PeterN
On 12/6/2013 10:43 PM, nospam wrote:

nospam
In article <r765a9lg744uom40slp5s37nl2ecpbtd3s@4ax.com>, Eric Stevens <eric.stevens@sum.co.nz>wrote:

PeterN
It's hard to agree, less. While you don't have to know how to design and build a car, you can save an lot of money, if you have a basic understanding of the principals that make it work. e.g. On my station car the remote start stopped working and the cruise control wold not stay on. the mechanic was ringing the register, as he suggested what "had to be done." I asked him to test the battery, since I figured the common denominator waas an electrical problem. Bingo!

Eric Stevens
Next time pick a mechanic willing and able to use OBD (and similar) diagnosis codes.

nospam
doesn't make a difference.

mechanics can still lie about what's wrong with the car and what it needs.

Eric Stevens
That's only important if the mechanic lies.

nospam
many of them do.

PeterN
Total agreement. That is why it is important to have a reasonable understanding of why a car does what it does. the guy who brings a car into a repair shop and says "fit it," is begging to be ripped off.