why do mechanics not want to work for free or give out free advice?

Well I asked the grocery store for free food and the dentist for free dental care and they said no, then they laughed. I'm just passing the same value to you.

I think most of the time people forget mechanics fix stuff all week for a living and tend to ask favours during the weekend when the mechanic wants a break from fixing things.

Besides there are plenty of mechanics on Yahoo answers trying to help people out for free.

Do you want to work for free? If you do then I imagine you will always have a job. Since mechanics are people and since people have some really bad habits like: eating, wearing clothes, having a roof over their heads little things like that, I guess when everyone in the world works for free and everything is for free then I guess the mechanics in the world will work for free.

Are you sure that you don't get free advice or are you oblivious of it ?

Every Time I go to the garage for servicing the vehicle I am shown a list of observations made by the mechanic who attended the vehicle relayed through the service consultant furnishing the implications and advice on how early I need to pay attention to it.

It is almost an established practice amongst all dealer service stations

I don't mind giving free advice on the internet but I don't like to give away all the tricks of the trade around my community.

I've spent 18 years of gut wrenching torture learning how to make a living doing this proficiently. I've payed my dues and now it's time to cash in on all my hard work. It's kind of like being a magician....they wouldn't make much money if they told everyone how they do everything.

But to work for free?? Mechanical work is hard and tedious ....I'd rather pay someone to do it then do it for free.

Because they invest time and money in their profession and that's how they earn a living. Plus they have to invest over $10.000.00 in tools and equipment. Would you work for free or give free advice if this was your profession. They are not mechanics unless they work under a tree. They are Automobile Technicians. I was one for 43 years now retired so I do give free advice on Yahoo Answers when possible.

Would you work for free?

I've gotten lots of free advice from mechanics. Many mechanics have saved me lots of unnecessary repairs and money with their free advice.

Your on Y/A, look around man.

A lot of mechanics gives out free advice and tips, looks up car fax info, torque specs, rpo codes, vin cods, etc for people all the time on here.

Its also Y/A so take some answers with a grain of salt. Alot of guys that knows, but alot of BS'ers that act like they know.

I am a 13 year + "mechanic" in performance/race feild. Own and run a performance shop, race my own cars on the weekend. I give free help in the form of advice on MANY websites, message boards, etc as a hobby, time killer, etc. I do it to help others out, but also to kill some free time.

I also answer tech questions in person and I do work for free sometimes to help family, friends and new commers to the hot rod world out.

I'm lucky, I caught a break early in life when a well known performance builder took me under his wing and one thing that I respect more than anything was that he put up with a dumb kid hanging around the shop, getting in the way, etc just cause he saw it made me happy and he wanted to keep the hot rod world alive.. More new blood you bring into racing, rods, customs the longer this way of life and hobby will last.

I now do the same thing he did for me. If kids, youner people show interest in rodding, I will try to help and tech them about cars, performance, etc as much as I can

But just fix people's cars for free takes money out of my pocket, and food out of my family's mouth.

Mechanics labor rate is $50-125 an hour, performance shops labor rates are $50 to $300 and hour

So look, if we take 30 min out of our work day to help you for free, we just gave you $25-150 right out of our pocket.

Then yes what about weekends.. We work on other peoples cars 5-6 days a week, we want and need a break from it!

Also on weekends is family time, race time, etc.

For performance builders we are at the track Sat and sunday most every racing our cars

Dennis,

I am going to assume your question was honest. Looking at your Yahoo answers record, you seem to be fairly active, which means you are most likely not a troll. So I am going to give you an honest answer.

I read some of the answers given to you. I take it most of them are automobile mechanics. I am a heavy truck mechanic, so I see things a little differently. I believe the guys who answered you work on a flat rate scale meaning they get paid by the estimated time to complete the job. In other words, if they aren't producing work, they aren't getting paid. This may be one reason they don't want to bother with someone interrupting their work. I do work on a fleet so I am paid by the company that owns the trucks. There is not a lot I can offer the average Joe with car repairs.

My issue is people who bother me at church, or parties, or picnics asking me about their cars. That is my leisure time. I don't want to talk about cars. I want to talk about football, music, fishing or something else besides someone's car trouble. I couldn't care less if their car doesn't run right. I have enough of my own things I need to repair. If I can't fix it myself, I will hire someone to do it. But I certainly am not going to bother someone in their off time with it.

To be fair, I donate some of my spare time doing minor repairs for some of the elderly people in my church. I won't pull heads or overhaul a transmission for them. But if they have little things that need some attention, I provide this service to them free of charge. (Sorry flat rate guys, I am not trying to cut in on your business doing these small repairs.)

Back in the day they did, but now they need to eat & feed their kids too. I would charge a fee

too if I had tech school. loans to pay off.

I guess that's why the internet is available.

Dennis, you may have never seen this or may not believe it, but those mechanics like to eat. Is that not amazing?