Customers quoting information found online and mentioning “friends in the know” are among the main gripes for mechanics, according to a new survey.
Those who fix vehicles are often given an unfair reputation for trying to confuse car owners with jargon and charging for unnecessary jobs under the bonnet.
But rarely are they asked what accelerates their annoyance when it comes to the people bringing in their cars and vans for maintenance.
So online servicing and repairs marketplace ClickMechanic has polled hundreds of its affiliated qualified mechanics to find out what gripes they have – and understand how mechanics and customers can work together to deliver a swift and agreeable service.
Top of the list was those who say something along the lines of “a mechanic friend said this was a simple job and would only take a few minutes”, which was mentioned by a whopping 35 per cent of those quizzed.
The second biggest annoyance was customers telling the expert what to do based on a Google or YouTube search, which polled 23 per cent of the votes.
Andrew Jervis, co-founder of ClickMechanic, said: “Servicing and repairs can be daunting for many car owners, who may feel well out of their comfort zone when dropping off their vehicle at a garage.
“They may have heard stories about fellow motorists being ripped off or bamboozled with technical terms they know nothing about.
“But if you use a qualified and verified mechanic, you should have no such issues.
“These findings show that trusting your mechanic to identify and address any issues you are having with your vehicle is by far the best way to go.
“Of course, it is very reasonable to expect the mechanic to communicate with you along the way and explain their process to give peace of mind. ”
ClickMechanic uses thousands of carefully-vetted vehicle technicians across the UK to provide a to-the-door service for car and van owners.
Once they have detailed their issues online, customers receive a fixed price quote and can select a mechanic and location for the repair or service to be carried out.
The survey revealed some of the other bugbears for mechanics.
These included customers not providing a wheel lock nut (15%), dropping off a vehicle with an empty fuel tank (8%) and blaming a mechanic for previous repair work (7%).
They also highlighted the best days to get your repairs and servicing done – with earlier in the week winning hands down.
A massive 82 per cent of mechanics recommended booking in from Monday to Wednesday, with just over one in 10 (12%) opting for Thursday and Friday.
Saturday (4%) and Sunday (2%) made the weekend the worst time for a garage visit, according to the ClickMechanic experts.
