Ethics in the Auto Repair Industry“Another memorable encounter took place in San Antonio, when I stopped at a transmission repair shop. The owner tested the Olds with me in the passenger seat. As we climbed a hill, the car seemed to be under strain. I looked down and noticed he had one foot on the gas and the other on the brake. “Boy, there’s no power in second gear,” he said. “It’s very obvious that the clutches are burned.” His solution: rebuild the transmission for $395 to $495, "depending on if I can save the torque converter." » – totse.com A small example of the kinds of things mechanics will try to do to make a profit and scam customers. This is just one of many stories of repair scams. The auto industry is a legendary ethical battleground, with mechanics and repair shops known for trying to make an extra dollar or two by selling their customers parts they don't know they don't need and overcharging and wary customers trying to balance their budgets, it comes and goes. But in the end, the winner is usually the mechanic. This ethical quagmire takes us to the very roots of ethical decision-making. Why is it so easy to deceive customers in the auto repair industry? Car is a complex machine and most people don't even know the basics of how it works and hence can easily take advantage of it. Although, since it is a very common phenomenon, people are wary of it, it is still very difficult to determine whether you are being deceived or not. During the summer of last year, I worked at an auto repair shop. I wasn't doing complicated repairs by any means, I was doing more apprentice type work, helping the mechanics do their jobs and some simple basic work on my o...... middle of paper...... ions when a customer walks through the door. Works Cited “Auto Repair Scams: An Investigation” totse.com. Online. March 1, 2003.http://www.totse.com/en/bad_ideas/scams_and_rip_offs/autoscam.html.Norman, Rich. “The Truth About the Auto Repair Industry” Ford Festiva. Online. (2001) February 28, 2003. http://www.fordfestiva.com/service/repairshops2.htm. “Auto Repair Secrets” CarInfo.com. Online. (2001). Technews Corp. March 1, 2003. http://www.carinfo.com/repair2.html.Honeycut, Earl D.; Glassman, Myron; Zugelder, Michael T.; and Karande, Kiram “Determinants of Ethical Behavior: A Study of Automobile Salespeople.” Journal of Business Ethics. 1.32 (July 2001): 69-74. Eskeldson, Mark. What auto mechanics don't want you to know. New York: McGraw Hill. 1999. “How Car Engines Work” How Stuff Works.com. Online. March 1, 2003. http://auto.howstuffworks.com/engine.htm