PeterN
It's hard to agree, less. While you don't have to know how to design and build a car, you can save an lot of money, if you have a basic understanding of the principals that make it work. e.g. On my station car the remote start stopped working and the cruise control wold not stay on. the mechanic was ringing the register, as he suggested what "had to be done." I asked him to test the battery, since I figured the common denominator waas an electrical problem. Bingo!

Eric Stevens
Next time pick a mechanic willing and able to use OBD (and similar) diagnosis codes.