When it comes to spending on anything that needs negotiating with another person, one common advice that I’ve heard from some people I know is to be upfront with the other person about the budget or about the amount that you have for the said expense. This is to be able to work out an arrangement with the other person to help you have everything covered by your allotted budget. Supposedly, this advice is for your benefit.
When it comes to auto repairs, however, this is not advised and is not a good practice, especially if you haven’t done any research about the problem of your car prior to visiting the shop. Why?
Well, consider this: You go to the shop and tell your mechanic that your car is acting up. You describe the problem and the symptoms that you have observed. Then, you tell him that you have a $300 budget for a repair and that you hope it would be enough. Sounds like a wise idea? Oh no, no! That’s a big invitation for a rip off!
Should the mechanic do an inspection and diagnosis, only to find out that your car only has this simple problem that an alignment or a simple procedure can easily fix, and that the actual amount can only be more or less a hundred bucks… what do you think will happen? If you’re dealing with an unscrupulous mechanic, he can easily tell you that the problem will cost $300. You’d probably be thankful that your budget is enough, without you knowing that you’ve already been ripped off!
It’s better that you don’t say anything about money. Or, do your research about the possible problem first and the usual amount spent on that problem for repair or replacement. This way, you’ll have an idea about the average amount that’s just right.
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