When there is a mechanical issue, I usually chat with the pilots and find out what exactly is wrong and what they think is really going to happen. A few times they have been blunt and said they doubt its fix-able or it will take a lot longer than what is being announced. Has saved me a few times when there was a different flight to grab and I either beat the rush to change flights or beat the pax on the broken plane to final destination if they did indeed fix. Moral of the story is it doesn't hurt to ask what is really going on