Elon controlling the Terminator robots or maybe he'll make a copy of himself as an Elon Terminator robot and put his artificial intelligence into it you know and then he can work if he wants to so if you never want to miss another one of my new car repair videos remember to ring that Bell foreign foreign\n"