Believe it or not, there is an industry out there that specifically looks out on and actually promote auto repairs. Such a racket is not only unethical, it is also inappropriate and unnecessary. Still, there are those who do it – for the sake of one reason and one reason alone — money.

The following are discovered and frowned upon scams that have been already charged. Yet they do still require your utmost attention. Read on and be aware as well as be wary so as to not be a victim further from such rip-offs.

The repair scare

It was in 1992 when people discovered and got scared when everyone learned that the Auto Center at Sears were actually promoting, and even made it an actual competition among its staff, the number of any additional car repairs that came in to the extent that the one who was able to gather in the most car repairs was declared as a quota winner.

Though Sears, at first, did not want to admit it. Sears was actually giving out commissions and even established contests, declaring as a winner anyone who were able to bring in the most auto repairs. This discovery became even more shocking when it was learned that the prizes for such contests even included a cruise and ten thousand dollars in cash.

When Sears was confronted with the issue, their claim was that the repairs they do were merely measures that were done in order to prevent any other car faults. Although they did later admit their mistakes and agreed to fork up a total of eight million dollars in order to settle the charges filed against them in California. The damage has been done though, and the impression created by such allegations is enough to make anyone suspect any auto repair shop as similarly engaging in such an illicit trade.

Thankfully, they were able to make amends to a total of nine hundred thousand of their customers. Plus, they no longer were using commissions, quotas and contests to promote car repairs.

However, there may still be instances wherein large chains of auto repair shops still resort to advertisements that deceive or there may be auto shops that engage in fraud. There may still be shops out there which replace good auto parts with faulty ones.

Investigations done undercover as well as lawsuits have been filed against such chains. Still, it does help being alert and aware.

Caught in the act

In 1999, a television station in Los Angeles made undercover discoveries at auto repair shops – including those from Goodyear, Purrfect Auto, Pep Boys – wherein repairs were done and recommended on cars that did not need any repairs.

In 1998, it was known there have been ninety auto repair shops found in five counties in which forty percent of these sold services and provided car repairs that were unnecessary. These shops even charged its customers services and repairs that were never even done!

Such shops were named as Midas Muffler and Brake Shops, Purrfect Auto Service, Econo Lube N’ Tune as well as Tuneup Masters.

All in all, it helps to know such information in order to not be a victim of such unscrupulous methods. Awareness and alertness is important. It also helps if one searches through the internet and learn how good or how bad a particular auto repair shop’s record is. Knowledge is power.