Back in the late 00's just before the crisis, independent LR garage bills were steep even for a Freelander. But nine out of ten times you drove off with your problem sorted, until the next service or breakdown.

Post 2015 prices have generally softened, partly because of the crisis and partly, of course, because our cars are getting on with years. What has been alarming though, is the apparent lack of quality services and possibly the emergence of scamming practices on the part of garages.

Over the past six years of owning my L322, I have, on several occasions, been faced with failures, damages and frustrations which had nothing to do with the age, make, condition, maintenance or build quality of the car:

1 - Various broken clips on suspension struts; ABS, Brake, Wear sensor lines hanging loose
2 - Gearbox service leaving car with a leaking box sump
3 - Steering column lock repair, breaking down again within weeks
4 - Steering column extension / retraction motor broken and botched with screws falling off on highway
5 - Hi-Lo / HDC switchboard pulled apart scattering bits while trying to access ECU to make spare key
6 - Sunroof nearly broken while opening for the first time after headliner replacement
7 - Rear electronics compartment water ingress due to improperly seated boot gasket after headliner replacement.
8 - Windscreen washers broken after bonnet painting
9 - Brake pad wear sensor plug broken and left with twisted wire
10 - Oil return line left hanging with oil leaking after major engine overhaul
11 - Rocker cover gaskets left leaking after major engine overhaul (job was included)
12 - Exhaust pipe necks left loose after major engine overhaul
13 - Power steering cooler left hanging and fouling electric cooler fan
14 - Battery leads left loose causing arc on each start (possibly taking out ABS module?)
15 - Rear right suspension height sensor mount left loose causing arm to snap
16 - Water pump replaced twice, leaking twice, fitted with cheap gasket; failed to note and change damaged pulley; left without the FF for a week each time
17 - Rear right driveshaft pulled from diff after rear hub bushings replacement
18 - Front left driveshaft inner cv boot pierced by pry bar or screwdriver used on adjacent engine mount being replaced
19 - Front left driveshaft pulled out after CV boots replacement; turns out they had been using generic clips!
20 - Top radiator hose replacement charged at EUR 317 for a genuine part and left with existing, leaking, aftermarket "Gates" I had installed temporarily (apparently thought I had no clue)
21 - Passenger side mirror glass knocked out while getting the car off ramp
22 - O2 sensor lines and plugs left hanging and banging on heatshields
23 - Oil sump plug threads stripped and oversized plug inserted, left leaking

On top of these, seems like a standard practice to leave areas worked dirty, greasy and oily. With the occasional smudge on the door card, door pull and leather seat.

And before someone points to the obvious (to change garage) these are from 4-5 different places and it's not always possible to be present while your car is being serviced / repaired though I'm considering making that a condition for using a garage from now on.

Yes I agree with you.
I hate anyone working on my car. I had to have the front to rear brake pipes replaced by a main dealer because I wasn't physically fit at the time.
It came back to me with a loose front mudflap, they hadn't put the bottom bolt back.
I later found some insulating pads had just been crammed behind the brake pipes under the wheel arch lining.
The plastic cover running the length of the car was about to fall off.
The rear right brake pipe was just hanging and not clipped into it's holder.
The bonnet to front wing insulators were detatched and just pushed in by the door hinges.
I wondered if they had palmed it off to another garage because a main dealer wouldn't leave it like that would they!!!!

Oh I can see how they actually could!

Used to own a Volvo S60 which had only seen the dealership garage. I had my then Mrs. take her for the usual service as I was away, and then change tyres. The tyre guys would not let her drive away as the front control arms were almost metal on metal. Makes one wonder how they'd missed those at service! In she went again and on my way home from the airport I hit a pothole and the entire dash lit up, sending me limping home. Turns out they'd broken the ABS line support bracket (not the 1st time on my cars) and zip-tied the cable without enough slack to account for the full suspension travel; it was ripped.
When confronted, they denied having done anything like that and quoted me € 250 + 2 hrs labour for the sensor. I soldered and insulated the wires for €0,0001 within 15 minutes. The hardest part being removing refitting the wheel.