Auto Repairs Are Another Area Where The Cheap Computing Mindest Can $ave You Big Buck$

Our local Hyundai dealership was running a service sale: Oil and filter change, plus lube, inspection and tire rotation, for $20, along with a free diagnosis if your “Check Engine Light” was on. Since my wife’s Hyundai was due for an oil change and its “Check Engine Light” was on, she took it to the dealer instead of calling “Jesse the performance tune mobile mechanic,” who does most of our car repair work these days. But before my wife went to the dealer, I warned her: “No matter what additional parts or services they try to sell you, don’t buy. I’ll handle them or call Jesse — and save a bunch of money.” And it was a good thing I gave my wife that warning, because here’s the list of things the dealer shop people said our 2003 Hyundai Elantra needed:

The total came to over $2900. Amazing. Might as well trade the old Hyundai in on a new one, eh?

Except that I fixed cars for a living in my younger days, my father owned a machine shop and did most of our family repairs, including car stuff, and even though I am now too sick and decrepit to crawl under cars a whole lot, I know guys like Jesse who don’t charge anything near what a dealer does for labor.