Q: I took my 04 GMC Envoy to better brakes for less as I needed to have it pass smog and the check engine light was on. They said I n

Inasmuch as YourMechanic is mobile, you need not bring the car anywhere as the certified mechanic will come to you and take care of the radiator replacement. If you desire mobile replacement, please simply use YourMechanic’s radiator replacement service page. Once on that page, please click on "Get a Quote" and enter your vehicle information (year, make, model). With regard to the fan clutch if the fan clutch was literally the ONLY part replaced and no other parts or services were included in your bill, you would have saved roughly $300 if you had hired a mobile Mechanic through YourMechanic to procure and install a new fan clutch. Your broader, but very fundamental, question of how to "avoid being ripped off" would require an encyclopedic response and even that would be incomplete. Very, very briefly though, you are likely to save a substantial sum if you use certified mechanics from YourMechanic but, as important, with YourMechanic you are dealing personally with one mechanic and not an assembly line operation at a shop with huge overhead, so you can actually get better results and get your unique concerns better addressed. If you have further questions or concerns, do not hesitate to re-contact YourMechanic as we are always here to help you with issues that arise involving your car.