Cheap auto service places (leasing, cheapest, car)

[Nlambert]

Originally Posted by raj kapoor

True for most of us.

My newer car has to have expensive foreign treatment. (he thinks he's a prince)

My daily driver is still loved but I must save somewhere. In fact I took it in yesterday to Firestone for an alignment and new Michelins on the front. I have their lifetime alignment warranty that is good across the country. 100.
I have used them for everything now for about four years. I had a bad experience with a local mechanic that I had used for about ten years and there just was no one else nearby. (don't like long bed rides for the car if I can help it)
They called yesterday and told me that none of the things that I thought might need work did.

That is a real honesty issue in my book. Most places will do work if you suggest you think something is amiss . The same personnel are there which is a good sign. They are always busy in a better part of town which is also a good sign.

I pay less for everything than I have before. I knew I was paying more with the dealer but of course there was the warranty. But with the independent mechanic, I found after moving to Firestone how much things should have cost.

I use to be one that did not even consider the national brands. I think there are some bad boys out there. But I don't know if I have just found a special Firestone, or if the company is being well managed.

I like being able to say this about the car repair experience because it can be treacherous.

Leaving to go pick up the car right now. Their hours are really good too. The indies are usually gone by five.

Good luck,
Raj

I'm not typically a big fan of allowing places like Firestone to do my work either. I'll pay the little guy. My wife took our Expedition in a while back for an oil change. They proceeded to give her a sheet with over $4,500 worth of work they told her needed to be done. Shocks/struts, transmission mount, cv axles, etc....

I began pricing out their parts. They wanted $375 for one Monroe strut! I could get them for $169 at Advance Auto and $103 at Rockauto.com. I couldn't find any issues but asked if we were to decide to do any of the work could I bring my own parts. We were told no.

I took it to a mechanic friend and he found absolutely nothing wrong with it. I don't think Firestone is as honest as you may think they are. We've had the same results from Firestone N. Pkwy, Old Monrovia, and South Parkway. We typically just buy tires there.

[NoleFanHSV]

Originally Posted by dijkstra

Ceramic pads technically do not warp rotors. Heat warps rotors. Ceramic pads work better hot than standard semi-metallic and therefore people who ride their brakes, especially going down hill have a tendency to overheat their rotors and warp them. It is really a driver problem more than a brake pad problem since knuckleheads don't know to let their brakes cool every now and then instead of riding them from the top of Monte Sano all the way to the bottom.

The semi-metallic over heat at a significantly lower temperature than ceramics. I wouldn't use the cheaper organic pads on a lawn mower.

Brake dust will ruin your wheels by the way. When it gets wet it creates a corrosive compound that will eat chrome and through clear coat and will totally ruin aluminum. I would never run the pads that dust with chrome wheels, it will pit them and then the chrome will begin to peel.

I have ran Ceramic pads exclusively for over 10 years now and have had no more warped rotors than I used to have with regular brake pads. I actually have a set of front rotors with 340,000 miles on them right now that have never seen anything but ceramics (the oem pads were ceramic). I have only change the pads 3 times.....the ceramic pads last around 100,000 miles.

The fundamental problem is that most newer cars these days have undersized rotors and brakes for tougher driving conditions. I wouldn't mind ceramics if the rotors and pads were overall bigger for most cars. I had ceramics on my 04 grand prix and warped the rotors twice. Even the dealership admitted to me that the brakes were undersized for the car. Yes, driving conditions can make the problem worse. Huntsville stop and go traffic isn't easy on brakes.

[NoleFanHSV]

Originally Posted by Nlambert

I'm not typically a big fan of allowing places like Firestone to do my work either. I'll pay the little guy. My wife took our Expedition in a while back for an oil change. They proceeded to give her a sheet with over $4,500 worth of work they told her needed to be done. Shocks/struts, transmission mount, cv axles, etc....

I began pricing out their parts. They wanted $375 for one Monroe strut! I could get them for $169 at Advance Auto and $103 at Rockauto.com. I couldn't find any issues but asked if we were to decide to do any of the work could I bring my own parts. We were told no.

I took it to a mechanic friend and he found absolutely nothing wrong with it. I don't think Firestone is as honest as you may think they are. We've had the same results from Firestone N. Pkwy, Old Monrovia, and South Parkway. We typically just buy tires there.

I've had terrible luck with firestone. I needed a new alternator ASAP. I also needed a belt. The alternator and labor was 350. They wanted to charge me a half hour labor for the new belt. I asked why since they had to take the belt off anyways to replace the alternator. According to them, if the time is in their book, they have to add it regardless. I ended up going to my local guy who put the alternator and belt on all for 225. Too bad he left town.

[Nlambert]

I may be able to recommend a local guy that is really reasonable. I dont know how covered up he is, but he is a mechanic for Fed-Ex and then he works on stuff at his home as well. I'd trust him with anything I own.

[CoreLysium]

Originally Posted by Nlambert

What kind of vehicle is it? Brakes are generally a pretty easy DIY project. You can order them from somewhere like Amazon or Rockauto.com and save a ton of money. I just installed a new set of Wagner Thermoquiet ceramic pads on my 05 Titan for around $40. Took less than an hour to do both sides.

I don't trust many brake places since they seem to charge a small fortune for a really simple repair. Ceramic pads don't dust nearly as bad but they do make your brakes squeal until they heat up. My brakes always squeal the first time I apply them when cold. Then it goes away.

Yeah, my brakes make a moan/squeal the first time I use them. It's usually when I'm backing out of the garage or a parking spot at work, so conveniently only all my neighbors and co-workers think it's a piece of crap.

It's an Eclipse. I generally don't do brake work. I know it's not hard, but the one time I did do it with the help of my brother-in-law, I didn't really get the process down. And, in this case I have a warped rotor on one of the wheels. I can't figure out which one it is. Oddly, it feels like it's rear passenger side. I wouldn't think that guy would get heated up too much.

I think I'm just going to go to Top Line on the parkway. I know Mark the manager there from church and I feel I'd be in good hands.

Edited to add: One of the problems with businesses in general is their desire to make more money by doing unnecessary work, particularly preying on women. Best example I have of this is my neighbor had a bobcat spreading dirt on her lawn. It took them three days to dig at it and spread dirt, not on the whole lawn, but just a 20x60 patch on one side. I asked one of the workers what they were doing, he said "Getting it ready for grass." That was two weeks ago. It is now a combination of red clay dirt they brought in and weeds. My neighbor is a 70+ year old woman. Those men, scum of the earth.

[Nlambert]

Well if you decide that you still need help let me know. I can definitely recommend someone that will treat you right.

[RatSnake]

I had very good experience with NTB - in Madison. Not sure of other locations.
I posted an experience here with them in the past (January, 2014).
Basically - I was in for a basic oil change for my father-in-law's Volvo - waiting at the lounge.
A very old lady comes in - wants her car checked out for various 'noises' and squeals.

After a thorough check (you can view the garage bay), the man in charge comes in the lounge - goes down on one knee to the old lady - and gently explains that there is nothing wrong with her car. He explains in careful (slow) detail that everything checked out OK ... and all she really needed was more brake fluid. He said she was good to go.

I sat there stunned because in most other car shops, they would have ripped her off $$$$.

[Nlambert]

I've heard pretty good things about NTB aside from their expensive prices. They are more expensive than Firestone in my previous research.

[RatSnake]

I have used coupons in the past.
And about Firestone, they always try to upsell you with other things that they claim you need.
I always say NO.
I seriously doubt seniors like my father-in-law or that old lady would be able to say NO.

[writerwife]

Originally Posted by RatSnake

I had very good experience with NTB - in Madison. Not sure of other locations.
I posted an experience here with them in the past (January, 2014).
Basically - I was in for a basic oil change for my father-in-law's Volvo - waiting at the lounge.
A very old lady comes in - wants her car checked out for various 'noises' and squeals.

After a thorough check (you can view the garage bay), the man in charge comes in the lounge - goes down on one knee to the old lady - and gently explains that there is nothing wrong with her car. He explains in careful (slow) detail that everything checked out OK ... and all she really needed was more brake fluid. He said she was good to go.

I sat there stunned because in most other car shops, they would have ripped her off $$$$.

I have had very similar experience at the S Hsv NTB.
Several times.