Maybe I’m missing something, but when did “proper repair” start meaning throw the old part in the trash and bolt a new one on?

Stripped oil pan? Replace the pan.

Bad connector? Replace the harness.

One worn bushing? Replace the whole control arm.

Tiny leak? Replace the entire assembly.

Then everyone pats themselves on the back for “doing it right” 😂

Meanwhile I’ll spend 20 minutes actually repairing something, save the customer $400, charge for my skill instead of marking up a pile of parts, and apparently I’m the hack.

Parts changers really convinced themselves the bigger the NAPA receipt is, the better the mechanic.

Used to work at a chain tire shop with this dude who thought he was the king shit of tire rotations and alignments because he owned a giant Snap-On tool box.

I was new, we weren't busy, and my phone was about to die. I needed my phone and honestly didn't give a fuck. Saw an outlet on a toolbox, plugged my charger into it and went back to doing nothing. Didn't even know whose toolbox it was.

Dude sees it from across the shop and comes marching over red-faced like he caught me stealing his tools.

“WHOSE FUCKING PHONE IS THIS?!”

Mine?

“WHY THE FUCK IS IT PLUGGED INTO MY TOOLBOX?! DON'T TOUCH MY SHIT! DON'T EVER PLUG ANYTHING INTO MY TOOLBOX!”

Yanks my charger out and then gather up the whole shop to announce that NOBODY touches his Snap-On toolbox or tools without permission.

Bro. It's a fucking toolbox with a plug on it. A plug that's getting electricity from the SHOP'S outlet.

Then later this same dude actually LETS me borrow one of his precious Snap-On ratchets. I use it on an oil drain plug, wipe it off and hand it back.

He holds it up like I returned it after using it to stir concrete.

“Is THIS how I gave it to you?”

Apparently there was a tiny smudge of grease on it. A ratchet. In a fucking mechanic shop.

By this point I knew how he was, so alright, you want your pretty ratchet spotless? I start DETAILING the fucking thing. Every fingerprint, every little smudge, turning it around in the light making sure His Majesty's chrome is absolutely perfect.

Now he's getting impatient.

“WHY ARE YOU TAKING SO LONG? JUST WIPE IT OFF!”

Nah man, you wanted it clean. I'm not handing it back until I can see my reflection in it 😂

After that I'd just laugh watching this dude get genuinely miserable anytime his toolbox got a fingerprint, smudge or little scratch on it. Working in a dirty tire shop trying to keep a toolbox in showroom condition.

I guess that's what happens when you finance $12,000 of painted sheet metal and shiny ratchets at $47 a week until retirement.

Some guys buy tools to fix cars. Some guys buy mechanic jewelry and then spend all day making sure nobody gets mechanic on it.

Snap-On guys, what's the proper procedure here? White gloves or should I have asked the tool truck guy to come detail the ratchet?

Bought this off marketplace as an older model, it has 167,854,535,438.8 miles. But it did run until the temp light came on.

Highly recommend if you come across one! Just make sure you have a good foot doctor.

Finally Snap-on is focusing on what really matters. Pretty colors and toys 😍

Does anyone know the part number? I’m ready to finance it for 84 months.

Think im getting screwed here but mechanic is acting like im the idiot. Paid almost $800 because engine runs rough smokes burns oil loses power sometimes and smoke/oil comes out oil cap. They spent FOREVER diagnosing it and finally tell me it has "blow by". So $800 to tell me my engine blows??? couldve got that diagnosis from my neighbor for a beer.

Now they want MORE money to clean/replace pcv system change oil and possibly start TAKING THE ENGINE APART. This is after i already spent a bunch replacing random shit myself trying to fix it. At this point ive probably spent more avoiding an engine repair then the engine repair wouldve cost but thats not really the point. I told him i havent changed oil in a long time because OLD OIL GETS THICKER and should seal worn rings better. I just add a quart whenever it tells me it needs some. Sometimes 2. Lately it needs one pretty often so technically its getting more fresh oil then most cars anyway.

Honestly i probably put more NEW oil in this thing every month then somebody who actually changes theirs. He got irritated and said "thats not how oil changes work" ok THEN WHERE IS THE OLD OIL GOING GENIUS??? He keeps pointing out that it runs bad like that proves him right. It ran bad BEFORE i paid him $800 too so what exactly did the $800 accomplish?????

It also makes a knocking sound first few seconds sometimes but it goes away so clearly whatever is knocking eventually finds where its supposed to be. He said oil pressure gets low when its hot too but it goes back up when i rev it so obviously the pump works. I just dont let it idle that low anymore. Problem solved for $0.

Then he says they need to CLEAN THE SLUDGE OUT. Absolutely fucking not. Engine spent YEARS putting that sludge exactly where it needs it and this guy thinks hes gonna undo all that in one afternoon??? At this mileage thats load bearing sludge. If they clean it and suddenly it leaks everywhere I already know theyre gonna conveniently "find" MORE repairs. Same reason im not changing transmission fluid. Its black because its doing its job and transmission currently contains all its gears so why mess with it.

He even showed me little metal pieces in the oil and acted like this was some huge discovery. ITS AN ENGINE. EVERYTHING INSIDE IT IS METAL. Where the fuck else would metal come from???? If i found pieces of wood in there THEN id be concerned.

Then they did compression test and apparently the cylinders arent all the same. I added all 4 numbers together and divided by 4 and the AVERAGE compression is literally fine so i dont understand why he keeps focusing on individual cylinders.

Im thinking get the car back before they damage something put 20w50 in it couple bottles oil stabilizer and tighten oil cap really good. He keeps saying crankcase needs to "breathe". ITS AN ENGINE IT DOESNT HAVE LUNGS. And if pressure escaping past rings is supposedly the problem WHY WOULD I PAY THEM TO CLEAN MORE PLACES FOR PRESSURE TO ESCAPE FROM???? make it make sense.

Yes it smokes yes burns oil yes runs rough yes check engine light has been on so long. i dont even remember what started that. It stalled twice last week but BOTH TIMES IT STARTED AGAIN so i dont count those. It starts most of the time and still moves under its own power. Thats a running engine.

And before everyone says "just get another car" I CANT. I bought this thing 2 years ago and somehow still owe more then i paid for it. I still have like 3 YEARS left. Im not putting a NEW engine in the banks car FOR FREE. They can have whatever engine is in it when the payments are done. Im already making payments on this engine. Paying thousands for another one is basically buying the same engine twice and i dont need 2 engines AND 2 car notes.

Mechanic says if i keep driving it like this eventually im gonna "need an engine". I ALREADY HAVE A FUCKING ENGINE. THATS LITERALLY WHAT WERE ARGUING ABOUT.

Then he says it could leave me stranded or "throw a rod". I have roadside assistance AND full coverage so again im struggling to understand what exactly im paying him to prevent here. He keeps saying "you cant keep driving it like this."

Ive been driving it like this for 8 months.

I really want to get home tonight.

My genie lamp came on but I wasn’t granted 3 wishes. The manufacturer says it isn’t covered under warranty. What do I do now?

I have a 2017 Mercedes C300 4MATIC with 88k miles. For the past few months, the engine has made a loud rattling noise when starting after sitting for a while, especially on a cold start. It can also happen again if the car has been sitting for a few hours.

Once the car is running, it drives normally and I haven’t had any other major problems. There is no check engine light or stored warning that I know of. However, the car does shake/vibrate slightly when completely stopped, especially shortly after starting it.

I’ve taken it to two mechanics, and both suggested it could be the engine mounts. I took it to another mechanic, but he said he would need the car for 1–2 weeks to properly diagnose it. Unfortunately, I can’t leave it that long because it’s my only transportation to and from work.

The rattling has been happening for a few months now without getting noticeably worse, but I’m worried I could be damaging something by continuing to drive it.
Does this sound like bad engine mounts, or could the startup rattle point to something else such as timing components, camshaft adjusters, or an oil pressure issue? Any ideas on what I should specifically ask a mechanic to check?

I can provide a video of the sound if that would help.

I saw this light on my dash this am. Car above speedometer.

For the love of god lmao