Auto Work

OK, I give up, why does anything on a car cost so @%^^@#! much to do?

The parts are unreasonably expensive - AIRCRAFT PARTS often don't cost that much, and anything that flies gets a huge cost penalty from the fact that one must deal with the FAA. Trust me on this, that ain't cheap.

I used to assume that much of what had to be done must require extremely skilled technicians. Slowly I've ruled out most of the tasks however, and this weekend I ruled out body work requiring high skill/experience.

This weekend with a spray can of paint, a bottle of rubbing alcohol, a sanding pad, and a roll of paper towels I eliminated a score of minor scratches, scrapes, etc. in Lupae's paint job. You really can't tell the new from the old at a distance of more than a few feet anywhere, and in some cases I have a hard time spotting the new paint from an inch away.

I'm hardly what you'd call a spray-can master, so what's the deal?

Is there anything that gets done to a car that isn't a ripoff when done by professionals?