Roadside assistance scam alert

Will share my experience so others can be prepared for it.

My car overheated near the bridge in dora, stopped by the side of the road and was waiting for it to cool down before putting in some water. this was the first time the car overheated and was pretty much relying on google and by contacting my mechanic.

while waiting, a car stopped beaide me and asked if I needed help. Thinkjng that maybe there is good in this world, said sure, why not. the guy started working on the car instantly. red flag number one. he had pretty much every tool needed in his car, along with coolant. red flag number two. he said he was a mechanic and he more or less matched what my mechanic said aside from some additional theatrics. once done, he asked me to test the car, while i did that, he emptied a full gallon of coolant into the car without asking me. red flag three.

he was starting to say that the coolant costs him 25$ and he needs to add on it for profit. unfortunately for him google exists and the bottle he used was selling for 7$. that is if he didnt use colored water. after a 20 mins heated exchange, we got things settled. I already have an appointment to get my car checked along with the coolant.

not sure if this is a known thing or not but it was new to me. I decided to share it in hopes someone reads it and doesn't fall for it like I did.

good luck out there