As was said, it does act as a counterbalance.
I would support giving people an option to speed it up, but the cost should be considerably higher than the time saved. So, basically, something like 50% more repair speed (i.e. 1/3rd less time) at two or three times the price.
That would help speed up the game, and the increase in price would be suitably inflationary. I think this would help.
