I stay far away from these little non ASE certified shops that say they can do the work but make up a big lie to increase your bill. I'm looking to replace motor mounts on my vehicle and tranny flush. If anyone here knows of any reputable certified mechanics in the Littleton area let me know? Thanks
After breaks plus's claim that I needed a $500 break job, I took my car to a local mechanic shop and had the break pads replaced (and rotors turned) for around $100.
After that I learned how to do a break job myself.
A quick google of breaks plus review or breaks plus bbb reveals 100% complaints. I couldn't find a single positive review.
Sorry Cornfed, but you work for an shady company. I'd consider changing.
In effort to keep my brothers on CSC in the know the ASE cert honestly doesnt mean much. Its a written test, pay your entry fee, pass the test, your certified. I know some great techs that panic and cant seem to pass the test but yet can fix anything with wheels. And vice versa, there are ASE Master Certified techs that I wouldnt let lube my bicycle chain.Originally Posted by DeeStylez
Oh ya, and there is nothing about ethics in the ASE Cert.
Its not how fast you go, its how little you slow down.
BP on Evans & Colorado is the worse shop I took my car for service!!!!
I'm taking my car for coolant, brake and power steering flush to BP on Dayton & Arapahoe for several years. They always do a good and honest job.
'03 YZF600R
Lowell is a good guy.
Clovis, thank you for your input. I posted expecting some grief. Again, I believe its not the company, store or location, its the character and quality of the people inside. And although I can only speak for myself, I sleep with a clear conscience.Sorry Cornfed, but you work for an shady company. I'd consider changing.
Its not how fast you go, its how little you slow down.
i was also coerced into paying $600 to have my brakes fixed on my old ford tarus at the BP in Arvada (80th & wads i think)...this was 10+ years ago, when i didn't know better. Funny that they've been able to get away with this for so long.
~Travis~
It's okay...I'm a Doctor.
2003 GSX-R600 - Former LoveOriginally Posted by Keyser Soze
Everybody on CSC knows everything
2003 Kawasaki ZX6R - Former Love
1999 Suzuki TL1000R - Former Love
2004 DRZ400E - New Dirty
2002 KFX 650 - Quad
Behold the power of the $99 coupon.
Cornfed could probably weigh in on this, but I would guess that 95% of their customers know squat about their cars and just hear their brakes squeak and see the coupon/ad/whatever and bring it in. Enter the morals of the service tech/manager they bring it to.
No different than the geek squad at Best Buy. The un-informed customer spends a lot of money!
'02 RC-51 - Street
'05 Pitster Pro 125 - Pitbike madness
Be polite. Be professional. But be prepared to kill everyone you meet.
"Motorcycles tell us a more useful truth: we are small and exposed, and probably moving too fast for our own good, but that's no reason not to enjoy every minute of the ride."
~Dave Karlotski
Firestone is the only chain-repair place I took my car to because the serpentine belt was squeaking. They told me they needed to replace the serpentine belt tensioner and I said "no, that won't fix the problem, it was replaced three months ago (under recall)" but the guy went on and "guaranteed" it was what had to be done. So I come back and fork over $57 and lone behold five minutes later the belt is squeaking its head off. Did some online research and found out what belt it needed, bought it from an AutoZone store and took it over to Firestone. Asked them to put it on and they told me they couldn't put on parts a customer bought, but they could order it (for a 200% markup of course) and it would cost $80 to install. I argued with them over their against-my-advice-repair that didn't fix anything and I shouldn't have to pay for labor twice. The manager was a huge prick so I had to go through BBB and two months later the regional manager offered me a refund and to install the belt I bought for free, but I just took the refund and my belt to a Toyota dealership where they put it on and I haven't heard a peep sense.
I've never gone to one of those rip-off places again. They all smell fishy to me.
My intention isn't to grief you Cornfed. I don't think we've ever met but I've heard nothing but good things about you.
The thing with Breaks Plus is that everyone has the same experience, regardless of the shop and who they deal with. My experience with them was 10 years ago and it wasn't new at that time which leads me to believe that lying and grossly over-charging people who are not mechanics is the core of their business.
Hell, they wanted $150 dollars per rotor! That was 10 years ago.. today, after 10 years of inflation I can still buy a brand new rotor for $30 at any auto parts store.
Convincing people that their car's break system is a rolling death trap and needs a $600 repair when that's completely untrue is beyond the pale. Hell, there was BBB complaint in paticular. They told this 70 year old woman that her breaks (on a car only a few years old) were on the brink of failure and if she didn't get them fixed right then her breaks would fail killing her grand children. I mean, really, wtf?
i find this amusing!!
Now you're getting it. The car business is a retail business just like McDonalds, Younkers, Alpinestarts, ABC Heating and Cooling, Best Buy, Honda, Fay Meyrs, etc..... There is just as much money spent on advertising as there is on the product itself. Why? Well, is it more important to make the best product/service, or sell a product/service? i.e. Harley Davidson.
Heres the thing.
Customer 1 comes in for $99 brakes, the shop checks it and finds the brakes are fricken destroyed, brake estimate for pads, calipers, master, rotors..... $600. Customer is pissed because they want $99 brakes. Shop did nothing wrong.
Customer 2 comes in for $99 brakes, the shop checks the brakes and they are fine but notices the CV Axle needs replaced. Tells customer brakes are fine but needs CV Axle and customer is pissed because they didn't come in for a CV axle and thinks shop is trying to rip them off. Shop did nothing wrong.
Customer 3 comes in for $99 brakes, the shop checks the brakes and they are fine but puts on $99 brakes anyway, cause why not, they brought a coupon and the customer wont know the difference. Customer leaves happy but unknowingly got screwed. Shop is crooked.
Customer 4 comes in for $99 brakes, the shop checks the brakes and tries to remember from the training video he watched if it needs brakes or not. Decides to error on the safe side and replaces brakes that the car didn't need. Customer gets screwed. Shop is not greedy or dishonest, shop is incompetent.
All of these scenarios and more play out in every retail business everyday. As consumers we either have to know the product/service, or the man across the counter. Going in not knowing either and you have a 50/50 chance of getting what they want to sell you instead of what you need and want to buy.
Im not saying any of your poor experiences are your fault, quite the opposite, its sounds like most of you were educated enough about the product/service to leave before you got hosed.
Its not how fast you go, its how little you slow down.
And it was taken in good spirit. Intelligent men having a civil debate is good for all.
Its not how fast you go, its how little you slow down.
What do they say in poker?
"If you can't spot the sucker at the table in the first 10 minutes, it's you."
Moral of this story is to use recommended shops and educate yourself. Regardless if it's a bicycle, computer, motorcycle, or car. If you don't know anything about it you open yourself up to being taken advantage of. Does that suck? you betcha. Welcome to the real world...
'02 RC-51 - Street
'05 Pitster Pro 125 - Pitbike madness
Be polite. Be professional. But be prepared to kill everyone you meet.
"Motorcycles tell us a more useful truth: we are small and exposed, and probably moving too fast for our own good, but that's no reason not to enjoy every minute of the ride."
~Dave Karlotski
Customer 5 comes in for $99 brakes. Nothing else wrong with his car, just needs new brakes...does he get the $99 deal? Does this EVER happen?
~Travis~
It's okay...I'm a Doctor.
2003 GSX-R600 - Former LoveOriginally Posted by Keyser Soze
Everybody on CSC knows everything
2003 Kawasaki ZX6R - Former Love
1999 Suzuki TL1000R - Former Love
2004 DRZ400E - New Dirty
2002 KFX 650 - Quad
As parts (new pads and new rotors) for my car come in at ~$400. I would be quite happy with a $500 brake job.
Your correct in thinking its rare but it definitely happens.
Usually by the time the car has 50K+ on it and actually needs brake pads, other components are wore out too.
Its not how fast you go, its how little you slow down.
I see the same thing every day in the Electric Motor industry and my sales reps get yelled at all the time because "you said it SHOULD be a simple job" Us: We cannot tell you what exactly is wrong with your motor and or how much it will cost until the motor is in our shop and we have completed a thorough inspection."
I imagine the Auto industry is no different.
Commercial says $99 BRAKE PADS Read the fine print "Prices subject to change, discount does not apply to any and all defects found while performing brake pad change out."
For liability issues i do believe that an automotive shop cannot just disregard something they see to be unsafe and needs replacing on the vehicle when it involves the parts they are working on or with.
Couldnt have said it better myself.
Its not how fast you go, its how little you slow down.
So what is Brakes Plus policy on quote son the phone? I still would like to know this. I mean you give an off the cuff quote of "just under $200", but then when I call and am put on hold and told $325 because they looked up the information...why would I expect it to then jump to $495????
Yep, and although service is based on people that work at a location...the Chain itself should be concerned because one bad location wrecks it for any good honest location. I would never try another Brakes Plus in MY life time. This is then passed down to my children who then won't use Brakes Plus...you see where I am going!!! It is one thing to be a shitty ma & pa location, its another to be a shitty chain.
Seems chains all over Denver have shitty reviews. Are there any with honest good reviews???
It's that same vibe you get with any auto mechanic you ever dealt with. Even though you're listening and noding in your head you're like "this guy is fucking me big time". You just belive whatever they say. They're like "Yeah, uh, we had to replace the roof on your car it was peeling back it resented the rest of your car so we replaced that. Also there was a tiny unicorn in your exhaust and he was jumping and poking holes in your exhaust and he was shitting in your filters as well. So we had to get that out of there." Wow thank you very much. I did not know that there was a tiny mythological creature jumping around in there. Thats very dangerous. Shitting in filters? No way. Especially with a road trip coming up thats very dangerous. Shitting in filters. That little Son of a B. Wow, wow. Thank you. How much is that gonna- $7000? Wow. I was gonna suggest, I'd love to pay seven thousandish. I'd love to pay for that. Thank you for not fucking me big time.
I've got more flavor than a packet of macaroni.
^^^would actually laugh and throw a $20 bill at the mechanic for making me laugh before i ended his life.
Holy shit! My sides hurt from laughing so hard. That shit can really happen? A unicorn, huh......
Its not how fast you go, its how little you slow down.
I highly recommend Brakes Plus at 5594 South Gibraltar Way in Centennial, CO. I took my 2004 Toyota 4Runner in for a 4-wheel alignment, and they recommended having my front rotors turned because they were a little warped. I went ahead and had them put new pads all around (I have 4-wheel disk brakes). The total, including turning all rotors, installing new pads, flushing the brake lines and master cylinder, replacing the fluid, bleeding the system, and doing the 4-wheel alignment was $300.
They also gave me a 10% military discount, so I ended up paying $270.
It took them about two hours, but I never gripe about that because I prefer mechanics who take the time to do a quality job.
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