Clearer repair-cost guidance for everyday car owners.

ShiftyMechanics is a free car repair cost calculator and library of practical repair guides. It is designed to help drivers understand the likely parts and labour behind a job before agreeing to a workshop quote.

What we provide

The calculator combines broad parts-price bands, labour-time assumptions, a vehicle profile and a country-level independent-workshop rate assumption. It shows the inputs behind the result so drivers can ask better questions and compare quotes with confidence.

Our repair guides explain common jobs, warning signs, factors that can change the bill and practical questions to ask before authorising work. They are general information, not a diagnosis, a fixed quote or a replacement for a qualified mechanic's inspection.

Our car problem guides start one step earlier. They help drivers record useful symptoms, recognise when to stop driving, understand the systems a workshop may need to test and avoid replacing parts on guesswork alone.

Who is responsible for the site

Founder, publisher and editor: David Burridge. David is responsible for ShiftyMechanics' editorial direction, methodology disclosures and correction reviews. He is not a qualified mechanic and does not present the website as professional mechanical advice. The site is consumer guidance intended to help people understand an estimate and have a better-informed conversation with a qualified repairer.

Independence matters

No workshop can pay to change a calculator result or repair-cost range. Advertising and sponsorships, when shown, are kept separate from the calculator, guides and repair-cost methodology.

How our estimates work

Repair ranges are editorial guidance and are reviewed when pricing inputs or job definitions materially change. They can still vary with the exact vehicle, parts selected, diagnosis, local conditions and unexpected work. Read the full methodology for the calculation steps, data limits and review approach.

Editorial standards and corrections

We aim to identify modelled assumptions clearly, link the external sources used for material checks where practical, keep advertising separate from editorial decisions, and distinguish a general estimate from a diagnosis or workshop quote. Calculator results are generated automatically from maintained data and rules; the automation applies the published method but cannot inspect a vehicle or exercise a mechanic's judgement.

Evidence of an error, an outdated source or a misleading explanation is reviewed against the relevant repair scope, vehicle assumptions, location and publication date. Material errors are corrected as soon as reasonably practical, and pages are re-dated when their substantive content changes. Correction requests can be sent through the Contact Us page or to admin@shiftymechanics.com.

About and editorial policy last updated 22 October 2026.

Get in touch

For feedback, correction requests, business enquiries or questions about the website, visit our Contact Us page.