It can be hard to be sure you can trust a mechanic. One Ford driver found a creative way to test his mechanic’s trustworthiness. It involves a bottle of white-out. His mechanic failed the test.
In a TikTok with over 9,800 views as of this writing, S.Lee’s Man Cave (@therealsleemancave) reveals how he discovered his mechanic was lying to him about rotating his tires. He says he put white-out on a tire before he took his car in.
“Before you take your vehicle in to get your tires rotated, you take some white-out and you put a little secret dot somewhere on your back tires,” Lee explains.
Lee put a dot of white-out in between the gap on the letter ‘A’ on one back tire.
“That way when you pick it up, you’ll know for sure whether or not they did the work,” he says.
If the tire with the white-out is in the same place when you get it back, the tire wasn’t rotated.
“It’s real sad that in this day and age we got to resort to stuff like this. But believe me when I tell you if you do this kind of thing long enough eventually you’re gonna catch somebody,” he says.
The Ford owner says he caught his mechanic the week prior.
“How do I know? Just last week I did catch somebody claiming they rotated my tires when they had not,” he reveals.
Why Do You Need To Rotate Your Tires?
Just like oil changes, getting your tires rotated is a necessary car maintenance task that should not be ignored. But many people overlook this task, which can eventually lead to flat, unevenly worn, or even bald tires.
To help preserve your tires, it’s best to get tire rotations every 5,000 miles or every six months, CarFax advises. This aligns with oil change intervals, so a general rule of thumb is to get both done at the same time.
Rotating the tires allows wear to be distributed evenly across all four tires, maximizing tread life.
The benefits of a tire rotation include increased tire lifespan, better fuel economy, and improved handling and safety. Routine tire rotations also typically ensure a smoother ride.
Tire rotations should cost between $50 and $100.
Gallery: Ford F-150 XLT (2026)
“This Is Why I Do My Own Maintenance. I Have Trust Issues”
Many viewers appreciated Lee’s tip. Several said they’ve also used similar markings that led them to catch mechanics lying about rotating their tires.
“Caught dealership last year, marked it in a black ink pen on a dirty tire and checked before I left. Called out the service manager and tech. Fixed it for me,” one wrote.
“Yep, I use a paint pen,” another added.
Some people suggested Lee’s post reaffirmed their feelings about mechanics.
“This is why I do my own maintenance. I have trust issues,” one commented.
Another said, “Mind you, oil changes at the dealer are like $170 now. Rotating is the least they could do. Like how lazy.”
Some said they mark their oil filters before getting their oil changed to ensure the shop installs a new one.
“Excellent advice, you also need to put a dot on your oil filter. A lot of these shops and dealerships. Think we’re stupid and don’t think a new oil filter is going to matter,” said one.
A second echoed the same, writing, “Caught the Honda dealer on this. Made me pop the hood and check the oil. Still had the same old filter and black oil.”
Motor1 has contacted Lee via TikTok direct message and commented on the post. This post will be updated if he responds.
