Overheard two strangers talking about car repairs in a waiting room

I was stuck at the DMV for about an hour last Tuesday in Phoenix. This woman next to me was telling someone on the phone how her mechanic charged her $400 to replace a part she could have swapped herself for $40. It got me thinking about how many of us just hand over our keys without asking what's actually wrong. I started watching a few YouTube videos on basic stuff like changing air filters and wiper blades since then. Has anyone else saved a decent amount just by learning one simple repair?

2 comments

2 Comments

gibson.sarah6d ago

Oh man, I totally used to be the person who just handed over the keys and said "fix it" without asking questions. But after getting charged $150 to replace a cabin air filter that took me 5 minutes and cost $12, I started watching repair videos too. Now I even do my own oil changes and saved like $300 this year alone.

robertb476d ago

Ain't that the truth? I got hit with a $200 "diagnostic fee" just for them to tell me my battery was dead, which I coulda tested for free at AutoZone. Now I do my own brake pads and saved like $500 on the last job alone.