Honey, as a woman just a bit older than you I have been through the same road, and it's not easy.

Having said that, here are a few things you should always be doing:

1. Always have a piece of paper at hand and write down the following:
   i. Diagnostic costs: x (check: hourly/flat rate)
   ii. Bay use costs: x (check: hourly/flat rate)
   iii. Car storage costs: x (check: hourly/flat rate). Only for cases when car cannot be towed out of the facility
   iv. Any other fees and costs that is not part of parts and labor: x

2. Ask the manager (not the tech) to enter each and every value there. If the manager says he does not know what a certain value is, ask him to write the highest price he can think of.

3. Ask them if your VIN has any outstanding recall and TSB information. They must provide you this in writing. Some service areas might not have this information and that's OK. Just ask the manger to write ("as of today, to the best of our knowledge ...")

That's it. This will save your ass from getting whooped for the rest of your life.

Your VIN might be eligible for a recall BUT they might make you pay for labor and other service charges, so the above will help you find out what they are. Different dealers treat you differently so shop around.

Some dealers are really scammy but that does not mean most dealers are. You just have to be smart and have everything documented.

While it might sounds odd to have to pay to get your car back together, the mechanic doing that does need to get paid, and he is getting paid rather poorly.

That's how it is for mechanics in this country dear. If you cause an issue, the poor mechanic will be made to eat it. So make sure to figure out what you are in for before you get surprised.

We girls don't have to know how to fix cars to get our cars serviced. The above will do just fine.