Auto Repair - dishonest shop

[jkust]

I had to take my wife's suv in for some repairs to the local repair shop. The shop called me up and explained that my brakes (all four of them) were completely worn out right to the metal and dangerous and that they need to do both axles plus the front rotors. The rotors have been pulsating a bit for a while now but not a big deal. They quoted me $650 for pads and front rotors. I said to the guy on the phone that the indicators aren't indicating and how can the rears possibly be going out at the same time as the fronts? Rears almost never need replacement. Every time I or my wife talked to the shop they kept reinforcing how bad the pads were worn out and how crazy it was that I wasn't agreeing to have the brake work performed. I said not to do the brakes and I would figure it out. I'm not a mechanic but I do my own brakes as I have all of the tools, suv jack, jack stands, air compressor and air tools that I got as gifts over the years. I went out and bought the pads plus rotors and went to work yesterday.
The front pads including the inside pads were at least 40% still and the rears were at least 50%. I should have checked first before buying the parts but wasn't expecting that the shop was flat out lying to me. I replaced the front rotors which were warped a bit and front pads ( I wasn't sure if the old pads that had been used on warped rotors would cause any pulsating) and will return the rear pads. I just wonder how many people fall for this. I have half a mind to call the shop and let them know that they are being dishonest and it didn't go unnoticed. It was the owner doing all of the pushing for the work. I kept the old pads.

 

[Scott Danforth]

call the better business bureau

 

[ezmobee]

Best thing to do nowadays is call them out on every single online review site you can find.

 

[MTboatguy]

Unfortunately, it is not that uncommon when it comes to brakes, I have had it done to me and I have lots of friends that go to shops that it is happened to. Some of the people that work in brake shops, don't even have a clue when they are looking at pad to see if they are actually worn or not.

 

[redneck joe]

BBB won't due much since you didn't pay them to do anything.

online review as well. Is it a chain? could write in.

I use local whenever possible, and stay away from dealer.

 

[gm280]

Not to hijack this thread, but to reinforce the premise of how you seriously need to watch for such things.

Back some years ago my father had his car at a well known auto shop. He asked one of the salesman how you could tell if you need new shocks. The salesman stated that he could tell if a car needed new shocks. So my dad invited him to the car. The salesman bounced the car a few times and stated that his shocks were totally gone and he needs new ones all the way around. So my father told them to go ahead and replace them.

hey lifted the car up on the rack and is wasn't a few seconds they came out and stated his shocks were actually good. My father told them to change them. Little did the salesman know my father had lifetime warranted shocks from that very place. They changed them, but I bet that salesman was probably charged for them after the fact. So it happens everywhere.

I do 100% of all my repairs. From engine rebuilds, to transmissions rebuilds, to even body work and electrical issue. When I look at the typical auto repair person is so many of these places, I figured I can do as good as they can. And so far I've been totally correct too. JMHO

I'm sure you let them replace the air in your tires with nitrogen too for a huge price! SMH!

 

[jkust]

BBB won't due much since you didn't pay them to do anything.

online review as well. Is it a chain? could write in.

I use local whenever possible, and stay away from dealer.

It is a franchised Firestone. They are a local shop as I try to support the local business whenever possible. I don't use dealers unless it is a recall or something dealer-only. There are no dealers in my town. Given the options to get the word out via social media and online types of reviews and that my town while pretty large, is actually a very tight nit community, I am surprised that shops still try to pull one over on people given the possible exposure they can face.
I mean maybe if the brakes were down to 20% or something you might mention that they will need servicing in the near future but come on. I wondered what the deal was when he was making a big deal that the front rotors were rusted. They rust on the edges meaning the thickness of the rotor and that happens very quickly in MN depending on the rotor quality. These rotors took many years to show any rust at all as for whatever the OEM rotors seemed good quality while I've had replacement rotors on other vehicles start rusting in 6 months.
How do you sleep at night as a business owner if you are dishonest?

 

[jkust]

I'm sure you let them replace the air in your tires with nitrogen too for a huge price! SMH!

Brakes and very basic stuff is about the extent of what I can do on cars. Generally, I'm just not around to do stuff anyway and my garage is unheated so that pretty much throws out most of the year even If I had more ability. Having to do any work on my snowmobiles in the winter is like torture when it is -20 out and only slightly warmer in the garage. Nitrogen is a scam I know.

 

[gm280]

Brakes and very basic stuff is about the extent of what I can do on cars. Generally, I'm just not around to do stuff anyway and my garage is unheated so that pretty much throws out most of the year even If I had more ability. Having to do any work on my snowmobiles in the winter is like torture when it is -20 out and only slightly warmer in the garage. Nitrogen is a scam I know.

Yes it is a scam. But you wouldn't believe how many fell for that scam. On the flip side of the coin, there are also some very good shops that do good honest work. But you have to find them.

Right now there is a huge push from all the auto manufacturers to try and get a law passed so the customers/purchasers can not work on their own vehicles. They are stating proprietary software issues and therefore want to make it illegal for any vehicle owner to work on their own vehicle. Don't know how that is going to come out. But if it passes, I will never buy a newer vehicle again.

 

[MTboatguy]

Rusted rotors, hm have not heard that one for a few years! I just put new rotors all the way around on my wife's Subaru about 3 weeks ago and they are already showing rust, the face of the disc gets surface rust over night if it has been raining a lot.

 

[tpenfield]

I had a car dealer that I brought my vehicle in for service tell me a litany of things that needed replacing. I told them to go ahead, noting that I had a 36,000 mile bumper-to-bumper warranty . . . . The car had 35,000 miles on it.

You would have thought they swallowed their tongue.

 

[jkust]

Rusted rotors, hm have not heard that one for a few years! I just put new rotors all the way around on my wife's Subaru about 3 weeks ago and they are already showing rust, the face of the disc gets surface rust over night if it has been raining a lot.

Yeah...It's Minnesota, everything is rusty. The silly thing is that my wife dropped the suv off and then told the shop to call me not her to discuss because she figured they would try to up sell her all sorts of extras.

 

[jkust]

I had a car dealer that I brought my vehicle in for service tell me a litany of things that needed replacing. I told them to go ahead, noting that I had a 36,000 mile bumper-to-bumper warranty . . . . The car had 35,000 miles on it.

You would have thought they swallowed their tongue.

It funny you say that, this suv had something similar. The AWD system went out with like three weeks left on the warranty. I normally don't like warranties but that one must have had at least 8k in repairs performed under it over the years. It's been out of warranty for a couple years now.

 

[boatman37]

my mother took her car to the dealer for an oil change. they told her she needed a new air filter. my step-father had just replaced it a couple of weeks earlier so she asked if she could see it. can't remember exactly what happened next but either way it was a scam. if i remember correctly they threw dust on the filter that they probably picked up off the floor. not sure but either way it was a brand new filter a week or so earlier.

 

[jkust]

my mother took her car to the dealer for an oil change. they told her she needed a new air filter. my step-father had just replaced it a couple of weeks earlier so she asked if she could see it. can't remember exactly what happened next but either way it was a scam. if i remember correctly they threw dust on the filter that they probably picked up off the floor. not sure but either way it was a brand new filter a week or so earlier.

Oh yeah...I had that happen the one and only time my wife went to the quick oil change place that was build near my house. My wife quickly texted me and I told her I had just replaced it.

 

[gm280]

One possible way to make them more honest is to demand all the old parts back. And then you can determine if they even were off your vehicle. Good honest reputable shops will ever have to do those type things. Word of mouth will keep them busier that they can possible do. JMHO

 

[64osby]

One of the gems someone told me years ago was to never go to a shop where the owner has a race car, especially on a Friday before a race.

 

[ezmobee]

My local Firestone is usually pretty good. Had my vehicles inspected there many times so they've certainly had plenty of times to screw me and haven't. However, they do tend to like to throw wiper blades on whether you need them or not. They tried that with me the last time I had a car inspected there. I am the type that changes my blades if they get a little streaky so no WAY would any of mine be anywhere near whatever condition would fail inspection. They didn't call and ask me prior to changing them so I asked them to take them off. They said they didn't have my old ones. I said that sounds like a problem for you. I got free blades.

 

[gm280]

In Georgia they stopped doing yearly inspections. But some of the vehicles I see going down the road surely could use a good inspection. I can't see how some people let their vehicles disintegrate around them like that. If you repair things as they break, your vehicles will certainly last longer and be safe to drive. I see so many driving around on those space-saver spare tires and not a worry out of the driver it seems. Missing widows, taped over doors to hold them closed, bungee cords holding the hood closed, turn signal lights hanging down below where the bumper use to be with only the wire holding them to the vehicles, red tape for rear stop lights, Oh and i could go on and on.

 

[jkust]

In Georgia they stopped doing yearly inspections. But some of the vehicles I see going down the road surely could use a good inspection. I can't see how some people let their vehicles disintegrate around them like that. If you repair things as they break, your vehicles will certainly last longer and be safe to drive. I see so many driving around on those space-saver spare tires and not a worry out of the driver it seems. Missing widows, taped over doors to hold them closed, bungee cords holding the hood closed, turn signal lights hanging down below where the bumper use to be with only the wire holding them to the vehicles, red tape for rear stop lights, Oh and i could go on and on.

Minnesota only had emissions inspections but stopped them I think in 1999 because they admitted there was no benefit to them. They weren't safety inspections anyway but I do hear lots of vehicles with bad mufflers. I would say I don't see that many jalopies on the road like I used to maybe 20 years ago. The cars don't rust nearly as bad as they used to so don't see the bumpers bungeed on as often. On my way into the office, I have to pass through one particular part of North Minneapolis on the highway and that little stretch is where I tend to see the worst offenders.