[speeder]

There is certainly plenty of dishonesty and other shenanigans going on in the auto repair biz but there are plenty of honest operators making a good living. I also believe that a mechanic or shop owner can be honest and still "upsell" jobs; my friend with the indy MB shop has clients who want to maintain the heck out of their older cars and replace everything that is vaguely worn out, and other clients who are broke and only want to do the absolute minimum to get back on the road. I think that up-selling or recommending work is ok as long as you do not exaggerate the need for a repair or replacement of something...that is what the dealers are famous for. People who are not car-savvy trust the dealer WAY too much sometimes because it is the "official" Lexus place or whatever...my elderly father received an estimate of work needed on his low mileage RX that was pretty shocking.

I think that there are certain niches in auto repair where there is a lot of money to be made, such as good exotic car mechanics and maybe Audi/VW repair, as long as you stay away from the real "down the rabbit hole" jobs and bad clients. The techs at the local Audi dealers are making a lot, many over 6-figures and one who makes $200+ every year, according to my buddy who is the service manager.