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I find that some of the very best mechanics work at small shops. They love what they do, they do it well, and they want to do it right. They could make more money at the big shops, but they don't want to deal with the hurry-hurry-hurry & butt-kissing, customer-scamming politics of the major shops.
Find one and make friends. Good advice from someone you can trust is priceless.
Also: Parts prices at a dealer are twice what you'd pay elsewhere. Nevertheless, there are some parts that I would only buy there. Import car brake pads are one. Some parts are only available there.
Nothing you mentioned so far would I consider buying from a dealer.
To me, Pep Boys (and many dealers too) are R&R shops. They just start removing & replacing parts until they find the problem. Of course they tell you that everything they replaced was absolutely necessary. This is usually just BS. A good mechanic can almost always diagnose a system & find exactly what to fix the first time.
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