Brake Team FYI Portland Oregon

Max says that sometimes the car needs more than just new brakes. That's true, and the bait and switch is common. But Brake Team goes far beyond that.

We *agreed* to pay for the new rotors at, quite literally, 4 times what they should cost. And we would have been OK if that was the end of it. But, it turned out that the old rotors were fine. They also failed to change the oil and filter as they were supposed to. When we asked for a partial refund (of $50) we got the run around. We went back to the shop, but we were told we had to call "corporate" to get a refund. Then they never returned our call... We called again, and again, they failed to return the call. We reported them to the better business bureau and then Brake Team promised to send a check. The check never arrived. We *again* complained to the better business bureau. It was only after beginning to file the small claims case against them that they finally gave us a partial refund. We were reasonable and yet they lied to us again and again. Max, that is not someone "just trying to make a living."

Max says that sometimes the car needs more than just new brakes. That's true, and the bait and switch is common. But Brake Team goes far beyond that.

We *agreed* to pay for the new rotors at, quite literally, 4 times what they should cost. And we would have been OK if that was the end of it. But, it turned out that the old rotors were fine. They also failed to change the oil and filter as they were supposed to. When we asked for a partial refund (of $50) we got the run around. We went back to the shop, but we were told we had to call "corporate" to get a refund. Then they never returned our call... We called again, and again, they failed to return the call. We reported them to the better business bureau and then Brake Team promised to send a check. The check never arrived. We *again* complained to the better business bureau. It was only after beginning to file the small claims case against them that they finally gave us a partial refund. We were reasonable and yet they lied to us again and again. Max, that is not someone "just trying to make a living."

Max says that sometimes the car needs more than just new brakes. That's true, and the bait and switch is common. But Brake Team goes far beyond that.

We *agreed* to pay for the new rotors at, quite literally, 4 times what they should cost. And we would have been OK if that was the end of it. But, it turned out that the old rotors were fine. They also failed to change the oil and filter as they were supposed to. When we asked for a partial refund (of $50) we got the run around. We went back to the shop, but we were told we had to call "corporate" to get a refund. Then they never returned our call... We called again, and again, they failed to return the call. We reported them to the better business bureau and then Brake Team promised to send a check. The check never arrived. We *again* complained to the better business bureau. It was only after beginning to file the small claims case against them that they finally gave us a partial refund. We were reasonable and yet they lied to us again and again. Max, that is not someone "just trying to make a living."

I have spent about ten years as an auto center manager for various well known companies. Yes, it's true, every auto shop out there will offer larger than life deals in order to get you in their shop. $99 for a two axle brake job is legitimate. However, read the fine print before you go in. it should indicate what that brake job includes which is usually not much more than a hang & turn, pads/shoes and labor.
If your vehicle has worn out parts or leaks in the system, they may not be able to continue with that $99 brake job. Pads and shoes aren't the only thing that wear out on a cars brake system, they are just the ones most people are familiar with. It's not their job to absorb the cost of replacing your worn out, neglected and abused brake system parts. Believe me, on that $99 brake job they are not making more than $10-15 bucks net when it's all said and done.
The reason that under-car shops advertise such things is because once they have your car up in the air, they have a chance to properly inspect your vehicle and make additional recommendations. They're just trying to make a living. Trust me, working with automotive repair customers for a living is not easy. It's like having two strikes against you when they walk in the door. First strike- customer is mad walking in the door because their car is broke. Second strike- we have to tell you what's actually wrong and how much it will take to fix it. Third and final strike- we tell you how long it will take.

So bottom line, don't get mad at these guys because you can't get that $99 special. In reality, maybe 2-4 out of ten cars can get away with that. Cars wear out. Brake systems don't last forever.

If certain parts are not serviceable then they legally can't just put pads on your car. If you can't afford to keep your car up to safety standards then I would suggest riding the bus or learning how to do the repairs and maintenance yourself.

For the record, I left the automotive business years ago because the customers were just too unreasonable and abusive.
Cheers.

Frankly the 99$ thing is a bait and switch, however all places seam to do it now. You will NEVER get brakes done for $99 and if you do you get what you pay for. Your brakes are possibly the most important part of you $15K machine.

However, they are shady just the same. I have seen cars come out of Les Schwab with lug nuts over tightened and break off, i have seen oil filters and oil plugs over tightened so we had to replace parts, or loose and dumping all the oil going 65 on I5 from Jiffy Lube.

There are several More places like that.

The only solution is to stop going there, if you are lazy enough and cheep enough to want a $99 brake change in an hour then expect the worse. If you go to a reputable mechanic who you develop a track record with, you will find they will help you out much more, and take some pride in their work.

Remember all of the employees at these places are NOT ASE certified (which is super easy to get), they have high turn over rates, the "technicians" have a very low proficiency and very little experience with cars. There are some exceptions, The Oregon City Brake team has actually a very good, very experienced Tech there (the only one of the whole company) but for the most part I wouldn't take my car there for a free oil change.