It's best not to throw money at a problem

In the world of personal finance, there is a twilight zone where spooky things tend to happen. Take the case of a Bengaluru car-owner who gave in his car for servicing after floods stalled his car on the road. The garage, as is standard operating procedure, sent him an estimate. In not so standard operating procedure, the repair estimate came to ₹22 lakh. Perhaps, the gentleman owned a Humvee or a Lamborghini? Turns out the car that went in for repair was a humbler Volkswagen Polo hatchback that was bought for ₹11 lakh. In other words, the Volkswagen Apple Auto repair shop at Whitefield near Bengaluru estimated it would cost double the price of the car itself. Sensing something odd, the owner made some enquiries. Meanwhile, the garage, also, perhaps finding something odd, revised their estimate to ₹44,840, a significant climbdown from the earlier estimate, but still way too steep. The owner, thankfully, didn't buckle under 'pressure'. And here, the strangeness reached its fruition with Volkswagen finally resolving the issue with a ₹5,000 repair bill.

If there is a moral to the story, it is this: when the upkeep of something exceeds its cost, especially if it is of the kind that does not add value over time, it's best to be suspicious. Spending money to make money is clearly a very different concept, no matter what the 'garage' says.