Yesterday, I had an interesting experience at the car dealership, where I brought my car for service.

I had an appointment, having been forced to make one a full week, in advance. I even knew the name of the service consultant with whom I was scheduled to speak.

The formality of it all, even before I showed up, alarmed me. It was way, too ceremonial, just for a 25,000 mile service and a possible brake job.

That morning, I could feel my stomach tensing; it's the same sensation that I get before I'm going to have a showdown in business. But wait a minute.

These aren't my clients; I'm theirs! "Why am I so uptight?" I wondered.

I just got the feeling that I was being set up for a rip off.

Well sure, you might say; it's a car dealer, c'mon!

No, I haven't felt this way about this dealership, before.

Something was up.

Anyway, I brought the car in at the appointed time, mentioned what was lighting up on my dash, and I left, awaiting a call. I got it and the news was that I needed rear tires, brake pads, rotors, and sensors, a lot of warranty work, and an oil change.

It would set me back over $2,000.

Excuse me?

I was being up-sold, galore. Forget it, just do the oil and the free warranty repairs, I said.

Today, I took the car to an AAA certified independent shop. They couldn't find my wheel key; it had mysteriously disappeared, we infer, at the dealership.

I suppose they just wanted to make it a little more difficult for me to get the brake work done, elsewhere.

This reminds me of the line from the movie, "Ronin," with Robert De Niro and Jean Reno. De Niro was a CIA operative having a conversation with another agent, one from French intelligence, and he said, "When there's a doubt, there is no doubt!"

This means, trust your gut. If you think you're being ripped off, or something is crooked, go no farther.

That doubt, alone, is sufficient to tell you there IS a doubt; you're not dealing with somebody you can trust.

Don't walk away; drive, that is, if your car still works, at all!