The other day, I was over at Midas to get an oil change and to get my AC checked out because all it was doing was blasting hot air. I’ve gotten somewhat accustomed to driving down the highway with the roar of the wind deafening my sense of hearing. Anyway, as I sat in the waiting area, this teen comes in to get his car checked out. The mechanic was trying to get his details, which seemed like an exercise in pulling teeth.

“What’s your address?”

“<some city>”

“That’s a city…what’s your address?”

“<some street>”

(sense of exasperation) “…number?”

“<some number>”

Apparently from the exchanges between the mechanic and this kid, he had wrecked the whole exhaust system for his car. His car was low to the ground, and obviously required more care that he wouldn’t go over anything that would wreck the under-side. The mechanic quoted him a price of about $650 to replace the whole exhaust system. The teen was in shock. He said that it was too expensive and that he didn’t want to spend anything more than $500. The mechanic wouldn’t go as low as $600. So, the teen asked him how much it would cost to just lop off the exhaust system. The mechanic said $20, but that he completely and wholly did not recommend doing so. He said that driving without an exhaust pipe would break some noise bylaws. Doesn’t driving without an exhaust system sound dangerous? Anyway, the teen just said, “chop it off–I can’t afford $600.” So the mechanic shrugged, and took the welding torch to the pipe.

Inside the waiting area, besides the teen and myself, there were two other men waiting for their cars to be finished. The teen lamented openly “$600 for a pipe? That’s such a ripoff. I could probably go somewhere else and get a pipe welded on for $20.” The other two men agreed in unison. In my mind, I was thinking “it’s not just any pipe–isn’t that oversimplifying it a bit?” The out-loud bashing of the mechanic continued for a while. I absorbed myself further in the magazine I was reading, trying to tune out the inane conversation.

With the blow torch, the mechanic was hammering away at the wrecked pipe. The teen commented out loud, “Look at him just hacking away at it. Anyone could do that.” What? Should he be delicate? This complaint coming from the guy that wreck the exhaust system in the first place. Buh.

The mechanic, not wanting to let that car go without an exhaust system seemed to find a used exhaust pipe, and offered it to the teen for $450. After all that posturing, you’d think that the teen would have rejected the offer. To my surprise he took it. “What a tool,” I thought as I tried to look focused on the magazine. The inanity continued though right until he left. One of the other men seemed offended that the mechanic was pointing out things that probably will need fixing down the road. “It’s all just to try to make more money!” The other too voiced approval. Silently, I thought, “How dare he point out things that might need preventative maintenance!”

The other three left one by one as their things got fixed. My car was finished about two hours after my arrival, so I wasn’t waiting all too long. The AC was revealed to not have any leaks in it, but the freon levels were quite low, so they refilled that.

I don’t know whether I’m just being blind or too trusting, but I have some faith in my mechanic. He seems professional enough and not the type to push services that are wholly unnecessary. I’m fine with this working relationship. I guess I can understand as well why there might be such a level of distrust though. Still, if you, as a client, are going to complain loudly about how you can go somewhere else to get a service done, you really should do so or risk looking like an ass.