Scams: these mechanics who inflate the bill for unnecessary repairs

30 million French people hit the road every summer, so many potential victims for some ill-intentioned mechanics. The 20 Hours did the test by taking a completely overhauled car to several garages on the pretext of noise from the rear of the vehicle. One of them suggests that the pads need to be changed. A bill of 130 euros which remains much lower than in some cases.

A mother, who preferred to remain anonymous, testifies. “They called us saying ‘there are noises in the engine, we can’t return your vehicle'”. To replace the engine, the garage asks for more than 17,000 euros and blocks the car for a year, adding costs, to arrive at a total of 22,100 euros. “We could have bought a new car”, exasperated the mother who hired an expert. Faced with the observations of the professional, the garage divides the bill by two. Scams, difficult to thwart. “You can request a quote and contact a second mechanic or contact an expert to give an opinion”, reveals Arnaud Hugon, automotive expert. Scammers, fortunately not many.