Most drivers know the feeling when all seems to be well with the world… and all of a sudden, the car starts making expensive-sounding noises or lights up something on the dashboard they would rather not see there.

The latter happened to the redditor u/SteadyMedium2004, who had to take her car to the mechanic after the oil pressure light came on. Unfortunately, his $800 solution to the problem raised more questions than answers, and encouraged the OP to turn to the ‘Legal’ community for advice.

Car repairs are never fun, but some go smoother than others, often depending on the mechanic

Image credits: drewgstephens (not the actual photo)

The oil pressure light in this woman’s car was not the only repair-related headache she had to deal with

Image credits: mstandret (not the actual photo)

Image credits: SteadyMedium2004

Depending on the problem, car repairs can get pretty costly

Car repairs are never fun—unless you’re a passionate mechanic yourself—and usually quite costly. To make matters worse, such troubles typically present themselves at the worst possible time as well (even though, when it comes to unexpected expenses, such a time probably doesn’t exist). Upstart pointed out that, according to AAA’s surveys, vehicle repairs cost an average of $500-600, which is not a small amount to take out of the rainy day fund.

Upstart also suggested that a common car repair such as an oil change, for instance, typically costs somewhere between $137 and $151; a battery replacement—something the OP’s mechanic requested $800 for—usually mounts up to $335–$345. It’s important to note that such expenses might differ depending on a lot of factors, but one thing is clear—repairs are inevitable.

Between 2014 and 2019, car repairs reportedly added up to an average of $400 annually. But CNBC revealed that the costs for such upkeep increased by 20% over the past year. Some reasons behind such a change are likely related to technological advancement; as the technology in vehicles is getting more and more modern, it’s getting increasingly expensive as well. Other reasons, according to CNBC, include supply-chain issues, longer vehicle ownership and greater number of accidents, high-tech service appointments, and fewer auto repair technicians.

Image credits: SkloStudio (not the actual photo)

Even though there are plenty of professional mechanics, not everyone is equally eager to visit one

According to IBIS World, there are now roughly 600,000 employed auto mechanics in the US. Gitnux revealed that just a couple of years ago, in 2021, the average age of vehicles increased to nearly 11 years, arguably leading to a number of cars in need of repairs and plenty of work for these professionals.

Gitnux also pointed out that in 2019, the total motor vehicle maintenance expenditure in the United States reached around $123.7 billion, meaning that quite a few people had likely encountered similar problems to those of the OP.

Yet even when car troubles arise, not everyone takes the fastest route to the nearest mechanic. Surveys reveal that young people—those aged 17 to 24—put off repairs in the hopes of saving money; as much as 37% of the youth in the UK reportedly do so. Nearly a fifth of such young people—16% to be exact—delay major repairs (such as fixing up the handbrake or a cracked windscreen), while 28% close their eyes to arguably more minor worries (fixing insignificant oil leaks or replacing brake discs, just to name a couple).

The OP didn’t hesitate with taking the car to the repairman; however, it also didn’t take long for her to start doubting him. That was likely one of the reasons she decided to ask for advice and insight from fellow redditors, who gladly shared their opinions and suggestions in the comments.

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Image credits: YuriArcursPeopleimages (not the actual photo)

The OP replied to some of the netizens’ comments

Fellow redditors shared opinions and advice

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The owner of the car updated the community on what happened next

People discussed similar personal experiences

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