Mechanic Determines Car Repairs Will Cost Whatever Your Whole Paycheck Is This Month

[Richard Cranium]

FINANCE·May 25, 2023

U.S. — Expert analysis indicates that the next time you bring your car to a mechanic the cost of repairs will perfectly match your paycheck for the month.

"This is both convenient and suspicious," said family man Johnathon Broom who took his car in for a routine oil change. "I'm glad I have the funds to cover the new alternator, tires, and struts — but it kind of seems like Rusty's Car Farm knew exactly how much money I had in my bank account."

"Weird."

This analysis comes as the result of a month-long study among one thousand individuals with identical vehicles and repair needs.

"It's a little strange since not every customer makes the same amount of money, yet the cost of repairs is always their exact monthly income," said car scientist Dr. Stephen Nickles. "We've passed our information along to the IRS to see what they make of it."

Note: The IRS could not be reached for comment, but we are now being audited.

"It's just a coincidence," laughed Rusty Sinclair of Rusty's Car Farm. "I don't hack into everyone's bank accounts to find out how much to charge them. You're just paranoid.

And I suppose you believe companies routinely get caught in price-fixing schemes. Conspiracy theorist!"

At publishing time, the cost of new brake pads for Elon Musk's car cost him forty-five billion dollars.

 

[Budnicks]

FINANCE·May 25, 2023


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U.S. — Expert analysis indicates that the next time you bring your car to a mechanic the cost of repairs will perfectly match your paycheck for the month.

"This is both convenient and suspicious," said family man Johnathon Broom who took his car in for a routine oil change. "I'm glad I have the funds to cover the new alternator, tires, and struts — but it kind of seems like Rusty's Car Farm knew exactly how much money I had in my bank account."

"Weird."

This analysis comes as the result of a month-long study among one thousand individuals with identical vehicles and repair needs.

"It's a little strange since not every customer makes the same amount of money, yet the cost of repairs is always their exact monthly income," said car scientist Dr. Stephen Nickles. "We've passed our information along to the IRS to see what they make of it."

Note: The IRS could not be reached for comment, but we are now being audited.

"It's just a coincidence," laughed Rusty Sinclair of Rusty's Car Farm. "I don't hack into everyone's bank accounts to find out how much to charge them. You're just paranoid.

And I suppose you believe companies routinely get caught in price-fixing schemes. Conspiracy theorist!"

At publishing time, the cost of new brake pads for Elon Musk's car cost him forty-five billion dollars.

That sounds about right (leftist actually)

 

[1967coronet]

GM dealership in Panama City beach told my grandson he needed close to $2,500 worth of work to his 17 colorado.
It was running like crap, miss fire ect ect , several codes.
He called me 1st before turning them loose.
We talked he mentioned all the rain and parking lot flooding ect.
I asked him if he fueled at the same place alot. Yes he did.
3 bottles of HEET fuel dryer later the truck ran fine.
Lmao he took the 3 empty bottles in and gave them to the service manager.

 

[kiwigtx]

Just bend over and take it.

 

[DeltaV]

Snap-On business model?

 

[VANDAN]

I was in FL working in late Winter, and staying at my Mom in laws home. She has a nice 2014 Chrysler T&C minivan, 24k miles, which I was using quite a bit. The oil change light came on, so she took it to her mechanic for the work. She came back with a list of work needed on it, shocks, struts, plugs, filters, etc, totaling about $2400 to "repair". She was ready to have them do it, as at 92 she's afraid something will be breaking. I told her to save her $$, as she basically drives around the block, to shop, and visit, and her van drives just fine as is. Trusted mechanics are a Dying Breed these days...

 

[Detective D]

On a slightly more serious note....
Have you seen the "auto repair" insurance? you know, where they will pay all your repairs as long as you pay your monthly premium. Where they make claims like a new engine is $4k, but new brakes are $2k.... stuff like that.
Consider: health insurance.
How it has turned out: Health insurance vs provider. Provider charges extortion amount of money. Why? because they want to make sure the insurance pays the most it will pay. Insurance raises your rate. Why? Because medical bills keep going up. Most medical service, even dentist and eye doctors now, follow this practice of massive overcharge and when something comes back as "leftovers" they dump a bunch of stuff off the bill and send you a new bill for what insurance didn't cover(a fraction of what was rejected usually) to make it "legit". This way they have maximized all possible insurance money. So now we have tylenol that cost $350.

Imagine: car repair insurance, and your local mechanic.
You need a new water pump. Cost: $140.
Mechanic looks to see what the insurance will pay: up to $700. Because that is high/average cost for this type of repair.
New cost: $700.
next month, insurance premium goes up.
new high/average cost is pushed upwards, because every mechanic in the land is a fool to leave free money on the table right?

And so, in a decades time, after all the insurance games play out: the cost to see your mechanic will be unobtainable. UNLESS you have insurance. No just going there, he can;t charge you $140 for your water pump, or the IRS and insurance might ask why yours is $140 and the other guy is $700. So, now you need insurance or you will go bankrupt to pay the bill.

maybe I am overthinking this, but it's how I see this type of thing panning out if it gains wide acceptance. And sheep people will do it because they listen to the TV, so I am confident eventually it will get a foothold.

 

[munger77]

Well Said Detective.

 

[68BabyBlue]

On a slightly more serious note....
Have you seen the "auto repair" insurance? you know, where they will pay all your repairs as long as you pay your monthly premium. Where they make claims like a new engine is $4k, but new brakes are $2k.... stuff like that.
Consider: health insurance.
How it has turned out: Health insurance vs provider. Provider charges extortion amount of money. Why? because they want to make sure the insurance pays the most it will pay. Insurance raises your rate. Why? Because medical bills keep going up. Most medical service, even dentist and eye doctors now, follow this practice of massive overcharge and when something comes back as "leftovers" they dump a bunch of stuff off the bill and send you a new bill for what insurance didn't cover(a fraction of what was rejected usually) to make it "legit". This way they have maximized all possible insurance money. So now we have tylenol that cost $350.

Imagine: car repair insurance, and your local mechanic.
You need a new water pump. Cost: $140.
Mechanic looks to see what the insurance will pay: up to $700. Because that is high/average cost for this type of repair.
New cost: $700.
next month, insurance premium goes up.
new high/average cost is pushed upwards, because every mechanic in the land is a fool to leave free money on the table right?

And so, in a decades time, after all the insurance games play out: the cost to see your mechanic will be unobtainable. UNLESS you have insurance. No just going there, he can;t charge you $140 for your water pump, or the IRS and insurance might ask why yours is $140 and the other guy is $700. So, now you need insurance or you will go bankrupt to pay the bill.

maybe I am overthinking this, but it's how I see this type of thing panning out if it gains wide acceptance. And sheep people will do it because they listen to the TV, so I am confident eventually it will get a foothold.

I totally agree with your analysis, and recently put your theory to the test with my dentist after my wife and I both retired. We have great retiree medical insurance through my wife, but were now on our own for dental, after years on an excellent company plan. Another variable in the process was our dentist for the last 20 years, a high school classmate of mine, retired at the same time. So we were starting from scratch with the guy who bought her practice, and paying our own way for the first time.

We initially paid for a retiree dental plan, but the results didn't appear to be worth the price. We had a productive discussion with the dentist and his office manager, and made the decision to drop the insurance coverage, and pay cash for services. The arrangement has worked well for both parties. He bills us at a cheaper rate, and doesn't have to endure the hassle of insurance claims and delayed cash flow.

 

[Bearhunter]

 

[cr8crshr]

Plus these Insurance/Warranty offerings cost pennies on the dollar to underwrite and yet cost an arm and a leg, and then will not honor what they claim they will cover in their declarations page. Mechanics know this all too well so they then jack up their estimates to fleece the unsuspecting of their hard-earned $$$'s!!! I got fleeced buying one for my latest used car purchase last year and will never do it again. I have a very good and reputable mechanic who I have confidence in his estimates and end result even if it cost me to do so. That is because I know that it will be done and completed correctly and they also will back it all up for a year nation wide...cr8crshr/Bill

 

[YY1]

Car dealers have been doing this for decades, too.

Sap- How much is it?

Dealer- how much can you afford?

Sap- I only have $500 a month left over after my house payment.

Dealer- then it's $500 a month*

* for 96 months.