Should I tell a mechanic what I think is wrong with my car?
Sharing technical knowledge or your own diagnosis with a mechanic risks making them defensive or dismissive. Drivers with engineering backgrounds and automotive experience struggle to know how much to share without undermining the repair process or being talked down to.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Tell the mechanic the symptoms and what you experienced rather than your own analysis or conclusion.Did this help you?
- 2Let the mechanic do the diagnosis first and then casually mention what you already knew to see if their story matches.Did this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I’m an engineer and have an understanding of things beyond what is normal and I REALLY struggle with this.”source ↗
“My mom told me(even though she's not a (bym like me) to never disclose what you know to a shop you just had a repair from.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
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- 2Driving a damaged car when you can't afford the repairs