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Old 07-01-2011, 11:03 AM
 
5,546 posts, read 9,963,321 times
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I went to this place and got into a tiff with this guy who worked there as he had said he'd give me a ride home and then sort of flaked. So I had to take a bus and was pretty peaved. Anyway, supposedly they had my brakes changed half a hour after I left when they said it would be another hour or hour and a half?

Would it be possible to get both the front and rear done so fast and should I bring my car to another outfit to ask them if the brakes were in fact changed? If so, how much do I pay them to look at the car?
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Old 07-01-2011, 11:10 AM
 
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You don't mention the year/model of your car, but ...

If it's a disc braked car, then many will have enough visual access to the brake calipers/pads to see if there's new pad thickness installed. It doesn't take disassembly of the car, and only a matter of seconds to inspect. Many shops would do this as a courtesy inspection, with a very minimal, if any, charge.

Yes, brake pads could be replaced in many car models easily within a half hour.
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Old 07-01-2011, 11:30 AM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sunsprit View Post
You don't mention the year/model of your car, but ...

If it's a disc braked car, then many will have enough visual access to the brake calipers/pads to see if there's new pad thickness installed. It doesn't take disassembly of the car, and only a matter of seconds to inspect. Many shops would do this as a courtesy inspection, with a very minimal, if any, charge.

Yes, brake pads could be replaced in many car models easily within a half hour.
Thanks. It's a 2002 Honda Accord. So that's all there is to changing brakes is the brake pads? And they charge $400 just to do that?
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Old 07-01-2011, 11:35 AM
 
Location: Austin Texas
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I think it would be difficult for one person to change pads on four wheels in 30 minutes. Two people - yes.

If all they did was change pads, $400 is a lot.
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Old 07-01-2011, 11:45 AM
 
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One guy working would take more than 30 minutes to swap pads on all four wheels. As for the cost, $400 is high, most national chains would charge around $250 - $300 for front and rear pads and that would include turning the rotors.

If it were me and I couldn't check them myself, I would take the car to get a second opinion and verify the work was done. You wouldn't be the first person to pay for a repair that wasn't actually done.
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Old 07-01-2011, 12:34 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NJGOAT View Post
One guy working would take more than 30 minutes to swap pads on all four wheels. As for the cost, $400 is high, most national chains would charge around $250 - $300 for front and rear pads and that would include turning the rotors.

If it were me and I couldn't check them myself, I would take the car to get a second opinion and verify the work was done. You wouldn't be the first person to pay for a repair that wasn't actually done.
This was a well known national chain with a LOT of complaints on the Internet. I think I have no choice but to bring it in and see if the work was really done. The car sounds better, but who knows what they really did.

And they advertise their honesty. Last time I'll go there.
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Old 07-01-2011, 01:08 PM
 
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2002 Accords are a snap. If the job is simply replacing pads then yes. Anyone that knows which end of a ratchet to hold can swap front and rear pads in less than 30 mins. What this tells me is that they did not pull the rotors and turn them which is something I would expect for $400.

On most disc brake cars I charge $75 for per axle plus parts. That includes turning the rotors, cleaning everything up, lubing all the pins etc and replacing the pads. We also use torque wrenches to tighten the wheels. Drum brake's are typically $100 plus parts and up depending on the car or truck.

For $400 I would ask what was done....

As far as checking to see if the work was completed.. How difficult it is depends on what wheels are on the car. If the wheel has a large opening then you should be able to see the pads. If not you must remove the tire and look at the pad. New pads should have appox 3/8 of an inch of pad material. Some have slightly more. An easy way to tell if the rotors were turned is to look for a rust edge around the outside of the rotor. if there is still a visible rust ring they did not turn the rotors.
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Old 07-01-2011, 01:14 PM
 
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john, 30 minutes is reasonable assuming the car was sitting on the rack ready to go and it was a good tech and there were no issues (stuck caliper) in doing the work. If she left the place while her car was sitting in the parking lot and they called her 30 minutes later that it was done, I think it's a bit of a stretch as you know they didn't put two guys on it.

Of course, the car could have been on the rack with the wheels off when she left, so it's reasonable. Her 30 minutes could have also been 45 or so, which is also reasonable.
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Old 07-01-2011, 01:27 PM
 
5,546 posts, read 9,963,321 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by johna01374 View Post
2002 Accords are a snap. If the job is simply replacing pads then yes. Anyone that knows which end of a ratchet to hold can swap front and rear pads in less than 30 mins. What this tells me is that they did not pull the rotors and turn them which is something I would expect for $400.

On most disc brake cars I charge $75 for per axle plus parts. That includes turning the rotors, cleaning everything up, lubing all the pins etc and replacing the pads. We also use torque wrenches to tighten the wheels. Drum brake's are typically $100 plus parts and up depending on the car or truck.

For $400 I would ask what was done....

As far as checking to see if the work was completed.. How difficult it is depends on what wheels are on the car. If the wheel has a large opening then you should be able to see the pads. If not you must remove the tire and look at the pad. New pads should have appox 3/8 of an inch of pad material. Some have slightly more. An easy way to tell if the rotors were turned is to look for a rust edge around the outside of the rotor. if there is still a visible rust ring they did not turn the rotors.
Thanks to you and all. They spent an hour trying to upsell me and I said no. It was then they started doing whatever it is they were doing. I'm looking at the receipt and it says they resurfaced both front rotors and replaced both back rotors. It says road test completed.

I should think it would be easy enough to bring it in to another well known chain (that I should have gone to in the first place) for them to confirm this work was done.

If they did in fact replace two rotors and resurface two rotors, wouldn't the bill have been more than $400? And I wonder why they did not leave me any message when they called me. And I'd swear they said the car was done half an hour after I left even though they didn't call me until an hour and a half later. Something doesn't add up about this....

Appreciate the input.
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Old 07-01-2011, 02:27 PM
 
Location: Eastern Washington
17,106 posts, read 56,712,890 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mistygrl092 View Post
This was a well known national chain with a LOT of complaints on the Internet. I think I have no choice but to bring it in and see if the work was really done. The car sounds better, but who knows what they really did.

And they advertise their honesty. Last time I'll go there.
In general you will get better service at an independent shop, preferably one that specializes in Honda or at least Japanese, than any chain. In fact, for either garages or restaurants, I don't see what value a national chain office can possibly bring to the table, except provide the mind-numbing uniformity that sheeple so love, but I hate.

Look around, ask around, post up in your local forum and find a good indy shop, you will be glad you did. And once you find a good one, cultivate a good business relationship with them, go there for oil changes, even though you can get the oil changed cheaper at "stupid lube" the good indy shop will have a better tech doing even oil changes, they won't try to "upsell" you all sorts of BS "flushes" and "shampoos" that not only waste your money, but are more likely to cause problems than prevent them, and if you are a regular, this gives them a chance to look at and really inspect things so you are not blindsided by suddenly finding out you need brake pads, etc.

On Honda and Toyota particularly, the OEM brake pads, which the chain almost certainly did NOT use, are really excellent, they cost a bit more, but for many non-enthusiast drivers are the best pad. Or the Wagner Thermo-Quiet. I personally like a perfomance-oriented brake pad and am willing to put up with the dust and shorter life to get the better "bite" and heat resistance that may keep my butt on the road and stopping short of whatever it was that strayed into my path.
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