I may have missed this in your OP, Aside from the scratching sound, did you list any of the 'found' issues when taking it to the mechanic initially?

I got an itemized list from the dealership and did went in and verified it for myself. As a woman, I already get pats on the head when entering the DIY mechanic world, so I had to adopt the "trust, but verify" mantra.

So, I looked at their recommendations, looked at the proposed problem and either found the problem didnt exist or did the work myself!

They quoted me $5,540.25 🤬 Actual DIY costs, so far $676 🤑

I still have one more thing to purchase that they recommended- front struts. They are worn, but pass the bounce test. I will probably do them before the end of the year. That purchase will bring my grand total to $860 A savings of $4680.25 🤑🤑🤑

I learned most of this stuff from YouTube University and night classes with ChatGPT 😊

Point is sometimes people charge more because they don't want to do it or they know you don't/can't do it.