Zac. What are your 'ehing' about?
Yes, I assumed that the diagnosis of Tilly2's brake problem would be inexpensive - and she hadn't mentioned having her new key coded, but £100 for garage fees isn't a lot these days with labour charges at £50-100 per hour.
If you are referring to the practice of depressing the clutch before starting the engine it is to prevent the car jerking forward if you forget that the vehicle was in gear, say, when parked on a hill. Now I know that you are supposed to check for neutral first but it is an extra safety measure and looked for in the IAM test. Also, I am told it reduces drag, especially in cold conditions when the engine oil may be thicker. I am open to correction here.
By the way, I thin T could have saved herself a bit of cash by deglazing the discs herself with a few bouts of heavy braking in safe conditions.
D