Sun Devil Auto Tempe, Arizona Brake Ripoff

Whoever attempted to diagnose Mark's truck was entirely shooting in the dark. The symptoms described are most likely caused by worn out parts in the suspension. Vehicles with lift kits are especially prone to suspension problems. They should have taken a couple minutes to check on that before screwing with anything else. I really don't understand a shop doing something stupid like this when they could have made a decent amount of legit money and had a happy customer.

Hey Nathan you say that Sun Devil Auto is a proud member of the Better Business Bureau! I say WHOOP EEE. Tofixit.com says they only pick to best. They have the following posted on their web site.

[To find a good company in any of the ToFixIt! business categories, takes time. Between phone calls and meetings to get quotes, a lot of your valuable time has been eaten away. We have made exhaustive phone calls, researched the local reporting bureau's,

Arizona Registrar of Contractors, the appropriate regulating boards for the various industries, and spoken with contractors within each of the ToFixIt! business categories in order to find the very best companies. ToFixIt! is a member of the BBB and expects all participant companies to adhere to its high ethical business practices. We have made certain that these businesses meet and will continue to adhere to an extensive list of requirements.]

I don't believe any of you! Look what I found, I can't be the judge and say who was right or wrong, But I can say you guys wind up in a court of law MANY TIMES. WHY Nathan WHY?

Nathan can you explain all of the below to Ripoffreport.com's millions of readers?

http://www.superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/docket/civil/caseInfo.asp?caseNumber=CV1995-014864

http://www.superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/docket/civil/caseInfo.asp?caseNumber=CV1997-019811

http://www.superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/docket/civil/caseInfo.asp?caseNumber=CV2002-015800

http://www.superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/docket/civil/caseInfo.asp?caseNumber=TJ2006-003806

http://www.superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/docket/civil/caseInfo.asp?caseNumber=CV1999-011516

http://www.superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/docket/civil/caseInfo.asp?caseNumber=CV2003-002005

http://www.superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/docket/civil/caseInfo.asp?caseNumber=CV1993-010089

http://www.superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/docket/civil/caseInfo.asp?caseNumber=CV1993-017620

http://www.superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/docket/civil/caseInfo.asp?caseNumber=CV1995-009917

http://www.superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/docket/civil/caseInfo.asp?caseNumber=CV1997-010200

http://www.superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/docket/civil/caseInfo.asp?caseNumber=CV2001-090748


http://www.superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/docket/civil/caseInfo.asp?caseNumber=CV2002-005379

http://www.superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/docket/civil/caseInfo.asp?caseNumber=CV2003-002426

http://www.superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/docket/civil/caseInfo.asp?caseNumber=CV2003-014527

http://www.superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/docket/civil/caseInfo.asp?caseNumber=CV2004-005717

http://www.superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/docket/civil/caseInfo.asp?caseNumber=CV2004-011576

http://www.superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/docket/civil/caseInfo.asp?caseNumber=CV2004-090095

http://www.superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/docket/civil/caseInfo.asp?caseNumber=CV2005-006281

http://www.superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/docket/civil/caseInfo.asp?caseNumber=CV2005-007278

http://www.superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/docket/civil/caseInfo.asp?caseNumber=CV2005-015024

http://www.superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/docket/civil/caseInfo.asp?caseNumber=CV2005-052830

http://www.superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/docket/civil/caseInfo.asp?caseNumber=TJ1993-003158

http://www.superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/docket/civil/caseInfo.asp?caseNumber=TJ1994-002928

http://www.superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/docket/civil/caseInfo.asp?caseNumber=TJ2001-000968

http://www.superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/docket/civil/caseInfo.asp?caseNumber=TJ2002-000705

http://www.superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/docket/civil/caseInfo.asp?caseNumber=TJ2002-002558

http://www.superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/docket/civil/caseInfo.asp?caseNumber=CV2006-090866

There is no way for a mechanic to accurately predict what will happen to your brakes 7 months after your car leaves their shop. Sometimes when you compress a caliper to install new pads and rotors you damage the caliper. This is caused by build up inside of the bore that the seal was not riding on until you compressed it. This is not the mechanics fault, this is due to the age of your vehicle. Most shops will try to sell you calipers as preventative maintenance. Most customers will get upset and say they don't need them. Most times the customers right, however there are the few instances when they really should have replaced them but didn't. Our job as your mechanic is to try to fix your current problem, and prevent future problems by replacing parts that do wear out over time. If you are unwilling to pay for the additional repairs for preventative maintenance, then don't get mad when it fails. As far as the clunking noise, and popping they should of diagnosed it properly. However with your lift kit not being secure, it's very likely they felt that welding it would fix your noise. However very often with an older truck there are other noises that are covered up by the much louder noises. As far as the price that's a pretty reasonable amount, considering you problably got new rotors, which are expensive on that vehicle. Ofcourse it would be cheaper if you went to Autozone and did it yourself, but you didn't so you have to pay for the service you received. Most shops won't do any repair without approval, so if you're going to complain about the price later, just say no in the beginning.

I am a Customer Service representative for Sun Devil Auto. We are very sorry that you may have had an unsatisfactory experience and we would like an opportunity to resolve this issue. Please contact me directly by going to our web site, www.sundevilauto.com. Click on Customer Service and fill out the form provided. Someone from our staff will contact you.

Sun Devil Auto is family owned and operated. Since 1978 we've established a premiere name and solid reputation in the valley's auto repair industry. We've built more than 20 store locations and it's with great pride that we confidently offer professional, friendly service while caring for our customers.

We employ ASE certified technicians. Our staff completes a comprehensive training program before they take to the shop, so you can be assured that your vehicle is in competent, capable hands.

We guarantee our work in writing and only perform the work you authorize.
Sun Devil Auto is a proud member of the Better Business Bureau. If for any reason you are not comfortable in contacting Sun Devil Auto then the Better Business Bureau might be a solution. They will listen to your complaint and contact us for a resolution. They will even arbitrate the matter if necessary.

Thank you for the opportunity to remedy this situation. We appreciate your business and hope to hear from you directly.

It's highly unlikely that new pads would wear grooves in rotors. Sounds more like they re-surfaced the old rotors and a couple of harmless deep grooves remained after machining. As for the "clunking," have you checked your motor mounts, transmission mounts, and rear spring mounts? If your drive-train is flexing it could be banging the floorboards.

Brando...You sound like you still work for Sun Devil in your Rebuttal! Stop it Puhleezzzz!

I was employed by Sun Devil for quite a while, and I can tell you that the Higginbothams (the owners) did not profit $24 million in 2000 by screwing people.



I can't comment on the clunking noise on your vehicle, becasue I was obviously not the tech who serviced your vehicle, however, I can comment on the braking system. When a vehicle comes into Sun Devil for any service, even a free oil change, an inspection is done on the vehicle, for many reasons. Mainly so they can make more money, but it's also to let the consumer know what may be wrong or going bad on their vehicle.



In the case of brake calipers, unless the pad is wearing unevenly from the inner to the outer pad, leaking, or there is "brake pull" to one side or the other during braking, there is no way to tell that a caliper is bad. So when they sold you brakes they may not have known that the caliper was bad, because believe me, they would have tried to sell them to you.



As far as the price, you probably had all four brakes done, front and rear, and that is not a bad price at all. Pads alone on that vehicle run about $75, but then an auto shop, ANY auto shop, typically jacks the price up by about 200-300%! So, if you have doubts about work that should be done, maybe you should get two or three estimates at different places, because you will find that more times than not, Sun Devil is honest and very competitive in their pricing.