A trip to the auto shop can turn a routine service into a surprisingly expensive afternoon. The original job might cost a few hundred dollars, then the service advisor starts listing additional recommendations that sound increasingly urgent.
Some of those recommendations may genuinely protect the vehicle. Others may involve maintenance that the car does not need yet, a service already covered by the manufacturer’s schedule, or an optional treatment that deserves more scrutiny. The Federal Trade Commission advises consumers to compare a shop’s recommendations with the vehicle manufacturer’s maintenance schedule and ask why additional service goes beyond it.
