Even if you’re pretty comfortable with cars, it’s always nice to occasionally bring it into a shop for a full inspection.

Cars are pretty complex. Given this, there are a lot of parts that require routine maintenance — and a bunch of things that can go wrong, often with dramatic consequences.

But if you bring your car into a dealership for an inspection, do you have to follow all of their recommendations? That’s what a recent TikTok video with over 171,000 views has the internet asking.

Why Don’t Dealerships Want To Do Multi-Point Inspections?

In his video, TikTok user Austin Conroy (@dealerplateguy) performs a skit about a common problem.

The video shows a man, played by Conroy, dropping his car off for an oil change.

“I also want a really good multi-point inspection. I mean, like, really good. Cause I wanna know everything this car needs,” he states.

When the worker asks if there’s anything wrong with it, Conroy says there isn’t.

“I haven’t taken it to a dealer in a while, so I just really need a good look over and I’ll probably do some work,” he says.

The worker character then hands the job over to a mechanic, also played by Conroy. He tells the mechanic to “quote everything that he needs. Don’t quote anything that he doesn’t.”

Finally, the worker returns to Conroy’s car owner character with a long list of fixes and preventative measures. Conroy’s character thanks him — then asks to just pay for the oil change.

“My brother-in-law works on cars. He wanted me to just come to the dealer so you guys could do a good inspection on it. And the oil change, he doesn’t like doing those,” the character says.

Is This True?

While Conroy’s story may be fictional, stories like these are common among those working in the auto industry.

On Reddit, numerous auto workers have shared similar stories to the one detailed by Conroy. In some cases, the required repairs are pretty significant. Despite this, users report that their customers rejected the repairs, occasionally citing friends or family members that could do the repairs more cheaply.

For example, on Reddit’s r/JustRolledIntoTheShop, one user said that a customer declined a repair saying their “uncle can do it cheaper.” The car was missing brake pads. The original poster claimed they had the customer sign a “No Liability” waiver.

Regardless, many dealerships will still provide free, comprehensive multi-point inspections. While they know that some customers will still reject the repairs, dealerships want to document everything that’s wrong with the car and note which issues will be easier and cheaper to fix earlier in a car’s life. 

This not only creates a better experience for the customer, but it could mean less involved and time-consuming work for the dealership down the line if they manage to catch a problem early. Not only that, but dealerships will note potential safety issues with the car to ensure it can still be properly operated. 

Is It Ever OK To Decline Repairs?

While some may feel guilty about rejecting repairs noted on a multi-point inspection, it’s important to note that one should not feel obligated to have every repair performed at the dealership doing the inspection.

For example, if you’re comfortable with car maintenance and know you can perform some simple repairs yourself, it’s totally reasonable to simply note the recommendation then do it yourself or elsewhere at a lower price.

Alternatively, if you suspect a dealership is ripping you off, it may make sense to bring the car elsewhere for a second opinion before signing off on any repairs.

Regardless, there’s always a chance that a dealership will charge you a diagnostic fee for this inspection. No matter whether you decide to have the repairs done in-house or elsewhere, it’s best to simply pay this fee.

Commenters Say This Happens A Lot

In the comments section, many users agreed that this was a common issue in the auto industry.

“The customers who ‘want to know everything the car needs’ are the same customers who when presented with the list of repairs, ignore it,” said a commenter.

“Yeah unpaid tech time, no thank u. Authorizing a used car inspection if you want a detailed inspection,” stated another.

“another way this goes side ways is when the customer says ‘please check everything’ and also say ‘I have no complaints’ when asked.. then after the inspection says ‘but what about that click noise when turning left, with the rear window half way down, going 33.2 mph, when im chewing gum…’” observed a third.

We’ve reached out to Conroy via email.

@dealerplateguy why does “their mechanic” never do oil changes? … ? #cardealership #mechanic #oilchange #mechanicshop ♬ original sound – dealerplateguy