No reliable way to verify if a repair shop actually performed the work they billed for

When a car owner pays $1,200 for a brake job, timing belt replacement, or transmission flush, they have no way to independently verify that the work was actually done, done correctly, or done with the parts that were billed. So what? In a 2023 survey, 15% of car owners said a shop claimed to fix a problem but didn't actually perform the repair, 11% were charged for new parts but received used or lower-quality ones, and 13% were quoted one price but charged more. So what? Unlike home renovation where you can see the new drywall, automotive repairs happen underneath the vehicle or inside the engine where customers can't inspect them. So what? The only recourse is to take the car to a second shop for verification, which costs another $100-$200 in diagnostic fees and requires scheduling another appointment. So what? Most people just pay and hope, creating a market where dishonest shops face almost zero accountability. This persists because there's no standardized before/after documentation system — no timestamped photos of old vs. new parts, no tamper-proof service records, no independent audit trail.