On Auto Mechanics

It's a relatively well-known fact that auto mechanics try to sell you on services you don't need. In fact I was surprised when I took my car in to get an oil change and new tires mounted, because the guy that called me up said, "the brake pads will probably need to be replaced after another two or three oil changes (read: 6,000-9,000 miles, given that they want you to come in for an oil change every 3,000 miles)" and not, "your brakes are dangerously low and they should be replaced right now." This is especially true because that's what they said when I took the car in for an oil change 6,000 miles ago. Apparently my brake pads have grown in thickness. At this rate I might have to shave them down by hand.

They also seem to always indicate a need for new coolant. Now, a week before this, my car was at another shop having repairs done to fix a misfire issue. They had replaced the coolant at that time, so you can imagine it was rather difficult to not break out laughing.