Hi everyone, I’ve been living in Spain ( Alicante - vlc region ) for a while now (I have a car with Spanish plates and I speak the language fairly well), but I’m struggling to understand the local etiquette when dealing with car mechanics. I’m hoping to find out if my expectations are off or if I’ve just been unlucky with my choices so far.
Since last year, I've taken the car to 6 different places (dealerships, Bosch services, small shops). At 4 of them, the car sat for 2 weeks without them even looking at it. At two places, I was charged a €50 "diagnostic fee" just to be given a quote -which I never received because they hadn't actually checked the car. At one shop, after 2 weeks of zero progress, the mechanic laughingly asked me: "Am I handsome enough for you to accept a €3,000 quote?" Honestly, as desperate as I was, I would have paid it if the attitude had been professional and trustworthy.
I finally got the main engine issues ( injector leaking ) fixed back in my hometown (outside Spain) last Christmas, but I still need to finish the rest of here ( DPF, turbo check, egr and intake cleaning, etc ) My usual process is to contact them via WhatsApp, get an itemized quote, and drop the car off. They usually promise it’ll be ready in a few days or a week, but then weeks of silence follow. When I ask for an update, I get vague answers like "waiting for a part."
Maybe they resent me checking in or giving them a "direction" on what the problem might be, even though I'm not trying to be a know-it-all - I'm not a mechanic, but I've owned this car for years and I know its history so I just wanna help them.
I’m used to a system where an appointment means the work starts that day and the shop proactively calls if there’s a delay. Here, it feels like I’m being "pushy" just by asking for an update after the deadline has passed a few times. This lack of accountability (which I've also seen with my local accountant, who messed up 3 out of 4 tax filings in the past year without taking responsibility) is becoming very frustrating and costly.
My questions for you:
- Is it considered rude or "pressuring" to ask for a specific completion date?
- How do you usually handle follow-ups when a deadline is missed?
- Do you find that expat-run workshops (Bulgarian, Romanian, etc.) have a different communication and work style?
I'm not looking for specific shop recommendations as I’ve decided that from this point on, I won’t spend more than €1,000 on any local service here, I just want to understand how to better navigate these interactions. Thanks for any insight!