“The stench of burning plastic smacked Vicky Vivaldi in the face. Her Ford F-150's air conditioning had failed -- a pretty big deal in the throes of an Orlando July.
"I was like, I cannot be in Florida and like 108-degree weather and not have AC in my truck," says Vivaldi, who studies animal science at the University of Florida. "I will die."
An even more punishing surprise awaited her at the Ford dealership: a $5,100 quote. The service agent told Vivaldi she would need a brand-new AC system.
Vivaldi had done some research before and had expected to pay closer to $2,000. She uploaded the quote into ChatGPT, which told her it was likely inflated. It recommended contacting Ford customer service to ask about a flaw that might be covered.
The manufacturer cut the local dealer's fees and slashed the bill nearly in half.
We have all been there: You're getting your car serviced, and the mechanic or agent says you need an expensive repair. But you can't tell if it's a genuine fix or an unnecessary upsell. Some drivers now consult artificial intelligence to gut-check quotes, diagnose problems -- and even guide them through basic repairs.
Mechanics have mixed opinions on this outside consultant. When the chatbot advice confirms and explains their diagnosis, they welcome it. When it veers into hallucinations and misinformation, it's a hindrance, they say.
ChatGPT, car doctor
Alexis Burris Duncan lost trust in the professionals when they nearly ruined her car. The Fort Wayne, Ind., resident brought her 2014 Dodge Journey to a mechanic a few years ago and left with unbalanced tires. Her vehicle shook the whole ride to Indianapolis.
So when the AC recently stopped working in her 2021 Mazda, she says her first thought was, "I wonder if I can do this myself." Burris Duncan, 34, had just lost her job and couldn't afford a professional checkup.
She instructed ChatGPT to act like a mechanic. Thirty minutes later, she was changing the car's dirty air filter. After that, she replaced the blower motor.
The process cost under $200, all in -- far less than a professional diagnosis and repair, she says.
Burris Duncan will use AI for easy fixes, but she isn't ready to change her brakes or tinker with her engine.
"There are some things that mechanics just have to do," she says.
Some mechanics see AI as a trust builder. The techs at Underdog Automotive, a mobile-repair business serving the Dallas-Fort Worth area, encourage customers to run their diagnoses and repair quotes through chatbots.
"AI does a really good job at fact-checking us," says Palmer Dababneh, one of Underdog's co-owners. "So we can't lie to our customers, or we can't try and upsell you."
The practice has cultivated happy clients, driving more sales, Dababneh says. It also saves mechanics from having to argue their case on a suggested repair.
Alert in the Outback
But circumventing the professionals can trigger a money-sucking spiral, says Richard Fasulo, a technician based in Wappingers Falls, N.Y., who is known on social media as Check Engine Chuck.
Fasulo says he frequently hears from followers who replaced the wrong parts on their cars after taking flawed advice from a chatbot. "It does more often than not end up being more expensive than if the customer had just brought it somewhere reputable, paid them to diagnose it, paid them to fix it," he says of those ill-informed DIYers, adding that in the event something goes wrong, liability falls on the shop.
Sienna Mallon was on a solo drive last year in a remote part of the Australian Outback in her 2016 Toyota Land Cruiser 79 Series when a light indicating a "fuel fault" appeared on the dashboard. The 29-year-old truck driver and social-media influencer stopped and used her Starlink internet connection to consult ChatGPT.
Thinking the issue was water in the fuel tank, Mallon asked the bot for repair instructions. She proceeded to remove, prime and reset the fuel filter. She was back on the road the next morning when the warning reappeared. Again, she stopped the vehicle.
This time, she instead consulted a human: her brother. Over FaceTime, he determined the problem was actually a filter blockage. Mallon managed to get to the next town and find a replacement.
Although the unnecessary tinkering didn't damage her truck, other chatbot advice could have. "Don't do anything you don't know how to undo without checking with someone else first," Mallon says.
How to use AI
Service technicians say if you're going to consult a chatbot, keep these pointers in mind:
-- Get granular. "Overexplain" the issue to your chatbot. Instead of saying "weird engine noise," describe all the nitty-gritty details and include vehicle make, model and year. Feeding AI your car's VIN can help get you closer to a more accurate diagnosis.
-- Verify AI advice independently. Chatbots can confidently deliver flawed suggestions based on insufficient information. Always verify the outputs with a trusted third party or even bring him or her to your mechanic, says Chris Craig, an automotive consultant based near Myrtle Beach, S.C.
-- When in doubt, don't DIY. Changing brake pads -- or even your oil and transmission fluid -- might end up creating a mess that would have been cheaper and easier if you had left it to the professionals.” [1]
1. When to Crank Up the Chatbot To Diagnose Your Car Problems --- Using AI to check a mechanic's quote can give deeper insights, but automotive pros urge caution. Kaufman, Natalie. Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 04 Aug 2026: A9.
