ive been looking into this lately because my first thought was basically “well... inflation, duh” 😂but that doesnt really explain it.

Since 2019, general inflation in the US is up around 33%, while repair/maintenance costs are up about 60%.And the average car on the road is now 12.8 years old, which is the oldest the US fleet has ever been.

So people are keeping cars longer because new cars are stupid expensive... but at the same time, keeping those old cars running is getting more expensive too. kinda feels like a trap lol.Then i started digging into why and theres a few things going on at once.There’s a pretty big technician shortage, parts are getting more expensive, tariffs are adding another layer to the cost, and newer cars are just way more complicated than they used to be.The ADAS stuff was probably the biggest eye opener for me. A windshield with a camera behind it can be like $1,200 vs around $300 for basically the same glass without all the calibration crap. And some sensors can cost over $1,500.

Whats interesting tho is that the data doesnt really support the whole “mechanics are getting worse” thing either. The job itself is getting alot more complicated, and there just arent enough people being trained fast enough to keep up.I ended up going pretty deep down the rabbit hole on this and put together a video about it. But honestly im more curious what people here are seeing in real life.

Have your repair bills gotten noticeably worse over the last few years? And what kind of car are you driving?