Repair should restore function, not merely hide evidence.

There is a repair that restores how something works and a repair that only restores how it looks. The second is faster, cheaper, and leaves the actual problem running underneath, now hidden and harder to detect. Covering the evidence buys time and increases the eventual cost.

When you patch something, ask honestly which kind of repair it was. If it was cosmetic, note it down so the real one gets scheduled. Hidden problems are worse than visible ones.