"Suggested donation" means pressure. Is that a brahminical quality or a vaisya
quality?

Since they know the Indians will donate something anyway why do they even bring it up?

Who needs such priests for hire when God lives in each heart already. Your approach sounds complete to me. Take a picture of the Lord and His devotee and put it somewhere on the dash board and keep on chanting.

Priests . I have little regard for kali-yuga priests of any religion. Just like this pujari at Krishna Balarama mandir in Vrndavan. My friend bought two really nice tulsi malas and asked that the pujari place them on the altar of Radha Syama to get them blessed by the Lord. The pujari told him he would have to give him one set of beads before he would do it.

I pay no attention to such small minded people except when comsidering how to avoid them.