Mechanic Claims Shop Tried to Rip Off His Customer With $700 Repair He Didn’t Need
A mechanic is warning drivers to get a second opinion after claiming another repair shop tried to charge his customer hundreds of dollars for repairs that the vehicle didn't need.
Justin, who posts automotive repair videos on TikTok under the username @mainly_mechanics, shared a video showing how loosening a single nut could make a perfectly good wheel bearing appear damaged.
"So this is how these [expletive] shops are ripping off customers, and the people don't even know it," he said.
According to Justin, the customer had taken his Ford to another shop after noticing a noise coming from one of the wheels. The shop allegedly told him he needed a new wheel bearing, hub assembly and a control arm.
However, Justin had recently replaced the control arm on the car himself.
"The customer gets a hold of me, 'Hey Justin, didn't you just replace my control arm?' Yeah, I did. Why?" he recalled. "Well, I'm being told that I need not only a wheel bearing replacement, but I need a control arm."
@mainly_mechanics/TikTok
Justin told the customer to bring the vehicle back so he could inspect it.
When he checked the wheel, he discovered it had significant movement, which can indicate a worn wheel bearing, but something about the diagnosis felt off to him.
Rather than immediately recommending more repairs, Justin checked the axle nut and discovered it was extremely loose.
After tightening the nut and using a torque wrench to secure it to the manufacturer's specifications, Justin said the movement had disappeared completely.
"There is no play," he demonstrated in the video.
Justin then showed his viewers how someone could loosen the same nut to create movement in the wheel and make it appear as though the vehicle needed expensive repairs.
He alleged the other shop had done exactly that, although he did not provide independent evidence that anyone deliberately loosened the nut.
"They quoted this gentleman almost six or seven hundred dollars for a wheel bearing when all they did was loosen up the CV axle nut," he said.
Justin was particularly frustrated that the shop had also recommended replacing a control arm that was already new.
"They didn't even take the time to look and realize that it's got a brand new control arm," he said.
While a loose axle nut can cause wheel movement, that alone doesn't establish whether a bearing has suffered damage or whether another shop deliberately tampered with the vehicle.
Justin encouraged drivers to be cautious when visiting an unfamiliar repair shop and told them to trust their instincts if a diagnosis didn't seem right.
"Just be really careful if you're going to a new shop," he warned. "If you don't have a shop that you've already established a rapport with, that you've established business with, just don't always go… you know, go with your gut instinct."
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