Catch a part that is failing early, before it fails. Tie rods, for example last 70-100k miles. Yet every year when I take my car in for inspection, they're magically bad. Well, until I stopped taking it to big O for inspection. Then jiffy lube passed it with flying colors. But at jiffy lube a bulb always was out.
There is only one kind of mechanic: a dishonest one. Incentivising their dishonesty is a poor business model.