I own a very well maintained Peugeot 607, it had recently passed it's control technique with flying colours, there was only one issue that involved the tracking of the front wheels(geometrie).
Thus, within 3 days I took the car to a well known national garage chain. I was waiting for a very long time so I approached the service desk to enquire if there was a problem as I had an appointment later. The manager told me that they had found several problems with the car and they were preparing a devis for me.
I was quite shocked to be presented with a devis for €1645 for repairs. The list was comprehensive, involving corroded brake pipes, bent track rods, bent steering arm, worn track rod ends, warped brake discs, to name but a few.
Every one of the items on the devis was in itself a CT failure. I showed the manager my CT pass certificate with no observations apart from the geometrie, he went very red and told me that their 'professional' was more diligent than a CT technician. I told him that in my opinion he was trying to defraud me and that he was running a suspect franchise, which he was.
I was in a hurry to get to my appointment so I left it there. Had I not been as 'on the ball' as I am or ignorant of mechanical issues they would have taken me for a right ride.
I took the car to a Peugeot main dealer the next day to correct the geometrie, I asked them to inform me of any other faults they may find, needless to say, they never found any.
I have that in my eight year old car. Last week when it was very hot and I was parked in a very open place for several hours both front tyres showed as deflated, the warning light and service light came on too. As luck would have it I was booked in for a service on Tuesday. The mechanic told me it happens all the time but just take it in for them to put off the service light in future, which they will do free!
I recently had a long conversation with a man behind the desk at a tyre and MOT company in the UK and he said how in the future because new cars now have clever tyre guages which brings a light on when one has deflated and you press the reset button after reinflating it, in the event of a tyre needing replacing because of burst or wear and tear, then either two or sometimes 4 will need replacing at the same time (depending on vehicle) as the guage is on the thickness of the tyre wall not the pressure inside. Some cars are also unable to be towed because this will also upset the mechanism. You should also never press the reset but before correcting the tyre pressure. So, although this clever gadget seems a great idea as it lets you know your tyres need inflating, there are many more disadvantages to having it - which we have on our car.
I've had my service this week. I had a smashed headlight glass and a fog light totally zapped. I have no idea what I shall pay. I popped in to pay the bill, not ready so I can pop in whenever I'm around. What he did say was that I get two bills. One for the two lights for my insurer and the rest. There, my regular garage, they do not charge me for call outs and he does little repairs free of charge. My OH has helped several of the garagist's OH's friends get their houses on the market, even with other agencies, so we are treated as locals, regulars and mutual trust reigns. The first garage I went to would get my assistance if anybody fire bombed it. I would turn up with a can of petrol along with quite a few other people I know, all sharing to help make sure it is razed to the ground. The man is a total shark and I am surprised he has any work at all. Perhaps they are all exclusively one off punters.
At the beginning in France with my 806 I've been ripped of by one local Peugeot garage., treated fairly by another & like royalty by an independent garage. The former was simply a thief & the others a reflection of my improving grasp of the lingo & the attitude of the garage owners. The former, by the way, has been told what a thieving bast*rd he is once my French improved :-)
An acquaintance had a similar problem with a garage in the Paris area. He took his car in (the garage was a concessionnaire for his make of car) because there was a noise coming from the front end somewhere. The devis was even better than yours, €3,000+. They basically wanted to change the entire front end -- steering, half-shafts, you name it. Fortunately he knows a bit about cars so he was suspicious and took it to a local garage who diagnosed a worn bearing on the water pump. I forget how much that cost him but it wasn't €3,000.