When their walk-around produced 21 hits (large and small) they convinced me that they knew what they were doing.
They probably do, but that's no guarantee!
Recent experience showed me that a well known, reputable shop can miss obvious discrepancies, if they aren't intimately familiar with the aircraft type. Following an inspection, a friend was told his aircraft was unairworthy and would require $29,000 in repairs, which was more than he paid for the supposedly airworthy 152 (this shop normally worked on Citations, etc., not 152's). This estimate turned out to be in very large part for cosmetic issues (1 easily fixed airworthiness issue), and won't cost but a small fraction of the original estimate to repair, or at least make airworthy. Two serious discrepancies found later were missed intirely, both of which can seriously affect airworthiness, and are potentially costly to repair (still only a fraction of the original estimate).
There are no absolutes! Knowledge is your best tool, whatever the source!
