Woman Told Her Infiniti Needs New Engine. Then She Has It Towed To A New Mechanic For Second Opinion: ‘Thank You For Being Honest’
'I'd give him a raise.'
An Alabama mechanic gets an interesting call about an Infiniti that supposedly needs a new engine. When it gets towed to his shop, he says this is an example of why second opinions are so important.
TikTok creator Crutchfield Automotive (@crutchfieldauto) posted a video about the situation after determining the real issue. “So this car right here is why I say to be very particular about who you trust with your vehicle,” the proprietor says to start the video.
Woman Told Her Infiniti Needs A New Engine. Does It?
He explains that a woman towed the vehicle to his shop for a second opinion after another shop told her it needed a new engine.
“She took it to a shop that somebody had recommended a while ago, and it just sat because they told her it needed a new engine,” he says.
When the woman contacted him, the mechanic says she immediately asked about the price of a new engine. But he wanted to check out the vehicle first to confirm that there wasn’t another issue keeping the car from starting.
“We get this Infiniti in here,” he says. “And these newer cars have a lot of fuses that are built into the positive side of the battery cable, and it turns out one of those was blown. And that was what had shut her car down: not the engine itself, a fuse on the battery cable.”
A battery fuse for an Infiniti can cost anywhere from $20 to $100. Even factoring in the cost of labor won’t get that job anywhere near the thousands it costs to replace or rebuild an engine.
How Much Does A New Car Engine Cost?
According to AutoZone, most U.S. car engine replacement jobs will be $3,000 to $8,000. Luxury cars like BMW or Mercedes can go up to $14,000.
That's a big reason this mechanic says this should teach everyone a lesson about choosing a mechanic or any other tradesperson.
“Be careful,” he says. “Make sure that the people you are trusting with your hard-earned money are going to treat you fairly and correctly. There are a lot of good shops and good people still out there. My request is that you seek them out, find them, and then hang onto them once you find them.”
Viewers React To The Alabama Mechanic’s Business Philosophy
In the comments section of the video, viewers reacted to how the Alabama mechanic handled the situation.
“Whoever found the blown fuse must be really good at his job,” said one viewer. “I’d give him a raise.”
“Blown fuses usually cause electrical fault codes, not mechanical problems,” a second person said. “Something doesn’t smell right.” The mechanic replied, “Hence why she wanted a second opinion. I still have no clue what they saw that made them think it was a bad engine. It wasn’t locked up, ran poorly once it would crank, but nothing that pointed to engine failure.”
“Thank you for being honest,” a third person said.
Motor1 contacted Crutchfield Automotive via TikTok comment and direct message for comment. We will update this story if they respond.
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