I like your style 
When I’m at a place of business . . . doctor, optometrist, anything, really . . . and I witness a disagreement between a customer and the store personnel, I hang back and observe. And my observations influence whether I will return or not
I miss the handshake and a square deal.
+1
In my case, I am also influenced by interactions between the business owner and his employees.
I think back to a small Mom & Pop-type hardware store that I used to patronize in the '70s. The store had everything that I needed, and it was very convenient to my home, but the way that the store owner treated his elderly father made my blood boil, and after witnessing his verbal abuse of the befuddled old man a few times, I decided to never return to that place.
Most of us do not trust auto mechanics, due to the 1%, as pointed out by COROLLAGUY1.
When I had my car inspected at the shop recommended by AAA (part of a large chain), the guy only screwed things up. When the car was inspected in a smaller, more local chain, everything was done properly. And I was given as suggestion for new tires that I needed. I had the tires mounted, balanced, and installed in that shop. There are mechanics who value you, as a customer, and they are more likely to be local, rather than a nationwide chain of shops.
If it was just 1%, then it wouldn’t be MOST.
I agree. While there are a great many honest and competent mechanics out there, my own experiences over the years have left me believing that the 30% estimate is probably more accurate.
Some, like that famous chain muffler shop and the chain transmission shop, actually have corporate policies (including in how the compensate their employees) that encourage dishonesty.
Dealer shops I highly distrust. I don’t think they care about customer satisfaction, only revenue generation.
Parts store shops and marginal. There are good ones and bad ones.
IMHO the most trustworthy by a wide margin are independently owned and operated shops. There are IMHO a much smaller percentage of problems with them than with any of the other groups.
The average of the aggregate is probably 30%.
And then there are “quickie lubes”, who try to do more than they’re actually capable of.
I think carrollaguy has it backwards. All try to up sell and do whatever the need to do to get you to come back. I don’t own work and take it to places to see what they try to sell me or tell me what I need to have done not knowing that I am a mechanic also and know better
Can you please clarify . . . ?
I got the part where you stated you’re a mechanic
But I don’t understand the part where you stated “I don’t own work” . . . 
I’m not certain, but I think the poster meant “I don’t do my own work”. The comment was followed by
Put the two together and it seems to make sense. It adds up to “I don’t do my own work and take [my vehicle] to places to see what they try to sell me or what I need to have done”.
I wonder what the percentage of honest customers out there are? 
First of all, I may have had work done by mechanics that might not have been needed. But as for that being done to just increase the invoice I don’t think so . I have used dealers and independent shops both. We had a new car once that had a goofy transmission problem and the service writer , shop foreman and dealership owner all did their best to solve it even though it took several trips.
I have no idea what you’re talking about.
By the way, the last time you changed my oil I’m pretty sure you broke my timing belt and rusted my muffler out. Fix them for free or I give you a bad Yelp review. 
Yup. You know it. This weeks episode of that story goes like this:
Monday morning we have a 20 year old car that was towed in over the weekend, electrical system died while driving. The car is a mess. RF window held up with duct tape, steel cord showing through the tire, etc. The customer is unhappy with the quote of $140 labor to replace the alternator. It seems he has a guy who will do it for $50 but can’t get to it until the weekend. And the price of $220 for the alternator itself a too high because he can go get one at O’Reillys for $130. The service writer won’t budge on the price. The guy then tells the SW “You have a chance to make a good customer here but you don’t seem to want to. I see reviews online that say you guys are a good shop to deal with but I may have to go and say otherwise.” Right buddy. Like I want you and all your broke friends that drive rolling piles like yours to start coming here.
On the other hand, we recently had a Toyota Tacoma towed in that needed an engine replacement as diagnosed at the dealer. It was running poorly, check engine light flashing, and making some odd noise. Our phone quote for engine replacement was less than the dealer. Of course when the truck arrived I checked it out. 3 ignition coils, 3 plug wires, and a set of spark plugs later the customer was back on the road.
I’d say there’s room for improvement on both sides.
Well, one size doesn’t fit all. My wife was told over the phone “the reason it doesn’t ride smooth is because it needs plugs” and I immediately told her to refuse the service and lets shop around. When she drove the car back, I insisted to drive and see for myself. Our car is going on 11yrs old and still drives smooth as ever. He also tried to tell her that the thermostat is on it’s way out and tends to stick here and there and then correct itself. Next, I had a mechanic that would take one gallon of gas each time I brought it in. How do I know,-- when I’d fill up for gas, (I do the math on checking the mileage at each fill up) I’d always needed exactly one extra gallon. So as long as a mechanic can stay out of court, they’ll try anything. Very few won’t.
[quote=“ricky_rio, post:54, topic:110314”]
Next, I had a mechanic that would take one gallon of gas each time I brought it in. How do I know,-- when I’d fill up for gas, (I do the math on checking the mileage at each fill up) I’d always needed exactly one extra gallon[/quote]
It is not paranoia if someone is really after you. Taking 1 gallon, I really think you are imagining things.
So, you’re saying if I took a gallon of gas from your car each time you came to the shop, there would be no way at all to check it? Or better yet, what kind of grades did you get in math?
So, you can’t actually prove the theft . . . ?
But you know the mechanic is stealing a gallon of fuel, based on a calculation?
As Volvo said, I think you’re letting your imagination get the better of you
Or perhaps your cynicism is steering your mind in a particular direction
You ever stop to consider that maybe the mechanic actually had the car running in the shop, or maybe he took the car for a legitimate test drive? It’s been known to happen 
it’s pretty easy to go through a gallon of fuel
Yeah, just what kind of mechanic would start up a car much less test drive it.
(Sarc)
You could maybe prove that there was less gas in it then when you left it, but no way in hell you could prove some one stole it. See db’s comment about idling and test drives. I don’t doubt you got good grades in math. But I bet you grades on creative writing were even better. I’d also venture a guess you had a lot of friends when you were young. But only you could see them. Now that’s only my opinion not a known fact but I can have an opinion. For only being here about 2 weeks you sure have come up with some good ones.
A crooked one!!!