Similar experience with some auto work. My transmission went out on my '01 Mazda 626in 2007. I called around to a few places, local Mazda dealer, couple transmission chains and they basically all told me the only fix is to buy a brand new transmission from them to the tune of roughly 3 grand. I found a local shop, the guy I talk to says he's been in business for close to 35 years and would take a look at it and give me a free estimate. I go down to his shop and he gives it the once over and says he could sell me a brand new transmission for around $2,700 but he recommends just having it rebuilt for $2,000 and a 5 year warranty with it. I agree to go with the 2nd option, walk in the day it's ready with $2,000 in cash. I talk to the owner and he says since you're paying in cash, I'll knock off another $200. All in all, going with the local guy saved me close to $1,000. I'm sure there's plenty of crappy stories out there with local businesses, but in my experience, especially with services and repairs, you tend to save money and don't deal with so much bad customer service.