Car repair rip offs

My car had steam coming out of the bonnet while I was on the way to the hospital to see my DD so stopped at the garage we'd bought it from on the way. The garage told me it was because the carpet was wet, I pointed out I hadn't got round to carpeting under the bonnet! I knew it was the steep angle the car was parked that caused it. I left it with them and went to visit my DD (who was about 7 at the time). After the visit I walked back to the garage, but they wouldn't let me have the car because I had no money to pay for it, though we hadn't had the car long. I had to get 2 or 3 buses home. When finally home we found out the cost (it was before mobile phones) and next day get all the buses back to see my daughter. They charged a whack, seemed to think they were justified, but I had no option but to pay up.

You are right to be livid, chewbacca. It seems to be quite commonplace. A few years ago when I was still taking my car to be serviced at the well known garage I bought it from, it had come to the end if it's guarantee period. Surprisingly, this time it developed a "fault" with the steering rack which would involve a cost of over £600 to rectify (on top of what I'd just paid for the service). I just laughed and said I'd have to think about that as I didn't have that kind of spare cash to hand. I took it to a local garage who looked it over and said there was absolutely no problem at all with the steering rack. Needless to say, that small garage has had my business ever since.
You are right though, I think some of these big national garages think, "oh it's a woman, unlikely to have any mechanical knowledge, so we'll scare her with potential serious problems and fleece her for a fortune". This lady was not for fleecing (to misquote a famous female prime minister ??).
It really is a disgrace, isn't it?

Disgusting isn't it ?
Nearly 2 years ago my D rang around car companies because the alternator had gone in her car. Most of them saw her coming, because it was a Chrysler , a big car. If she'd gone to any of the places mentioned she'd have been well-ripped off. Sharks.

Not far from her there's a scruffy little garage so in she went and the chap was falling over himself with politeness and willingness to go along to the house and do the fitting there as the car wouldn't move. It was January, bitterly cold and an atrocious day but the chap carried on and even checked everything else while he was at it. He took it for a drive around to make sure it was okay and it was £800 less than she'd been quoted so he is her man for tyres and everything else. D gave him extra for his work and honesty too.

I'm thinking of a little higher than his shins Nannylovesshopping.

This sort of incident makes me so mad, I’m hopping for you, I would like to kick that man extremely hard in the shin then he would be hopping!