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I'm in for this wager. I drove the truck to the shop this afternoon and expect to get it back tomorrow.
Before I drove it I popped the hood and checked the brake fluid reservoir, as one poster suggested. It was 100% full so i don't have a brake fluid leak and I felt safe driving it. My mechanic said the only other possibility is the axle seal OR... maybe I drove through something on the road and it stuck to my wheel, maybe someone spilled oil on it at my last oil change.
Hopefully, tomorrow night, I'll finish the story and give you all the details.
You DROVE it?
How DARE you?!?!?!
All the wise, experienced, PROFESSIONAL experts said you'd kill somebody doing that! There was NO WAY you were going to get to the shop alive by driving it! Egads!!!!!
And never underestimate how badly a "trained professional mechanic" will rip you off.
I'll stand by my side of the bet. When it's all said and done, this guy won't get out of the shop for less than $500. In fact, I'll go so far as to bet that these "trained professionals" are going to screw him over for closer to $1,000 when it's almost certain that all he needed was a $15.00 brake cylinder.
Care to make the wager?
Should have taken the bet. So far he's save the money you would have spent on brakes.
Should have taken the bet. So far he's save the money you would have spent on brakes.
You're right. By taking his life into his own hands, and imperiling the lives of countless others - all by simply driving his pickup to the shop - he has saved a considerable amount of money.
Let's hope he gets lucky enough to have found a shop where the mechanics are both competent and honest - which is a rare combination.
So... if it turns out that it really IS his rear axle seal ($15.00 part), what else do you suppose they'll try to convince him he needs? New bearings? New brakes?
What do you think will be the amount of the final bill?
You're right. By taking his life into his own hands, and imperiling the lives of countless others - all by simply driving his pickup to the shop - he has saved a considerable amount of money.
Let's hope he gets lucky enough to have found a shop where the mechanics are both competent and honest - which is a rare combination.
So... if it turns out that it really IS his rear axle seal ($15.00 part), what else do you suppose they'll try to convince him he needs? New bearings? New brakes?
What do you think will be the amount of the final bill?
As I said before, Omaha loves to get his panties all in a twist about the worst possible outcome BEFORE we even know exactly what the problem is and what the shop wants to charge.
First, why would anyone take this bet when NONE of us has laid our eyes on the truck? Why would we take the bet when we don't know whether the shop is honest or not? What if there ARE other problems?
And why does Omaha make himself look so silly by spitting venom without even letting the guy get a quote?
We warned this guy that although he probably would be able to drive there without consequence, his situation has produced accidents and injuries in the past. Nobody told him he was absolutely going to crash, we simply told him that while the odds are good you will be okay, there is an increased risk of accident. It's like drunk drivers: they can do it for twenty-five years successfully, but then BAM! They cause an accident and people get hurt. So should we ridicule all people who are adamantly against drunk driving?
I shouldn't have to say that businesses are in business to make a PROFIT. If some of these yahoos want to try to overcharge, let 'em. If the customer thinks it's too much, GO TO ANOTHER SHOP. If people don't want to get estimates from competing shops, well, then, I'm not surprised when they get taken. It is the consumer's prerogative to keep these dishonest businessmen from taking their hard-earned dollars.
Finally, Omaha likes to say that we professional technicians are all upset that there are people out there who don't need us. If people didn't need us, none of us would have a job.
And despite Omaha claiming he's done all his own work, I think he's had to rely on others to fix his cars for him. Why else would he be so upset about the topic? If he's doing his own repairs, why is he still so butt-hurt about professional technicians? Seems to me that if he could repair his cars himself he would just chuckle at the unfortunate plight of others which he does not share. Instead, it's very personal.
Haven't heard him talk yet, but his words show him to be a big-mouth that will act the expert on any topic; even when confronted by a real expert.
It's a damn good thing you don't repair cars for a living. You don't have a clue what you're talking about. If the w/c is leaking and saturates the shoes with fluid, what would you do? Not replace them? If the line seizes to the w/c (and they do on mopars) then what? Not replace it? Stick to your backyard.
As I said before, Omaha loves to get his panties all in a twist about the worst possible outcome BEFORE we even know exactly what the problem is and what the shop wants to charge.
Well big shot, YOU are the one who threw a raging temper tantrum at my suggestion to the guy that he drive his pickup to the shop. That was YOU, not me.
And despite Omaha claiming he's done all his own work, I think he's had to rely on others to fix his cars for him. Why else would he be so upset about the topic? If he's doing his own repairs, why is he still so butt-hurt about professional technicians? Seems to me that if he could repair his cars himself he would just chuckle at the unfortunate plight of others which he does not share. Instead, it's very personal.
Haven't heard him talk yet, but his words show him to be a big-mouth that will act the expert on any topic; even when confronted by a real expert.
Well Captain Arrogant, you obviously cannot read - which is typical of a blue-collar flunky.
And sorry to burst your little bubble of infallible self-importance, but I've done all my own mechanical work for 30 years. The bottom line is that I don't need you and your ilk.
Still, I'm appalled by the way you people screw over customers - and do so with such smug arrogance. How else do you explain a "reputable" shop wanting to charge my niece over $1200 to put new front axles and wheel bearings on her 2000 Sonata? Especially when the parts cost less than $300, and it only took me 2 hours to do the whole job? THAT is a run-of-the-mill screw-job provided by your typical "professional."
So you trained professionals, and your high school drop-outs with code scanners in their hands, can enjoy taking advantage of whoever you can. Unfortunately for you, I'm not one of those people.
That said, Toodle Doo, O Great One. I'm done with you.
Well big shot, YOU are the one who threw a raging temper tantrum at my suggestion to the guy that he drive his pickup to the shop. That was YOU, not me.
The great thing about this medium is that people can go back and see EXACTLY what I said and determine themselves if they think I was being a fear monger and throwing a tantrum. I'm beginning to think the people around you are either lazy or stupid. Most people in this world actually manage to avoid getting ripped off, by getting different quotes and asking about a particular shop's reputation. But you have all these people around you that just cannot avoid getting ripped off. So is it a conspiracy among repair shops? Or is it possible that you are of an ilk that just cannot see things for what they are and blindly wander through life, bumping into problem after problem and wondering "Why me?"?
The truth is most people can see right through dishonest technicians and can also see the honest ones for who they are. Since you and those you know cannot discern, I guess that's Darwin's way of culling you silly blind bats.
Boy oh boy, if you like taking risks this is the way to do it. As previously stated, simply having fluid in the reservoir does not mean braking integrity is good. Second, it's not an "E-brake" it's a "P-brake". Not for emergency stops, it's for holding car in a parked position. Use it in an emergency or to slow the car and stop the vehicle and you will be surprised when nothing happens or when the parking brake assemblies blow apart. And just because nothing adverse has happened yet doesn't mean it won't. I know it is difficult for people to appreciate the danger when neither they nor anyone they know has been injured as a result of ignoring these issues. But I've seen the human fallout and it's not pretty. Why push your luck? Get it towed. Join triple A so you will not make life or death choices based on the expense of a tow. Finally, remember that you have a responsibility to the rest of us sharing the road with you. How would you feel if you knew that that car on the other side of the yellow line barreling toward you had possible brake or steering or whatever problem that could make him lose control and cross that line? Lives change forever and I'm dismayed to see people telling you that it will be okay to drive a little further. More than likely you would be okay if you drove it further. But in three out of every 100 such cases, the results are heart breaking.
All that I care about is what is the diagnosis at the rear wheel
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