Being a licensed tech, and a MVIS (safety) inspection station, I can say that there are hardasses out there, lenient shops out there, honest shops, and crooks.
If you come to me for a safety inspection, and I don't know you, I will quote the MVIS book, chapter and verse. You needed a Safety inspection, but you didn't say why. Are you selling the car? If so, I'm the nicest tech on the planet (at least I think so) but I would have hit you up for the 3rd brake light just as the VW dealership did.
The reason being, is if you sell the car to someone, and they complain about the 3rd brake light only being partially functional, then the MTO comes down on me, not you.
If, however, I know you, and your a regular in my shop, I can excercise some discretion on how rigidly I adhere to the MVIS inspection book. Sadly, very few people value a good relationship with their mechanic these days - they're looking for the cheapest price and not much more.
And yes, unfortunately there are some unscrupulous shops out there who will sell you repairs that were not essential at the time.