Giorgio Trovato/UnsplashAn Alabama woman recently went to a mechanic after being told her Infiniti needed a brand-new engine, but before she committed to it, she wanted a second opinion. After the car was towed to his workshop, the mechanic took a good look at the car, which revealed why second opinions can be so important.TikTok creator Crutchfield Automotive (@crutchfieldauto) posted a video on his account after the situation had unfolded, and said that we, as owners of vehicles, should be very particular about who we trust with them. That was a hint of what was to come once he had recounted the story.A shop had told the woman that her Infiniti was in a bad way, and that to fix it, she would need to get a new engine. The shop she had originally gone to was one that had been recommended to her, hence she took it there first, but she still wanted to get a second opinion.AdvertisementAdvertisementSo she rang Crutchfield and told them the story, before deciding that it was worth taking a look at the car rather than just swapping the engine. That led to an interesting discovery when they got a closer look at it.This Is What the Mechanic Found After Inspecting the InfinitiCrutchfield said he wanted to inspect the car out first, just to be sure that something else wasn't wrong. The first garage told the owner she needed a new engine, as the car wasn't starting when she attempted to drive. But that already set off a few ideas in the mechanic's head, as it isn't always the case that a failed engine prevents a car from starting up."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," revealed the mechanic. What had actually shut the car down wasn't the engine, but simply a fuse on the battery cable. A much smaller and cheaper component to repair and replace, versus a full engine change.Engines can be incredibly expensive to replace. But for an Infiniti, a new battery fuse could be just $20, or as high as $100, which is still not a lot to fix an otherwise healthy car. Add in labor cost, and it is still much, much less than what an engine would cost.How Much Would a Replacement Engine Cost?Michael Lock/UnsplashEngine replacement costs can vary, but naturally, they would be more expensive than a simple fuse change. According to AutoZone, costs can go from anywhere between $1,000 or $3,000, depending on the vehicle, engine size, and condition of the replacement engine. Modern vehicles can cause costs to rise, too, usually because of their complexity and greater electrical systems. Add in the labor cost of these replacements, and suddenly it is looking like a huge repair bill.AdvertisementAdvertisement“Make sure that the people you are trusting with your hard-earned money are going to treat you fairly and correctly," said Crutchfield in reference to the repair just being a fuse. In effect, don't be made to pay more than you need to for no good reason. Viewers of the TikTok were full of praise for the garage for finding out it was just a blown fuse. “Whoever found the blown fuse must be really good at his job. I’d give him a raise,” said one. So, if you have one workshop tell you one thing, make sure to get a second opinion, just in case.If you want more stories like this, follow Guessing Headlights on Yahoo so you don’t miss what’s coming next.
