So far this year there have already been more than 15,000 complaints to Consumer Direct about car repairs and servicing. Fixing cars is something that most of us know little about, and so when things go wrong more often than not, you have little choice but to trust your mechanic.
But as our investigation this week proves, you can't always rely on someone who says they know what they're doing when it comes to your car's engine.
Darren Palmer is a mobile mechanic in Romford, Essex. He's been trading under three different company names; East Valley Mobile Mechanic, Start Rite Mobile Mechanic*, and The Mobile Mechanic, not to be confused with other companies with similar names.
We've heard from complainants who've paid Darren for what's turned out to be shoddy work. And when they call him to rectify the problems, he's notoriously difficult to get hold of, not least because the address Darren has provided on his invoices doesn't exist.
The price of hiring Darren
Anita Dodd, a single mum with five children, called in Darren when her mini-bus broke down. Darren told her she needed a new engine, and sold her a second-hand replacement engine for £952.
But just weeks later Anita was coming home from holiday and the mini-bus broke down again. Anita said, "I called them back out. Eventually they came back out and they said I was the unluckiest person in the world; I needed get another engine."
Darren didn't offer to replace it for free, and Anita paid again for another engine. By this point she had paid Darren almost £2,000.
Anita told us that Darren was very persuasive. She said, "He was the sort of person that if he told you the sky was pink, by the end of the conversation you would believe him.
"He seemed really nice and I was really taken in by it and I feel pretty stupid for that."
And when Anita told Darren she couldn't afford to pay out for work anymore, he stopped coming back.
On the trail
Matt and Dan decided to hit the road to Romford where we know the mobile mechanics operate, to see for themselves what standard of work Darren provides.
We set up a secret filming house and got a Ford Focus with an odd rattling noise and dodgy brakes for Darren to look at. He arrives and correctly identifies the source of the rattle and that the car needs new brake pads. But he also tells our actress the car needs new brake discs too, which isn't right. So he quotes us £70 for work which actually isn't needed.
Darren tells us he will return the next day with the parts but doesn't turn up. We phone him over and over again, and end up waiting for six hours. Despite assurances that he is just around the corner, he never arrives.
Not to be disheartened by Darren's no show; we set up a new secret filming house and asked an actor to pose as our householder Mr Wilson. And we get another car - a Seat Leon that badly needs new back brakes and has an overheating engine, which is forcing water to gush out up through the header tank and leak.
Darren arrives and after just three minutes work he tells Mr Wilson that the radiator is leaking, which is wrong. He then pours in radiator sealant, which is a complete waste of time and money.
Next Darren turns his attention to the brakes. And he strangely uses a gigantic hammer to get the brake pads in place. Our car expert Steve Lee has never seen anything like it; he said, "You'd use it in ship building or mending tanks. You don't whack bits of brakes with a fairly great hammer".
Darren though is getting frustrated and only replaces the brake pads, not the brake discs. The brake discs on the Seat Leon are completely worn and need replacing.
Steve Lee said that only replacing the brake pads could mean that in extreme driving conditions such as driving on a motorway, "the brakes will be unbalanced and the car could spin out of control".
Steve Lee thinks that Darren and his guys are 'jokers'.
We give Darren another chance to put the work right, so we call him and tell him that there is still water leaking in the engine. And once again Darren wrongly tells Mr Wilson that the problem is the radiator, and he needs a new one which is incorrect. He offers to take the car for a test drive but Mr Wilson says he needs to check with his son first. Darren says he will come back to Mr Wilson with a price for the radiator in 15-20 minutes.
We again wait six hours but Darren doesn't turn up or call. After numerous phone calls we know he isn't coming back.
Darren's response
The next time we call out Darren to a house, it's so Matt can surprise him with a few questions. Matt asked Darren about his mechanical knowledge with particular reference to Anita Dodd and her engines.
Darren told us, "There was nothing wrong with them engines at all. I trade a satisfactory manner I believe yeah. Um, you can't satisfy every customer.
"I ain't running away from nothing because the thing with it is I do believe we trade in a satisfactory manner to be honest with you."
As he wasn't running away, we then asked Darren about the address he has provided on his customer invoices, the address which actually doesn't exist. Darren claimed it did exist, before getting in his van and driving away.
We also handed Darren a letter detailing our allegations, but he did not respond.
* Start Rite Mobile Mechanic is not to be confused with another mechanic called Startright Mobile Mechanic who also operates in the Romford area and who is fed up with getting calls complaining about the other company.
What you can do
We spoke to Trading Standards Officer Laila Benfaida to find out what you can do to avoid getting ripped off by mechanics. Have you had trouble with mechanics? Do you feel confident negotiating with garages? Let us know what you think.
How trustworthy is your mechanic?
But as our investigation this week proves, you can't always rely on someone who says they know what they're doing when it comes to your car's engine.
Darren Palmer is a mobile mechanic in Romford, Essex. He's been trading under three different company names; East Valley Mobile Mechanic, Start Rite Mobile Mechanic*, and The Mobile Mechanic, not to be confused with other companies with similar names.
We've heard from complainants who've paid Darren for what's turned out to be shoddy work. And when they call him to rectify the problems, he's notoriously difficult to get hold of, not least because the address Darren has provided on his invoices doesn't exist.
The price of hiring Darren
Anita Dodd, a single mum with five children, called in Darren when her mini-bus broke down. Darren told her she needed a new engine, and sold her a second-hand replacement engine for £952.
But just weeks later Anita was coming home from holiday and the mini-bus broke down again. Anita said, "I called them back out. Eventually they came back out and they said I was the unluckiest person in the world; I needed get another engine."
Darren didn't offer to replace it for free, and Anita paid again for another engine. By this point she had paid Darren almost £2,000.
Anita told us that Darren was very persuasive. She said, "He was the sort of person that if he told you the sky was pink, by the end of the conversation you would believe him.
"He seemed really nice and I was really taken in by it and I feel pretty stupid for that."
And when Anita told Darren she couldn't afford to pay out for work anymore, he stopped coming back.
On the trail
Matt and Dan decided to hit the road to Romford where we know the mobile mechanics operate, to see for themselves what standard of work Darren provides.
We set up a secret filming house and got a Ford Focus with an odd rattling noise and dodgy brakes for Darren to look at. He arrives and correctly identifies the source of the rattle and that the car needs new brake pads. But he also tells our actress the car needs new brake discs too, which isn't right. So he quotes us £70 for work which actually isn't needed.
Darren tells us he will return the next day with the parts but doesn't turn up. We phone him over and over again, and end up waiting for six hours. Despite assurances that he is just around the corner, he never arrives.
Not to be disheartened by Darren's no show; we set up a new secret filming house and asked an actor to pose as our householder Mr Wilson. And we get another car - a Seat Leon that badly needs new back brakes and has an overheating engine, which is forcing water to gush out up through the header tank and leak.
Darren arrives and after just three minutes work he tells Mr Wilson that the radiator is leaking, which is wrong. He then pours in radiator sealant, which is a complete waste of time and money.
Next Darren turns his attention to the brakes. And he strangely uses a gigantic hammer to get the brake pads in place. Our car expert Steve Lee has never seen anything like it; he said, "You'd use it in ship building or mending tanks. You don't whack bits of brakes with a fairly great hammer".
Darren though is getting frustrated and only replaces the brake pads, not the brake discs. The brake discs on the Seat Leon are completely worn and need replacing.
Steve Lee said that only replacing the brake pads could mean that in extreme driving conditions such as driving on a motorway, "the brakes will be unbalanced and the car could spin out of control".
Steve Lee thinks that Darren and his guys are 'jokers'.
We give Darren another chance to put the work right, so we call him and tell him that there is still water leaking in the engine. And once again Darren wrongly tells Mr Wilson that the problem is the radiator, and he needs a new one which is incorrect. He offers to take the car for a test drive but Mr Wilson says he needs to check with his son first. Darren says he will come back to Mr Wilson with a price for the radiator in 15-20 minutes.
We again wait six hours but Darren doesn't turn up or call. After numerous phone calls we know he isn't coming back.
Darren's response
The next time we call out Darren to a house, it's so Matt can surprise him with a few questions. Matt asked Darren about his mechanical knowledge with particular reference to Anita Dodd and her engines.
Darren told us, "There was nothing wrong with them engines at all. I trade a satisfactory manner I believe yeah. Um, you can't satisfy every customer.
"I ain't running away from nothing because the thing with it is I do believe we trade in a satisfactory manner to be honest with you."
As he wasn't running away, we then asked Darren about the address he has provided on his customer invoices, the address which actually doesn't exist. Darren claimed it did exist, before getting in his van and driving away.
We also handed Darren a letter detailing our allegations, but he did not respond.
* Start Rite Mobile Mechanic is not to be confused with another mechanic called Startright Mobile Mechanic who also operates in the Romford area and who is fed up with getting calls complaining about the other company.
What you can do
We spoke to Trading Standards Officer Laila Benfaida to find out what you can do to avoid getting ripped off by mechanics. Have you had trouble with mechanics? Do you feel confident negotiating with garages? Let us know what you think.
How trustworthy is your mechanic?