There's a particular kind of frustration that comes with being the expert in the room while someone who isn't tries to tell you what to do.
That’s exactly what happened to one mechanic, and commenters are urging him to just do what the customer wants. But despite the old adage, the customer isn’t always right.
In a video posted by mechanic @impulsecolt, he walks through a frustrating situation with a customer.
@impulsecolt explains that a customer brought in their car saying that it wouldn’t start. The shop has been told by the customer to replace the starter in their Ford, but there's just one problem—it’s working fine.
"That's what the vehicle has done every single time I've tried to start this vehicle," @impulsecolt says, turning the car on. "Every single time it has started no problem."
The mechanic says he knows what’s actually wrong.
"These cars come with an auto stop feature," he explains, "Which, when you park the car, sitting at a red light, the car shuts off and then turns back on."
It's a factory feature built into millions of modern vehicles to cut the engine briefly when the car is idling to save fuel, then restart it automatically when the driver is ready to go. To someone unfamiliar with it, the momentary engine shutoff can feel like something is wrong.
"They want me to put a starter in this car," he says. "It's not gonna fix the problem."
"God, I love this place,” he ends sarcastically.
Ford Cars: What Is Auto Start-Stop?
Auto start-stop is a factory feature built into a wide range of modern vehicles that automatically shuts the engine off when the car comes to a complete stop (like at a red light, in traffic, or in a parking lot) and restarts it the moment the driver releases the brake or presses the accelerator.
According to U.S. News & World Report, the system is designed to reduce fuel consumption and emissions. Tests conducted by the Society of Automotive Engineers found it can cut fuel use by anywhere from 7% to 26% depending on driving conditions.
Ford's own website confirms the feature is standard on select models and can be temporarily disabled via a button on the instrument cluster, though it reactivates every time you restart the car.
To someone who's never encountered it, the sudden engine cut off at a stoplight can feel alarming. Consumer Reports notes that many drivers reach for the disable button as soon as they get in the car, and some have taken their vehicles to a shop, convinced something was wrong.
Vehicles equipped with auto stop-start also use a more robust starter designed to handle the added demand. Replacing a standard starter on a car with auto start-stop won't address anything the system is doing—it's working exactly as intended.
People who commented on @impulsecolt’s clip shared his frustration.
“Why would they trust the guy who actually knows how to fix it, though?” said one.
“Yeah, I mean if you explained it already just do what they ask, but I would record myself telling them and make sure they are on video, for legal reasons,” a second suggested.
“I was told long time ago [to] do what they want even if it’s wrong,” another wrote.
Motor1 reached out to @impulsecolt for comment via TikTok direct message and comment. We'll be sure to update this if they respond.
@impulsecolt Day in the life of a mechanic.
♬ original sound - impulsecolt
