Well, since the nav system in my car took me about 30 miles away from pretty much only german car service shop, by the time I got the car there and realized that it was not overheating or making weird noises, I decided that it could not be too much of a problem. That, plus the insistence that the shop needed all 3 mechanics to recode a key for a mercedes, plus they wanted me to leave the car over the weekend and would charge me $95 to run a diagnostic, I went home.

Realized (belatedly) that I could use the OBD11 code reader we use for our BMW on this car, and the only code that came up was P0456 (small evap leak). Since I had gassed up the car the day before, I had not thought of the possibility that I could have a loose gas cap, but that is what I am hoping it is.

I tightened the gas cap, had the reader clear the check engine light, adn so far so good.

I just panicked when I saw the check engine light. The last time I was in a car when the light went on was when I was driving back from Houston to Harlingen with my husband sitting next to me a mere 5 days out of hip replacement surgery, and the water pump went on the car. It has now turned into an almost instinctive panic attack when I see the code.

Thanks for the advice; unfortunately, finding a decent mechanic here has turned into a Holy Grail sort of thing.