One of our readers recently complained about a shady dealership mechanic trying to sell him on replacing his whole rear differential on his car for $3,800, when all he really needed was his fluids to get flushed for about $160.

Jon says, “There was metal in the fluid and the gear was stripped. I looked in the pumpkin (big housing that the axels and driveshaft go into) and I saw normal wear. He then ran his finger over the MAGNETS in the housing and showed me the ‘horrible buildup’ uhm that’s a VERY old transmission scam gag.”

Sounds sketchy, and that got us thinking, what are the other “class” mechanic scams out there? Tricks of the trade unscrupulous body shops use to get people to buy more repairs and/or services than they really need? Sound off in the comments with your favorite.

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