Roommate refuses to pay for car damage they caused by attempting to help with repairs without mechanic knowledge: ‘He had mentioned this belt was deemed soon to need replacing by his previous mechanic, but chose to ask me for help instead of replacing it’

Author image for Melissa Knudson
Melissa Knudson • Writer
Oct 20, 2026 11:15 AM EDT

Is a helping hand always good?

Hannah Montana said it before: nobody is perfect. Good intentions do not always result in good actions. Sometimes things get a little more complicated before they start to get resolved. 

That's what happened between these friends. A broken car and a seemingly low budget. One asks the other to help fix the car's belt. The problem is, nobody really knows what they're doing here. The second friend, in an attempt to be helpful, tries to work on the broken car. However, misinformation and inexperience result in a fatal mistake. For you mechanics out there, you know how problematic it is to add lubricant to the belt. For those of us who don't know a thing about cars, just know that it is bad, no doubt. 

A small problem started growing, so they had to involve an actual mechanic. As predicted, the belt now has to be replaced. Here's the controversy: friend number one is asking friend number two to pitch in with a third of the money needed for the repair, arguing that their good faith intervention resulted in the escalation of the problem itself.

Advertisement
  • Mechanic fixing a car
    via Pexels ( Via Malte Luk )

    Mechanic fixing a car. 

    Model representation. 

  • AITAH For Not Paying For a Repair I May Have Caused While Helping for Free?

    So my roommate asked me to help with his van's squeaky belt as he'd heard I've worked on cars before. I agreed to help
    via --sum--
  • (unpaid ofcourse). I however did make a mistake and asked him to get his wd40 to spray on the belts/pulley without properly researching (he was there but I sprayed the lubricant). I researched after
    via --sum--
  • the fact and found this is not good for belts and can deteriorate them (and yes why lube a slipping belt, I'm dumb).
    via --sum--
  • I washed the belts with soap and water to get this off. He has since talked to his mechanic who reckoned he could make it to a neighboring city 3 hours away (his next
    via --sum--
  • traveling stop where labor is cheaper). Google and his acquaintances disagree.
    via --sum--
  • My attempted repairs (also running bar soap on the belt to stop squeaking and moving a pulley to tighten) has intermittently stopped the noise, but when it happens, it's now louder. He will not allow
    via --sum--
  • me to move the pulley back in an attempt to stop the squeaking.
    via --sum--
  • Mechanic repairing engine with wrench
    via Alemedia.id

    Mechanic repairing engine with wrench.

    Models for explanatory purposes only. 

  • He had mentioned this belt was deemed soon to need replacing by his previous mechanic, but chose to ask me
    via --sum--
  • for help instead of replacing it (he has now since backtracked on whether it was this belt or not).
    via --sum--
  • Now he wants to replace it saying he "can't take the noise" and is asking for me to pay for a third of the repair. He
    via --sum--
  • also says it's due to the deteriation, but again, the part (he previously stated) was deemed soon to need replacing anyways. We're
    via --sum--
  • Man stranded with broken car
    via Getty Images ( Via urbazon )

    Man stranded with broken car.

    Stock photo unrelated.

  • waiting to hear whether this is a belt that would be detrimental to the engine, or just the one running the AC compressor. AITAH?
    via --sum--

  • As I said, some good deeds end up in great lessons, but not in great results. Take my story as an example: I was visiting a friend one night, so a bunch of us were getting together to play some board games and have some drinks. Nothing too complicated (you would think). We had just arrived when we decided to order some pizza. When it got there, some of my friends went to receive it and pay for it. When they came back, they had no keys to open the door. I, being the helpful person I am, decided I could manage to open the door for them. I was wrong. 

    I was just trying to be helpful; keep that in mind, please. So, when they rang the bell, I rushed to open the door for them, because I figured the pizza and drinks were heavy. Well, I accidentally crashed into a cabinet on my way to the door. A cabinet that happened to have all the drinking glasses of the house,no glass was left unbroken. The crash was heard by neighbors nearby. Complete and utter embarrassment. 

    I felt awful. Immediately helped pick up the mess and started looking for new glasses on Amazon. I spent several months visiting my friend with new sets of drinking glasses. Now, thankfully, we all get to laugh about it. An honest mistake in the midst of trying to help out. As it turns out, not getting in the way is sometimes the best way to be useful.

  • CSollers I wouldn't call you the AH but you had absolutely no business working on that vehicle.
    via CSollers
  • No-Loquat-2763 ESH to a certain extent. He's an a hole for expecting you to help pay for repairs. He asked an amateur for help and got amateur work (unless, of course, you made him think you were actually a mechanic).
    via No-Loquat-2763
  • get_to_ele YTA for taking any kind of lead role in working on a car without knowing what the heck you're doing. Helping lift stuff or pitch ideas would be OK. But sounds like he perceived you as having expertise and you didn't correct him.
    via get_to_ele
  • bloo_monkey NTA. His belt was squeaking before tou did anything. It has nothing to do with what you did guaranteed. That belt isn't going to deterioate over night. This is not your fault. Get better friends.
    via bloo_monkey
  • undine_abyss_ You offered free help on a d ng belt he already knew needed replacement, and you don't owe him money for normal wear and tear.
    via undine_abyss_
  • Big_It YTA You agreed to take the ask. You simply could have said sorry in really not good at cars. Then you self admit you needed to research (which you failed to do) on how to address this problem. You actions caused further damage strictly off your sctions.
    via Big_lt
  • Letters_from_summer That he didn't pay you doesn't matter. You took on the role of subject matter expert. You said I know how to fix this and then took steps that resulted in damage (possibly).
    via Letters_from_summer
  • Head_Nectarine_6260 I work on cars for family or friends for free. I'm not an expert and mistakes happen. If they have to get it fixed by a pro due to an issue like a broken bolt or I'm not able to finish a job due to complications and then they need a tow to a mechanic to finish it's on them. You can't
    via Head_Nectarine_6260
  • have it both ways of asking for help to save hundreds or thousands from a non expert and be released from the risk that something might go wrong.
    via Head_Nectarine_6260
  • Car mechanic evaluating car damage
    via Getty Images ( Via Drazen Zigic )

    Car mechanic evaluating car damage.

    Image depicted solely for explanatory purposes.

  • It's natural to want to help your friends. Either with a friendly gesture or a mechanical opinion, we want to make their lives easier, even though we sometimes make them harder. Taking help from people can go really well or really badly; it is a matter of taking the chance. In that way, whether you’re going to get charged or not for your well-intentioned mistakes is entirely up to the people involved. If it were me, I would never charge a friend for a mistake they made while trying to help me for free, because I would appreciate their help as it is. On the other hand, if I had made the mistake myself, I would probably rush to fix it, even if that means paying for an actual mechanic. Apparently, I would feel responsible either way.

Want More? Follow Us and Add Us as a Preferred Source on Google.

Tags

disagreement roommate drama repairs AITAH roomates friend fight friends cars broken car mistakes controversy mechanic good faith money helping
Scroll Down For The Next Article