It always starts out as just a feeling after driving away from your car’s latest minor surgery — you’re getting ripped off.

Some people can afford to forget about it and go somewhere else.

Others cannot afford to or would like a place they can trust and return to again and again.

Dealerships offer expertise about their particular cars. But if a relationship sours, the car owner has to explore other options.

Exploring those options starts with being nosy. The oral history of a mechanic’s professional reputation can spread rapidly. So ask around and do some research. It’s the dishonest repair shops that give the good repair shops a bad name. But it’s the deceitful ones that get reported to the Better Business Bureau or other consumer protection agencies.

Tainted by association, the good ones go out of their way to show why and how they’re different.

One good sign is long-time customers, though not if they’re back every two months. LK Auto General Manager Tim McClintock said repair shops are usually willing to throw open their books to show repeat customers.

“We’re looking for a lifetime customer,” he said. “There are those though who seek to go out and try and get every dollar they can.”

When complaints come up, how they are handled can say as much about a company as the work that they do.

“The way we work we don’t get that many complaints,” McClintock said. “You can be honest and try and reassure them. Keep them updated about what’s going on with their vehicle.”

That means not making costly repairs above the quoted estimate without first consulting with the owner; which is after all the law. Repair shops can go over their estimate by a limited amount, around 10 percent.

“But that’s pushing the envelope, too,” McClintock said. “You don’t want somebody on the other side of the desk saying, ‘Well, I’m legally allowed to charge you 10 percent more, so I did.’

“You won’t be a customer there anymore.”

An obvious tip, but one often ignored is regular preventative visits to the “car doctor” that help make sure everything’s running smoothly, and improve the health of a car.

And help delay its replacement, on the owner’s schedule.