Adrià González is a mechanic from Berga who was runner-up in the contest for the best workshop professional in the state. Among more than 1,000 participants, he finished second thanks to a great display of skills and technical knowledge. González is against electric cars for several reasons, as he explained a few days ago in an interview on RAC1.cat. He also revealed what type of car he would bet on if he had to buy one right now.
His speech is very critical of the “pirates” who have “mistreated the trade” and have often caused mechanics to have a bad reputation. His explanations, however, are rigorous, experienced and convincing. That’s why we asked Adrià González what is the main maintenance mistake that car owners make. What do they usually do wrong and that damages the condition of the vehicle the most?
“People do the minimum, because car maintenance does not sell,” laments the second best mechanic in Spain. “You see many mid-high range cars for show, but with very fair maintenance, and when they come to the shop they ask for the cheapest tires.”
Precisely, the condition of the tires is one of the elements that González highlights as fundamental: “This makes me quite angry. It hurts a lot to invest money in changing the tires, but the reality is that they are the only point of contact with the road.”
This is one of the most common errors among drivers, and it directly affects the safety of the vehicle. But Adrià González highlights another element as the main error that damages the condition of a car: “The biggest mistake is extending maintenance. And that is not only the fault of the customer, but also the manufacturers.”
The mechanic from Bergen details that traditionally a basic maintenance check had to be carried out “every 15,000 km or a year”, while “now some manufacturers call you every 30,000 or even 60,000 km.”
“They say that the oil lasts longer, but they do it because they are penalized less in the European regulations against pollution.” That is, in the calculation of the penalties that manufacturers pay for polluting, they also calculate the oil and filter changes that a vehicle must make during its useful life.
That’s why manufacturers extend deadlines, but the problem is that in the long run the engine is punished and “many internal components are damaged.”
“Breakdowns that were unthinkable have returned. The distribution chains are stretched, which are a fortune. They were much safer, but now it is almost preferable to put a belt and change it when necessary. We also have to change turbos that break down due to oil degradation “, exemplifies the expert.
Adrià González also gives as an example the degradation of particle filters and anti-pollution systems if the oil is not changed within the indicated times, especially in diesel vehicles that circulate a lot in the city.
And it reveals that some car manufacturers claim that the automatic gearbox is for life and the oil does not need to be changed, when in fact the manufacturer itself indicates that the oil and filters last 90,000 kilometers. “The customer does not understand it; it is misleading advertising,” laments the mechanic from Berga.
“If I have to put emphasis on something, it is to do maintenance as usual: every 15,000 km or a year. I am not saying this so that I have a workshop, but to prevent major breakdowns of 2,000 or 3,000 euros from occurring later and still causing you hurts more.”
“Putting in new oil every year lengthens the mechanics of the vehicle,” concludes Adrià González.
