A mechanic tried to charge me $8,000 for a “broken engine”—but what I took out of my purse made him beg me to rip up the bill.

knew what it probably was.

Three days earlier, Rebecca, the shop’s new owner and senior mechanic, had shown me the results herself.

“The engine’s healthy,” she’d said. “One coil is weakening. It may last months, or it may complain tomorrow.”

Apparently, it had chosen tomorrow. My knees ruled out fixing it myself, so I returned continue reading …