There are many scams in the auto trade and we will be featuring those on a regular basis, and although there will be new items added to the "Juke of URL's" pages, previous articles will be archived and readily accessible so that readers can keep track of what is going on.

The "Juke" writes:

When I read my e-mail I often find a letter relating to one notorious area of the auto trade - "The Transmission Shop".

Basically, most of the shops are honest, but you are left with many that are not! These are the ones that make my blood boil, and which should be put out of business.

Whether you are taking your car in for its normal routine service or to have a major job done, don't take it in just because you have seen or heard of their advertising. The major franchises advertise very heavily, hoping to convince you that THEY are the only experts who do a good job. Recognising a well-known name is NO guarantee that you are going to get a good, honest job done!

You must be aware of shops that advertise "FREE INSPECTIONS" This is just a "Loss Leader" to get your car into the shop and up on the hoist. It is also known in the trade as the "bait and switch method". Once your car is on the hoist the mechanic will then tell you that "....because your transmission needs major repairs it is a waste of time just performing the normal service."

You see, no shops can make money on just charging $29.95. It is simply a "come on". The obvious reason is to sell you some high-priced job.

This story is a typical one as far as symptoms go.

A young lady left her vehicle at a shop because she was having a problem with the gears not shifting at all. The shop phoned and told her the transmission would need a complete overhaul, at a cost of $1,500.

However, she told them to hold off and would get back to them in half an hour. Meanwhile she e-mailed us and we told her to get a second opinion, and directed her to one of our listed reputable transmission shops.

The problem turned out to be nothing more than a split vacuum hose that had fallen off the modulator valve at the transmission. It was so easy to spot that the other garage must have heard the hissing, and would have seen the hose hanging down when they put the car on the hoist.

Our listed garage replaced the hose, roadtested the car and everything worked perfectly. The young lady was even more thankful when the garage said, "No Charge". Honesty definitely pays off!

Check our directory for the Specialists Button for more information on Transmission shops and other specialist shops.