Car mechanic bill.

Take my mechanic's word for it: It's all good now. (Enlarge -- anyone heard of anti-rattle clips?)

By David Kestenbaum

We talked on the podcast about how economists sometimes compare doctors to auto mechanics, because in both cases you, the customer, suffer from a lack of information. If the doctor says you have Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, you:

a) have no idea what that is, and
b) say, "Fix it!"

The same goes with the auto mechanic. My wife and I just took our car in because it was making a rattling sound. The bill we got Friday says simply, "FOUND ANTI RATTLE CLIPS OUT OF PLACE." Cost: $82.

Really? The rattle was because our anti-rattle clips were broken? We trust these guys and paid the bill. But I always have this helpless feeling of not knowing.

categories: Fun With Economics, Health Care

2:17 - August 31, 2009

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