‘That was smart of him’: Mechanic says customer paid $18K to get 2010 Suburban repaired. Did he get ripped off?

A TikTok mechanic was asked about the most expensive repair he’s ever done. The answer? A customer once paid $18,000 to get a new engine and transmission in his 2010 Chevrolet Suburban.

TikTok user Quality Auto Dave (@qualityautodave) is a mechanic who owns an independent dealership and auto repair shop. In a video posted Nov. 11, he responds to a question from his social media manager about the most expensive repair he’s ever completed.

“The most expensive repair? This happened this year,” he says. A man came into the shop with a 2010 Chevrolet Suburban.

“We put a new engine in it, and we rebuilt his transmission," he says. "We put four tires on it. A couple wheel bearings. I think his bill was close to 18 grand.”

Why did a customer pay $18K to get a 2010 Suburban repaired?

Some car owners might wonder why the gentleman would pay this large amount for repairs instead of heading back to the dealership to purchase another Suburban. However, this doesn’t take into account the price tag of a new one. 

A base model 2025 Suburban will cost you upwards of $65,495. Additional bells and whistles, such as all-wheel drive, can add another $20,000 to that total. And that’s before taxes and dealership fees.

“The reason he did that is anybody who has not looked at what new Suburbans cost. They’re close to like six figures,” he says. “His had 250,000 miles on it. So what we wanted to do all that is just what they go for on [Facebook] Marketplace, just like what he had.”

Ultimately, Dave says the customer decided to spend approximately half of what he would on a used Suburban at the repair shop. 

A quick search of the Edmunds car site shows a used 2017 Suburban with 137,000 miles for sale at $18,860. A 2022 Suburban with 90,000 miles is listed at $46,190.

Viewers react to the story

The video has amassed more than 10,000 views. In the comments, users weighed in on whether the customer got a good deal.

“That was pretty good reasoning,” wrote one user.

A second user wrote, “That was smart of him. The new ones aren’t as reliable either. Only way he loses is if the vehicle gets totaled before he gets $18k use from it. Because its value at the insurance company didn’t go up.”

Someone else wrote, “I agree. My minivan had a timing cover chain leak. It cost $3.5k. Most of the people I spoke to said trade it in. I wasn’t ready to commit to high monthly payments.”

@qualityautodave We asked Dave, “What is the most expensive repair you’ve ever done?” #autorepairshop #automotive #autorepair #autotechnician #carguy #enginerepair ♬ original sound - qualityautorepairautosales

The Daily Dot reached out to Quality Auto Dave via TikTok comment and direct message for comment.

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