A mechanic rudely retuned my car radio. Should I try somewhere else?

I picked up my car after a service and found that the mechanic had changed my radio settings. While I appreciate that it’s their choice what they listen to while they work, reprogramming my car radio seems a bit rude. Should I take my vehicle elsewhere?
G.P., Ocean Grove, Vic

Credit: Illustration by Simon Letch

There’s no point. All mechanics do it. And they don’t just change your radio settings: they fiddle with the mirror settings, the seat settings and the arm-rest settings, and you drive home wondering if your car was test-driven by a morbidly obese giraffe who’s into classic rock. I picked up my car from a recent service and the driver’s seat had been shifted into such a bizarre position, I’m still trying to get it back to its original position three months later. I’m sitting too low, I’m pushed back too far and I have to reach up to grab the steering wheel and navigate using nothing but GPS and the power of smell.

So I get why you’re annoyed. And if your car radio is anything like mine, reprogramming stations is more complicated than anything a mechanic is doing to an engine. You have to select a radio band, then find stations you want, then assign those stations to preset channels, then hold down a button until it flashes … then give up and spend the rest of your car-driving life listening to SBS PopAsia and some obscure short-wave station that was once used by military aircraft during the Cold War.

But if your mechanic is good and reliable, all I can suggest is that you give them a friendly briefing before every service. Ask if they could please restore all your car settings when they’re finished because you don’t want to be driving home listening to The Schmucko and Schlong Show on SUPERHITZ FM with your seat facing the wrong way.

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