“Egregious.”
A woman says she used ChatGPT to slash an eye-popping car repair bill. Instead of being impressed, some men are taking issue with her methods. Why?
User @everything_bylaneise, who describes herself as a young Martha Stewart, says a mechanic quoted her nearly $3,000 to repair the suspension on her Honda Accord. Instead of paying up, she asked ChatGPT for help. According to her, the AI tool suggested a junkyard part that would cost just $50.
“Mechanic told me $2,800 to fix my suspension,” she wrote across the screen. “ChatGPT told me junk yard $50. Let’s go fix this mess.”
She told viewers she’d never done this kind of work on her car before, but she had the tools on hand because she’s an electrician who handles home renovations. Still, she pressed record and showed herself installing the suspension and seeming to pull it off without much trouble.
Then, the men showed up in the comments section. Plenty insisted she was doing it all wrong, including one named Walt, who warned, “WHAT NO JACK STAND OR TIRE UNDER THE FRAME !!?? LET IT SLIP ONCE YOU’LL PAY FOR IT IN A LIFETIME.” As of this writing, @everything_bylaneise’s clip has racked up more than 571,300 views.
In her follow-up, @everything_bylaneise wasted no time correcting Walt’s assumptions. She showed viewers that there was a tire under the frame to steady the car and said she also used a jack stand.
Then she addressed Walt directly.
“If you gonna try to ‘help’ maybe adjust your tone,” she replied. “Esp, when you don’t know what you’re talking about.” In other words, @everything_bylaneise wasn’t doing anything wrong per se, but her approach to DIY-ing her car’s suspension definitely ruffled some feathers.
Jack stands matter because they’re what keep a routine tire job from becoming dangerous. They provide solid backup, especially if you’re changing a flat tire or performing routine maintenance, as @everything_bylaneise was doing, which is why anyone who works on their car will tell you they’re non-negotiable.
The core issue is safety. Jack stands are tower or tripod-shaped and act as the stable structure underneath the car so that if the jack lets go, the vehicle doesn’t collapse onto you. They also help keep the car steady on a flat, hard, level surface so the weight doesn’t shift or tip while you’re working.
You should rely on them anytime you need to get under the car or anywhere near the area that could drop if the jack loses pressure. Even for something as simple as changing a tire, adding jack stands is the safer bet because it adds another layer of protection.
Though there are different types of jacks and jack stands, using them is straightforward. You lift the car with the jack first. Once you reach the required height, slide the stands into place and lower the vehicle until its weight is resting on them. At that point, you can move the jack away until you need it again to lift the car a bit and remove the stands.
Plenty of viewers who caught @everything_bylaneise’s video cheered her on for using AI to shave thousands off her repair bill, with one person even joking that she now has the credentials to charge someone else top dollar for the same job.
“You know what? HELL YEAHHHHH,” one woman said.
“Nice job! Everyone is awakening to being taken advantage of. $2,8000!! That’s egregious,” another added.
A third person chimed in with, “Now u can charge ppl 2800,” while someone else added, “Get it girlie!!!! These prices are forcing us to be resourceful and handy.”
And while some men flooded her earlier clip with criticism, others offered genuinely helpful advice as her video spread.
“Good job,” one man told her. “Make sure you invest in a good torque wrench.”
Another urged her to get an alignment as soon as possible, and a third recommended, “Use a 3-ton jack stand for added safety,” not realizing she already had one in place.
“Don’t purchase suspension [parts] from a junkyard,” someone else suggested.
A few commenters admitted they rely on AI or the internet just as much.
“I am currently researching on YouTube to figure out why I only have heat on the passenger side of my car,” one woman said. “[Can’t] afford a mechanic for something that seems to be a quick and easy fix.”
Another summed up the sentiment: “You can learn anything on YouTube now. I have fixed my computer countless times. I am ready to build my own.”
Motor1 has reached out to @everything_bylaneise via a direct message on TikTok. We’ll update this article if she responds.
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