You won't know until you see it! The top ten truck repair scandals are shocking

Trucks are often in and out of repair shops due to heavy loads, long-distance driving, and frequent wear and tear. The repair costs, often running into thousands, can be hard for truck drivers to stomach, but the most serious problem is the dark secrets behind some repair shops! If you are a truck driver, after learning about these secrets, you definitely won't dare to take your truck to just any repair shop again!

1. Replacing instead of repairing, using any means to achieve performance targets 

Many shops have maintenance quotas. To achieve profit targets, automotive managers directly assign quotas to shops, which leads to poor maintenance practices. For example, if a certain part of a vehicle has a problem that could be easily fixed, some maintenance personnel exaggerate the issue, forcing a part replacement and extorting extra money. What could originally be repaired for just tens of yuan is now pushed as a parts replacement, greatly increasing maintenance revenue and leaving car owners at a disadvantage.

"When I was in school, all I learned was 'repair.' If a crankshaft bent, I’d figure out a way to straighten it. Nowadays? You just replace it!" A mechanic with over five years of experience explained the 'unwritten rules' of the repair industry: if a mechanic can’t fix the car, they just randomly replace parts. If the replaced part happens to solve the problem, great; if not, they blame the defect on the manufacturer's product or poor-quality fuel, insisting that their own skills are correct. They claim the parts they replaced failed because of the fuel you used, and even good parts can be declared useless. 

"I don’t understand, and you don’t understand more than me!" the mechanic admitted. In reality, a horn could be made to work again with a simple adjustment, but taking it apart would take 20 minutes. The mechanic would just tell you the coil is burned out and needs to be replaced.

As for out-of-town cars, it gets even worse! They only repair it once, charge exorbitantly for labor, resell the parts they took off another car to you, fix the engine without even replacing the crankshaft oil seal—after all, once it leaves my shop, it’s far away, and we’ll probably never meet again in this lifetime!

"Actually, this is something they (users) force us to do!" The repairman said this with a hint of helplessness—what does this mean? It turns out that "car repairs" take time, and when it comes to charging money, users often think you haven't done anything, so why should they pay you? If you charge too little or not at all, the repairman spends a long time under the car and delays other work; if you charge too much, users won't agree—replacing parts quickly and ensuring quality makes both sides happy, a win-win situation.

"But has anyone thought about it? Are parts that look clean and are beautifully packaged really better than original factory parts? Are they really suitable for this vehicle?" Buying a car is easy, but maintaining it is hard. The repairman suggests that truck drivers learn some repair knowledge in their spare time. If possible, they could even spend some time training in a repair shop. That way, if the vehicle breaks down, they can fix it themselves, and they won't be easily taken advantage of at repair shops!

2. Exaggerating problems to sell 'service packages'

Exaggerating truck issues to get owners into 'service packages' is one of the quickest ways for repair shops to make money. They might text you in advance, saying your car can be serviced for free. But when you go there, they use various reasons to recommend their service packages. Especially some roadside repair shops often overcharge vehicle owners, magnifying even minor issues many times. Many owners are intimidated by this, particularly newcomers, who have no choice but to obey.

So in reality? The so-called engine overhaul that the repair shop talks about might just be fixing minor issues like aging valve seals, worn piston rings, or stuck components. The mechanic gave a common industry example: a driver came in to have his car repaired because the radiator was boiling over and emitting steam. After checking, the repair staff said the radiator was broken and needed to be replaced. The driver then spent 300 yuan to replace the radiator. In fact, the radiator boiling issue could also have been caused by a stuck fan, which could have been fixed with a simple adjustment. But since the driver was inexperienced, it was easy for him to be deceived. 

3. Cutting corners during repairs and using substandard parts 

Even when it comes to replacing parts, there are many tricks involved. It's quite common for mechanics to install old or fake parts in place of new ones on cars. Unless you are particularly attentive, it's normally hard to tell. In some cases, mechanics even take new parts off the customer’s car, replace them with old ones, and then sell the new parts at a high price. 

4. "Free inspections" are a way to make money 

As the old saying goes, "Nothing is truly free." We often see some 4S dealerships advertising "free inspections," but in reality, there’s no such thing as a free lunch! The so-called free inspection by a 4S store is partly to increase recognition and credibility, but ultimately, the goal is still to make money! A mechanic revealed that the so-called "inspection" ultimately revolves around the word "repair," because the "inspection" is what's free. The phrase most commonly used by repair staff is, "The filter is a bit dirty, but it can still be used for now."

"Think about it, which car owner would want their beloved car to have problems? They would obediently pay to get it cleaned. As the saying goes, 'the wool comes from the sheep,' car repair shops don’t do business at a loss." In fact, in the repairman's words, no car is completely trouble-free. The sign offering free inspections is just to lure customers in, and once you're inside, you have no control! 

5. Inflating repair items and falsifying the maintenance list

This kind of fraud is very common. The repair list from the dealership often lists more items than are actually performed, while the technicians usually don’t check the details carefully. Repairs that weren’t actually done appear on the list, causing people to spend unnecessary money. 

6. Shifting responsibility back and forth with parts suppliers 

Nowadays, some repair shops, in order to operate more lightly and reduce their own business pressure, don’t sell parts themselves and only provide repair services. This way, if there’s a repair accident, it’s easier to push the responsibility onto the parts supplier; of course, the parts supplier is unwilling and then pushes it back to the repair shop. This back-and-forth leaves the truck owners suffering in the end. 

Moreover, competition among parts suppliers is extremely fierce. Some repair shops use a certain supplier’s products and can even get kickbacks. Charging both labor fees and receiving kickbacks is a guaranteed profit! 

7. Accident vehicles get more damaged the more they are repaired

Sending an accident-damaged car to a repair shop is meant to 'heal' it, but unexpectedly, the 'surgically' repaired accident car ends up more damaged. According to insiders familiar with repairs, mechanics love fixing accident cars because they can make a big profit from them without bringing trouble to themselves. If the owner questions the repair afterward, the mechanic can always blame the accident, leaving the owner 'powerless' to argue.

8. Acquaintances are more easily 'taken advantage of'

In China, it is common belief that 'things go more smoothly with acquaintances,' so almost all consumers think that getting close with the person in charge at a repair shop is the best way to avoid 'hidden rules.' In reality, regular customers are more easily taken advantage of, while new customers can fiercely defend their rights when problems occur; regular customers, on the other hand, may not speak up because of social face. When money is involved, so-called friendships often seem weak and powerless.

9. Using damaged vehicles to commit insurance fraud

When a damaged vehicle is sent to a repair center, if the boss thinks that the car is profitable and there is room for insurance fraud, he will start to instruct employees to do it. Buy waste parts, install them again, and then buy through the insurance company's loss assessment personnel to defraud high premiums.

10. Throw screws on the road to pierce tires "thieves shout to catch thieves"

This kind of means has been relatively rare in recent years, firstly, the economic degree has improved, and this little money is not worth it; Second, the level of road facilities has improved, so some second- and third-tier townships may still have this phenomenon. Set a trap in front of you, and then play the savior to save you from fire and water, alas!

● Editor's postscript

After reading these "pits" above, the editor is also in a cold sweat - the water for vehicle maintenance is really deep! As the repair master suggested, if possible, truck drivers should also learn more about vehicle maintenance - backing mountains and mountains, relying on everyone to run, and relying on themselves is the most reliable. Of course, not all repair shops are black shops, and card friends are best to choose a repair shop with strong strength and good reputation, or a trusted friend to introduce them, to avoid being cheated as much as possible.