We all make dumb mistakes. But most don’t come with a $1,000+ price tag. One driver jammed their seatbelt in the door, and suddenly, their car door wouldn’t open. A dealership said they’d have to tear it apart to fix it. The result? A private mechanic who solved the problem in seconds—for free.
The door that wouldn’t budge
Reddit user Martyj310 was leaving for work when they made a simple mistake. “I accidentally jammed the seatbelt in the door,” they wrote. But it wasn’t just stuck—it trapped the metal buckle between the car’s exterior and the door.
Then, things got worse. “I tried to open the door to get it out, and it wouldn’t open.” With no other choice, they drove to work without a seatbelt. When they arrived, they faced another problem. “I had to climb over the console and out the passenger door.”
After work, they tried again. “I tried to open from the outside to get in and still no luck.” Back through the passenger side they went.
The dealership wanted thousands
They needed professional help. “I drove my car to the dealership the next day and pulled up to the service station.” The mechanics listened and laughed. “They told me they’ve never seen something like this before.”
They tried pulling the door open but failed. “They told me that I could set up an appointment and they would essentially have to tear the door off the hinges and replace it.”
A second opinion didn’t help. “The next mechanic told me there was nothing he could do.” At this point, Martyj310 was panicking. “I was really starting to get worried.”
They never got an exact dealership quote, but JD Power estimates that replacing a car door can cost thousands, depending on insurance. Without coverage, the repair could have been over $1,000 or more, out of pocket.
A $1,000+ fix in seconds
One last shop. One last chance. This time, they went to a welding and fabrication shop. “I get up to the shop, and a guy walks out to talk to me.”
Then, the moment of truth. “I roll down my window to tell him what happened. He looks at my door in silence for about ten seconds. Then, he puts his arm through the window.”
In one motion, the mechanic hit the unlock button, grabbed the door handle, and pulled. The door opened.
“We look at each other, and I’m completely dumbfounded.” The mechanic was too. “I think he couldn’t believe what he just witnessed.”
Martyj310 left as fast as possible. “I just about died from humiliation.”
The dealership wanted to tear the door apart to fix it. “How I never tried to actually unlock the door is beyond me,” they admitted. Sometimes, the solution isn’t complicated—it’s just embarrassing.
