We have a mechanic now that constantly surprises us by billing us something like 2-5x times less than we expected. Turns out, he's good, and he bills us for actual time spent and parts cost. Like last time, I expected to pay ~$270, ended up paying $65 - $32.5 for parts, $32.5 for work time.

This guy only takes work from existing customers and people referred by them, because it's widely known in the local community that he's good, and has way more people wanting his services that he can handle. He could rise his prices, but it turns out, he's a decent human being.

I hope he has all the money he needs to live happy and safe. Because else I'd feel like the ethical thing for him would be to charge more.

I think so. I kind of wish he increased his prices a bit, because he deserves it; I like him not because he's cheap, but because he's honest.

Mechanical work is straightforward though, and book time can be a bit liberal but is otherwise fair.

Are you a mechanic? It's only straightforward when everything goes according to the book, which is a welcome surprise, but certainly not the norm.

An IT person who used to do be an engineer on a merchant ship told me that in IT finding the problem takes time but the fix is quick. But in physical mechanical work finding the problem is usually easy but the fix takes time. Sounds cute at least!