My car has been acting strangely since yesterday. Its idle went down, the engine vibrations became stronger, and the car easily stalls. I went to a mechanic a while ago and he said that he would be changing the piston rings and the cylinder gasket head. One piston ring set cost me 60 bucks while the gasket head cost me 16 dollars. Of course, the mechanic will be the one to install all of those. What do you think would be fair to give to the mechanic after he has repaired my car? What should I give him if the problem is not solved?
Never settle for one service and negotiate your prices always if you can find more than one alternative to fixing your needs. I usually go to my siblings first for car advice, then to my friends, onto my coworkers, and then to a mechanic - doing this may in fact save you money and the problem may be solved without any professional help ever being asked. If going to a mechanic is your only option, then I would before-hand search the internet for different service providers and compare prices, this way your knowledge will help you in leveraging better prices for yourself. All prices are arbitrary, and business owners know this, because they can either make what they've priced or opt for something else at least, instead of making no sale(s); there is no business without any sale(s). Maybe you could have ordered those pistons yourself and simply ask what is the charging price for a mechanic to install it? However, since you did agree to the service, pay what he asked, because you didn't bother negotiating for a lower price before any service was provided. Pay your debts. However, you can negotiate how you can pay back the mechanic.
Thanks. Actually, this mechanic was my second option. The first mechanic that I went to said that I would spend around 400 bucks but the amount may increase depending on what they would find. The second mechanic that I went to told me that I won't spend that much. All in all, I spent only 100 bucks for the repairs. I returned the piston rings because he didn't have any use for it any way.
