This is bugging me a little.

Katy and I recently moved to Blacksburg, Virginia which requires annual car inspections (neither TN or GA does). I don't know many places in town, so I went to a mechanic closest to me. They checked the car and said I would need some work done on my rear axle - it was leaking some sort of fluid. It would cost me between $450 and $550. They put a "failed inspection" sticker on my car.

Given the amount of money, I took my car to another mechanic and asked them to do a car inspection as well. They asked me about my sticker and I told them someone else recently did an inspection and I wanted a second opinion on what needs to be done. They did the inspection and told me nothing (other than two lights which was out) needed to be done. My total bill was $36 ($20 + $16 for the inspection). I now have a "passed inspection" sticker. I told the 2nd mechanic about what the first one said. His reaction was basically "he might not be getting enough regular business".

So ... should I just assume the first guy was trying to rip me off or go get a third opinion on the whole matter? I don't want to drive a car which could potentially be unsafe but I also def don't want to play for work that my car doesn't need.

For those of you with cars - how standard is it for car mechanics to try to get you to do work that doesn't need to be done?