I believe this car could drive that far without a radiator cap. What was the approximate temperature that you were driving through? As stated previously, you would loose a little bit of fluid at a time, until it did not have enough to circulate. As for getting money out of them, I wish you the best of luck. A friend of mine had a similar issue, with the shop not repairing a belt, but charging for the repair. Belt broke, and engine overheated.