Do they just let ANYONE work on cars? Is an ASE certificate something you get out of a cereal box? I'm asking because I have a 2005 Mazda 6 that HAD a ticking noise coming from the engine compartment. I took the car to the dealership for some "EXPERT" help. They kept my car for 2 weeks, replaced a few parts then had me pick it up. WRONG. They didn't even test drive the car after the work they performed! (I know because I wrote down what was on the trip meter when I left the car and it was the same when I picked it up) Well after a week of being pissed off I decided to find the problem myself...... TOOK ME ALL OF 30 MINUTES TO LOCATE THE PROBLEM!!!!!! So where do they get these "PROFESSIONALS"OK... this is for D_Cider_1 or whatever his name is... The ASE "certified" jerk off..... Trip meter was at 437. something when the car was left... 437.something when I picked it up.. I DIDN'T WAIT FOR TWO WEEKS IDIOT! PAY ATTENTION! (seems to be the major problem with these ASE "certified" mechanics.) THE DEALERSHIP had my car for two weeks. The tick was a purge valve.. figured that out through elimination.. listened to parts of the engine when no tick was present, then listened again when ticking started. EASY! ANY motivated idiot could have done that! as for why I took it to took it to the dealship? I was covered by the warranty! FREE parts and labor. WHY WOULD I NOT TAKE IT THERE??? They're supposed to be the experts right?oh and I see you're ONLY a SERVICE MANAGER!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Have you ever even touched a car engine?? as for follow up calls.... NOOOPE! not a single phone call from them... I DID ALL THE CALLING....LMAO..... ONE more thing.. does it make you a "professional mechanic" because you have an OBD II reader? and a book with diagnostic codes, and access to the internet to look up TSBs??? HAHAHAHAHA! Don't kid yourself man... Go get a job at autozone.

I'd get on their case about it. There some steps that you can take that would get there attention.

There are good techs and bad techs at every shop, dealer, independent, whatever.... Good for you that you took down the trip odometer. I pride myself in what I do and what my employees do. Unfortunately this isn't the case for every repair facility out there. I would get the Dealer manager, not the service managers phone number and be respectful but tell them what you took the vehicle in for and what was supposidly done, then ask him if its a practice to test drive cars after repairs and when he says of course tell him or her that the mileage never changed and you want the problem resolved.

any monkey can work at a dealership.any monkey can be ASE certifiedany monkey can work at a local garageFinding a knowledgeable mechanic is a crap shoot

First off, I understand your frustration. The mechanics are not the problem. An ASE certified mechanic has the ability and knowledge to repair a vehicle. Management is the problem. The shop you brought your car to is run by Neanderthals with no respect for anything but a buck. You should write to the owner of the shop and cc the Better Business Bureau about the place. It is never the worker to blame who has no leadership. It's the Management and owners fault.

Sounds like you found the right man for the job! GOOD FOR YOU!

there are some people that are mechanically inclined & some that are not.......anyone can pass an a.s.e. test....or even pass classes in automotive repair.......that doesnt make them a mechanic............you must find someone that has experiance & knowledge.......but that seem,s increasingly difficult theese day,s.

West Virginia

Sooo....what exactly WAS the problem? A ticking noise . Did you solve the problem yourself? How? What parts were replaced? If you are so knowlegeable about Mazdas to have solved your problem in a mere 30 minutes, why did you go to the dealership in the first place? Did you talk to the Service Manager? Did you give an accurate description of the problem? Did you get a followup call? No? Why did you wait two whole weeks? Why did you write down the numbers on the trip-meter when you know that it could be reset to "0" with a single push of a finger? Why did you not write down the odometer reading? What did the dealership do or not do in those two weeks?Your rant does not ring true. Your details are deliberately vague.ASE Certification is extremely difficult to attain and mantain.Next time, try a more realistic scenario.