took it to just brakes for that 99 dollar special, they triend to jack up the price on me and i told them no. went home, did a google search on em ans they are receiving major complaints across america for their tactics. some of even been shut down in florida. so i google, midas and brake check, same things. is it best to just find a good mechanic, or is there actually a reputable chain out there?
Dateline did on special on Just brakes a few years ago and the company President admitted that only around 10% of customers actually get the $99 rate. The average cost was around $900.
I took my car there about 6 years ago for standard brake pads. I knew that nothing was really wrong, but i needed brake pads. I told them to put on the $125 brake special. I only had around $200 in my wallet. Then I told the guy that I would return in around 5 hours. Well my cell phone was turned off I guess because when I returned the guy was "frantic" telling me that he was trying to get a hold of me on the phone!
That is one of their KEY ploys actually, to only tell you on the phone. Most people will agree if they are actually at the shop. Well he told me that I needed new Calipers and other shit and that it would cost $750. Well I told him that I only wanted the $125 special, and he said that this was impossible.
So I told him to put the brakes back on and I had to pay $60 for "not" turning the rotars. Well I brought my car to the dealer the very next day and had the brakes repaired with new pads for only $250.
Here is a piece of advice for you. You dealer usually will not cheat you on anything because they want you to come back. Just Brakes will cheat you because most likely you will never return with that automobile at least.
Just take your car to the dealer and you wont get cheated. They may charge a little more, but they wont steal from you
I took my car there about 6 years ago for standard brake pads. I knew that nothing was really wrong, but i needed brake pads. I told them to put on the $125 brake special. I only had around $200 in my wallet. Then I told the guy that I would return in around 5 hours. Well my cell phone was turned off I guess because when I returned the guy was "frantic" telling me that he was trying to get a hold of me on the phone!
That is one of their KEY ploys actually, to only tell you on the phone. Most people will agree if they are actually at the shop. Well he told me that I needed new Calipers and other shit and that it would cost $750. Well I told him that I only wanted the $125 special, and he said that this was impossible.
So I told him to put the brakes back on and I had to pay $60 for "not" turning the rotars. Well I brought my car to the dealer the very next day and had the brakes repaired with new pads for only $250.
Here is a piece of advice for you. You dealer usually will not cheat you on anything because they want you to come back. Just Brakes will cheat you because most likely you will never return with that automobile at least.
Just take your car to the dealer and you wont get cheated. They may charge a little more, but they wont steal from you
Some years ago I took my $500 car (book value) in to Midas and they wanted to do an $850 job. Tried to make me think it was absolutely necessary and all that bullshit. Oh yeah, they went into that act, you know the act, where they are surprised were able to drive the car in with the brake condition that it was in. Tried to make me believe my life was in danger if I drove it away unrepaired. I just told them I'd take my chances because, afterall, the car was a piece of shit not worth fixing for that price. Drove away, had the car for about three more years after that without any brake repair work done and finally got rid of it.
This reminds me of a time I took my car to a local F1restone to get tires put on....I was working out of town, someone from there calls me up and tells me it needed brakes and whatever, I told them to just do the tires as originally scheduled......I took that car to my local independent mechanic, (who doesn't do tires) good friends with him, he let me run it up on the hoist so I could take a tire off the front and back to gauge the wear on the brake pads.......the pads on the car were thicker than the new ones my mechanic had in stock to replace the old ones with.
Utterly p1ssed me off to the point where I damn near wrote a letter to the BBB and F1restone and whoever I thought could put their asses in a wringer. Wish I would have now. I'm sure the F1restone reply would have been along the lines of it somehow being a difference in judgement call as to the wear on the pads......they were just looking to fleece me thinking I'd agree to it being that I was out of town.....doubt they'd have even put any new parts on, they'd have just billed me for work not even done.
Never went there again, if anyone mentions that shop I tell them my experience, hope that shop goes bankrupt. C0cksuckers.
Love those shows on tv where they send in a fully inspected test car with marked parts, woman or some elderly driver takes it in and then after agreeing to extra work they get the car back and see what work was actually done and how bad they got ripped off. What's bad about those shows is that they don't tell you the name of the companies that treated the customers correctly.....those are the ones the public needs to find and those companies need to be rewarded with the extra work they'd have from locals seeing the show and taking their car there knowing they were probably dealing with an honest shop.
I took my truck to discount tires and I paid for the warrenty on the tires I had a nail in the tire guy told me it was warn to much on the side wall and they couldnt touch it. I told him just pput some air in it and they wouldnt do that shit. So I went to this Mexican tire store here that I use and I was fixed and back on the road in about 15 minutes and cost like $8. Discount tire won't get another penny from me that is for sure and I got 5 cars one trailer and a boat and I use alot of tires a year.
He was telling you the truth about your flat. They're not supposed to fix tires that are too worn down on the side because they could get sued if the tire comes apart; of course, the Mexican place you went to doesn't care because they're all illegal anyway. Only had to get brakes replaced once; went to Sun Auto in Vegas and got it done right and relatively cheap.
Sounds like a lot of you guys have just been unlucky in getting brake work done. I have always found brake repairman to be extremely professional, honest as Abe Linclon, and very diligent in their work. Without them we would drive around and get in wrecks all over the place. So let's give them ther credit they deserve. They are awesome!
that's the shop charge for overhead and everything else, the mechanic ain't getting 85-95 an hour himself. i know some mechanics and they don't make that much, some work at small independent shops and make 15-17 an hour, some guys at the big dealers and if they have been there a while might get close to 30.
amen...finding a good mechanic and barber you can stay with forever should be man law...like others in this thread i found my mechanic 15 years ago and take my own parts and pay him cash to install...in 15 years i bet he has saved me 20k+..only has me buy the things i need...i drive over 40k per year so i see him about once a month...kind of getting scared cause he is getting old...
