When in Doubt, Find a Mechanic You Can Really Trust

Dear Car Talk:

I have a 2015 Mazda 3 sedan with 43,400 miles. I took the car to the dealer for a routine oil change and tire rotation and was told I needed three things:

"Steering and steering linkage --lower control arm bushings deteriorated. "Rear shocks leaking -- recommend shocks. "Alignment recommended -- recommend with lower control arms."

The quote for this extra work was about $2,300. So, I want to know, Ray, does this sound legit or am I getting upsold? -- Linda

It's important to have a mechanic you trust, Linda. And you don't appear to trust these guys. If you truly need all that stuff done, the price is in the right ballpark. But I don't know if you need it. And more importantly, you don't feel confident that you need it.

So, my suggestion is to use this as an opportunity to find a mechanic you can really put your trust in. Start by asking friends and family or use your social networks to ask if anyone has a mechanic in your area that they really love. Some people do.

If you don't turn up a good lead that way, go to www.mechanicsfiles.com and search for mechanics with multiple, good recommendations. Then take your car to the new shop and ask them to check it out stem to stern for you. Tell them you'd like to know about anything that needs to be done right away, as well as things that may need attention at a later date. See if they say you need lower control arm bushings and shocks. Honestly, to me, it sounds pretty early to need those things. But without seeing the car, I can't say for sure. But another mechanic can. If your second-opinion mechanic says the same thing as the dealer, then you know you can trust your dealer. That's valuable information, right? And if the second mechanic says the shocks should be good for another 40,000 miles and the control arm bushings look fine, that'd be important information to have, too.

Either way, you'll feel more confident and trusting going forward. And at least you won't have to write to some knucklehead newspaper columnist every time you get a repair estimate.

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