VALUE BRAKES ripoff deceptive SEVEN HOURS OVER TWO DAYS TO CHANGE BRAKE PADS FRAUDS Jacksonville Florida

This company has proven time and time again that they are bloodthristy and borderline criminal.

Joe,

First an foremost. This is old news and if it were to be rehashed I really wish it wasn't by someone who obviously did not take the time to read through the whole post AND all the comments there after.

Now, let me go over a few things for YOU. I would gladly accept the "you get what you paid for" if in fact I only spent 79.99 on the brake job. If you read the post you would see I paid nearly triple the price. I could have went anywhere else and got a decent brake job, with no hassle and have the whole thing done in 3 hours for about 79 an axel. That is where my biggest complaint lies.


"You must take the caliper bolts out to do a brake job. Yes it sounds like the bolt got stripped but some people need to understand that bad things happen, especially when your are paying dirt cheap prices"

As for the bolts, Value Brakes owned up for stripping them themselves. Once again, I was not paying dirt cheap prices. I would think if your only job was to do brakes all day, you would learn NOT to strip an essential part of the braking system.

"have some patience, or learn to drop your car off"

I was told the job would take less than two hours. I scheduled my day with a gracious 3 hours to get the brakes done. When I have waited 5 hours and then I'm told that they stripped a bolt, I will get pissed. When I am told that it will take an hour to fix that bolt after waiting 5, I will get pissed. When I come back the next day to get it fixed and it takes 2 hours, your right, I WILL GET PISSED.


"Im done talking about this topic. People have no clue how to run a shop or how to make money at a shop unless you have ran one. It is not as easy as you think and cheap ***** like you make it that much harder, grobbling over the stupid little things"

Calling me a cheap a*s is a really nice touch to your whole post. Trust me, if I went in paid 80 bucks and got bad service, I would chalk it up to being an 80 dollar brake job. I was not "Grobbling"(is that even a word????) I am merely warning other people whom may be thinking about getting their brakes done at V.B not to go there.

Obviously your shop may be one of those who advertise cheap break services then rip consumers off. I wouldn't be surprised if you worked for Value Brakes. Here is a good way to make money, charge 80 an axel, do a good job, don't rip anyone off, and get great word of mouth advertising. Once you have that you wont have to worry about making money. As for you being "done" talking about this topic, I'm glad



P.s. Before trying to pass yourself off as an intelligent person who used to own a shop, purchase a spell checker. Honestly, you used to do brakes?? You can't even spell Pedal! Thanks.

Im going to adress a few things here. First of all your car is a four wheel disc brake vehicle. Any time you reline all four wheels you must brake in the pads as well. This process is called seating in the brakes.

Until this process is done you will feel a bit of a soft brake peddle. The peddle will gradually come up as you drive the vehicle. Your master cylinder has nothing to do with your brake system as long as the system stayed closed as it should have in this situation.

You must take the caliper bolts out to do a brake job. Yes it sounds like the bolt got stripped but some people need to understand that bad things happen, especially when your are paying dirt cheap prices. You pay for what you get my friend. You should have never let your car leave there with a bolt in there that was stripped out, have some patience, or learn to drop your car off.

Im done talking about this topic. People have no clue how to run a shop or how to make money at a shop unless you have ran one. It is not as easy as you think and cheap ***** like you make it that much harder, grobbling over the stupid little things

robert is very right.


I need youe help though. Check engine light came on and i think i jumped time. when i run the highway im around 1.5-2.5 when i accelerate it goes up to 3.0-3.5 some times and this is wierd. I cannot say exactly what my car was running before because i never kept a REALLY close eye on it. The check engine light had since went off (exact day) to be right.


i am still trying to locate your shop. its really hard. I have searched behind every auto zone on the net trying to find a number and cannot.


i need more hints haha. help!

I have a problem with Value Brakes, I am the from Lugoff SC. I did this on my own, you need to metion the safety aspect etc. read my reprt and mail it to the CEO. They were not going to do anything at first, but after I mailed my letter, they paid for a new brake job at another place.

Value Brakes must be one of the most dangerous companies out there. I was truly suprised how many companies out there have to repair what they did.

Good luck.

Bill

My Chrysler has 159918 miles on it, as of this post.

I just finished installing new front rotors, and front caliper hardware. The rotors were warped(due to my use of CHEAP rotors the last time I put new pads on), and the slider boots were torn.

Now, Jeff...explain how in the world I am able to do this without replacing the hoses, and calipers. The hoses don't leak, and allow full flow of fluid back/forth. The calipers do not leak either. Explain to me how I was able to accomplish this seemingly impossible task. I also did not replace the master cylinder, nor the rear ANYTHING. In fact, the ONLY parts of my brake system that have been replaced are the pads(using the NAPA CMX7623 in front, and AE7438C in rear), and the front rotors once, using the CHEAP True Stop rotors. At the time, it was done for lack of time. I couldn't wait for the good United rotors to come from the warehouse. This time, I got some from the dealership. My hook-up, hooked me up.

Now, with the exception of the rotors, NOTHING else actually needed to be replaced. I replaced the hardware ONLY because of COSMETIC reasons. I like Black Beauty to be as pretty inside/outside/above/below as she was when I purchased her new. The pads are still fine, and have very little worn off. They have about 30K miles on them.

So, explain to little old me, Sweet Old Bob(SOB for short), how I was able to do this magic with no problems whatsoever arising from it.

I just cannot, for the life of me, figure it out.

"The Zone" is AutoZone. My shop is behind it, and 30Minute is your hint.

Also, it is fine to mix the pad types(front/rear), but ONLY TRUE Ceramic pads produce no dust. Some are a blend, like those useless synthetic/conventional oil blends. Cheap pads produce dust, and you'll know it when your wheels turn black. I assume you have the alloy wheels on your Chrysler.

I enjoy how Jeff attempts to defend his shop. It's downright hilarious. It's kind of like the hooker defending the Pimp.

And again, yes. The invoice is difficult to comprehend for the exact reason you thought. If you cannot read it, you won't know how badly you got taken.

what i paid for the brakes is kind of hard to tell reading their recipt. but im going to try. I went back to them about three times because of this recipt being so hard to read.


The brake price under specials says 19.00 per pair, but you go down to suggested, they are 50.00 for the ceramic and 40.00 for the metalic. So I paid 128.00 for the brake pads alone. Average it out, its 64.00 a pair.


I've also noticed after looking at this recipt a wile that they only put ceramic on the front, exacally as you stated. I really wish I would have looked at this harder the hours I was sitting there with this recipt instead of taking their word that I was getting "ceramic brakes". They never once mentioned that I would not be reciving them on the back as well. I guess this is why they make the recipt hard to read to the layman. They can tell you anything and then its a he said she said fight.


also, is this customary to mix different types of pads?


Robert, I'm still trying to locate your shop. I've looked up "the zone" and cannot find it. are you talking about Auto Zone maybe? I'm pretty sure I know where the other things you mentioned are. I know EXACALLY where roberts tire shop is. Hope that helps.

BTW, I prefer the german beers over bud any day haha.



Jeff, I know none of my lug nuts were missing. This sounds like a sorry excuse that a V.B person would tell someone.

I do a lot of traveling to Indiana and back thus, keeping my car in top shape is my number one Priority. I do not want to break down in the middle of nowhere and have to deal with the hassles of towing and fixing my car. I clean my car weekly and I buff and shine everything, including the rims. I definatly would have noticed if a lug nut was missing.

They stripped my caliper bolt, they *actually* admited to that, and I was quite surprised. There is nothing that will change my mind about them stripping the lug nut either. I listened to them tightening the lug nuts. They tightened them WAY too much! I was so surprised at what they were doing that I myself was about to go into the bay and ask them if they ever had any training with the tightening tools they were using.

I am not saying that underspec rotors should not be replaced. I am saying you guys replace all rotors, whether they are underspec or not. You tell the customer the rotors are thin, and replace them.

Who makes the 105 series pads you use? Centric? If so, why don't they list them in their website? I'll assume it's because they are garbage. We'll find out in about a year when "A" has to replace her brakes, or in another month, when she has black dust all over her front wheels.

GM, Ford, Chrysler, etc do NOT want the rotors turned at all unless there is scoring in excess of 1.5 mm deep(pretty deep), or thickness variation(not warpage) of .025mm, or heavy corrosion(not surface rust). The European and Asian manufacturers are even more stringent. Flycutting on a new rotor almost puts them at discard. (FYI-do NOT clean the "paint" from the European rotors).

NONE of them want the rotors turned. My lathe holds the floor down quite nicely. Turning the rotors makes them thnner. Since the factories all know they are just about at the limit of what the metal can handle when new, making them thinner will just cause more problems. Some of the bigger trucks(3/4-1 ton) can handle it, as they still use a good beefy rotor. I used to flycut the rotors to deglaze them for new pads, but not since 1997, when the factories put a stop to it. Anyone still turning them, is doing you a disservice.

I know, it's hard to get used to. But, thems the facts, Jack. Like I said, my lathe makes a great conversation piece. It adds to the feng-shui of the decor in my shop.

And Jeff...I drink at the European Street Cafe' on Beach Blvd. They make an excellent Rueben, and a fine selection of good(read that NOT Budweiser) beer. See ya there.

A from Alabama, the 105 pad you are referencing is a ceramic pad but the 104 pad you are talking about on the rear is a premium metallic pad....not ceramic..........I guess what everyone else is hearing or seeing is outside the realm of what business I conduct in my shop........

There is no magical $600 figure at ALL.period.....Yes people dont want to hear that all 4 of thier rotors and drums ARE BELOW SPEC before taking any cutting into considerattion..........

I had a car yesterday that mic'd out at .605 on the left front and .622 on the right front and DISCARD was .822...........was this unsafe?...you bet yer *&* it was.........did they buy new rotors?.....NO.............I refused to put just pads on and walked them..........I'm not getting sued or hold someones car just because plain and simple they dont have the money to do what is needed......

I guess there may be some out there that twist words to confuse consumers like HAVE TO HAVE, UNSAFE, NEEDED...etc......but then again I'm a Karma kinda guy not a bull*&***r........I've been very sucessful in every business I have ever been at doing what I do best, be straight up, tell the facts, and do a correct and proper job.........

If you piss 1 person off they tell 10 friends (like Robert)....if you make 1 happy, they will be a return customer and may eventually send you referral business..........I can go on and on about every single scenario, but everyone scenario is different........if pads are at 2% life left are they needed....yes........if a rotor or drum cannot be turned due to discard spec's is that item needed?....yes.....if a caliper obviously looks like it is sticking.....70% wear inner pad/30% outer pad....is new caliper or rebuilding necessary?.....

No, just recommended........as for the wheel stud and lugnut.......sometimes cars do come in with 1 or 2 missing and noone documents this, of course it looks as if the shop lost the lugs,thats fine, I just buy the lug and call it a cost of business........as for your wheel lug breaking off.......that happens pretty often when using impact wrenches.....once again, if it happens in my shop, it gets replaced at no charge..........Robert, we need to grab a beer and work this out bro!!!---LOL cant we all be freinds?

"A",

resurfacing rotors is part of any professional brake job. Through normal use over a long period of time your rotors get slight waves in them and also glazing. This has to be removed before installing new pads if you want the proper performance from the new pads.

Anyone who puts new pads on without "turning" the rotors is a complete moron. Even brand new rotors out of the box should be turned just to make sure there are no imperfections like warpage or thickness variance.

On many cars there is very little tolerance in the thickness difference of rotors from left to right.

Always do everything in pairs, never just do one side and not the other, and never do just part of the job.

Remove old pads
Inspect all parts
Remove and inspect rotors
Turn rotors
Inspect and lubricate caliper and hardware
Install rotors
Install new pads in caliper
Finish installation, bolts, etc.
Check fluid level
Road test.

As far as your stud and lug nut goes, you have a case. These idiots do not start lug nuts by hand first, they just jam them on with the impact wrench. This is a valid complaint and is very common of these types of shocks.

Thank you "A"

I found them. The PosiQuiet pads are made by Centric. Look in brakewarehouse, for your pads.

The rear pads are a semi-metallic, and list for $32.99 according to the manufacturer. Not exactly a top of the line pad, and definitely NOT ceramic. The front pads are a mystery, as I cannot find their source. I'll have to guess they are the $3/set china specials. The rear pads are the equivalent of NAPA TrueStop pads. They are good for about 30K miles on the front, and about 60K miles rear. NAPA charges me $18.88 for them. What did VB charge you? I'm betting more than the manufacturer's suggest list price...about double MSRP maybe? The front pads do not interchange with any brake manufacturer. If they are also made by Centric, then they must be true junk, because Centric's own website doesn't list them. In fact, it skips over the 105 series of pads altogether. That's some kinda good!

Here's the game. They install a basic soft pad on the rear, knowing they'll last a decent period of time. They install a set of junk on the front, and when they wear out quickly, they tell you it's because you didn't have the rest of their recommendations done. If you had spent the $600, you probably would have gotten the good pads. Since you didn't, they can install garbage, and blame you when they howl, and wear quickly. This is exactly how it was taught to me, when I inquired about employment in MD many years ago, by another brake company. Realistically, it was probably the same Corporation, just a different name. MD ran them out very quickly due to their inability to perform what they advertised. MD is tough on fraud. Needless to say, I did not work for those Jabronies. When the first thing they tell you is "We need you to learn our way of selling/repairing brakes...", you have your clue to leave. I worked next door at another shop at the time. I enjoyed watching the State padlock their doors. Fun stuff. MD doesn't allow you to just change your name and carry on like nothing happened.

The front pads from NAPA are CMX7623, and are what I use on my Chrysler. They are silent, and produce ZERO dust. You'll know if you have Ceramic pads, by the dust. If your wheels get dirty(black dust), you do NOT have Ceramic pads. You don't even have the good non-ceramic pads, like the NAPA "AE" series. The offer to pull the wheels for FREE still stands.

Jeff...the reason I like to send people to your shops, is because I like to keep up with you guys. I especially love giving someone a price, and when they tell me "NO", I send them your way. It works very well for me. I have already shown them what they REALLY need, and shown them on the computer whose pads/parts they are getting, and the MSRP from NAPA. I also teach them about how you do your job. I show them everything you do, and explain why this part, or that, is either bad, or fine. Like I said, I sent one over to you guys, and he got your Manager to go from $600, to $60. HAHAHAHAHAHA! You guys are a riot!

Let's take a look at your latest attempt at obfuscation...

"I only have a couple of responses to the individual who obviously hates VB....I am seeing this ever so clear about someone who so calls just needs pads gets an estimate for what you call the magical number of $600 all the time from VB......"

I was told about that $600 figure before I even opened for business. What percentage of brake jobs do you do at the $78, advertised price. Remember, only add in shop supplies, and tax. I'm betting it's less than 5%.

"what a load of crap............Like I stated before, all I can do is to show someone what there car is doing and make recommendations, the decision is on the consumer.......you want to bash VB for this and that,"

I recommend alot of people get rid of their cars. If they don't, it's not my fault. THAT is the perfect analogy for you, jeff. You recommend the customer replace everything, whether it needs it, or not.

"and you do know how mant times someone has come in with flat out metal to metal with no pads and want a $80 job.....cant count how many times........if your rotors are below spec or cannot be turned without going below discard minimum(from the manufacturer),I am not going to do it.........I am going to tell them(customer) that the rotor has to be replaced.........."

Or, with brand new pads and rotors installed less than a few hours before going to one of your stores. HAHAHAHAHA! Apparently, the ACTUAL readings on the micrometer mean nothing to you guys. You know, I could tell a brand new pad/rotor set just looking at them. Why couldn't you guys? Why can't you at least be HONEST when using the micrometer?

"I didnt invent this number......so dont bash us for just informing you.............if you are having uneven brake pad wear, your caliper is probably gummed up behind the piston and needs to be rebuilt....is it something I am going to cram down your throat?...no...........just a recommendation......."

True enough, jeff. YOU didn't invent the $600 number. You sure do use that magic amount often enough. Read these threads about your company. EVERY SINGLE one of them mentions that $600 figure. As for the caliper "sticking"...99 times out of 100, it's not the caliper at all. It almost always the hose has collapsed. Of course, a $30 hose isn't as profitable as selling a $100 caliper. Of course, the $30 hose is also replaced at the same time, so the customer doesn't know better. Nice. I tell my customers the truth...when will you start? I'm betting it is when you develop a conscience. The last caliper I replaced was on my own car...a 1991 Daytona. It had over 250K miles on them, and one was beginning to show seepage. That was 6 months ago. How many do you replace each day? The one before that was due to the slider bolts not being greased. I could have used a torch, removed the stuck pin, and repaired the issue for about $30, but the customer requested I install new calipers. My customers upsell themselves, Jeff. That happens when they trust you and have confidence in you. Yours run screaming out of your shop and post reports in sites like this. BTW, I have NEVER used Fl LAw to force repair work on someone. My initial inspection is done on the ground, with the wheels on. I give the customer a rough guess, and let them decide how to go from that point, on. As has been proven in these threads, I am extremely accurate with my guesstimates, even at 80mph on an interstate, with no price/labor guide in front of me. You see Jeff, I know my job. It's not that difficult. It takes talent, and the ability to tell the TRUTH.

Try it sometime. You'll have to look for work elsewhere once you get used to it.

Jeff, exactly what Robert said was my experiance, 600 is DEFINATELY Their number. They wanted to do all these repairs to my car or "it wouldn't be safe, and they couldn't put me back on the road like that" yet, when I refused, it went down. THREE TIMES. If they were so concerned with putting an unsafe car on the road they would have towed it. They were only concerned with lining their pockets.

As for kinking my line, your line is supposed to go in a straight line, slightly curved. Mine made a complete circle. I apologize for not using the right terminology for you. Although I do thank you for ACTUALLY reading the post this time.

Oh yea, I was reading my recipt today. Nothing was wrong with my rotors, they said they were fine. Is there any reason why they resurfaced them? They charged me for this resurfacing. Robert you may know this one cos I have no clue.

THey recomended "upgrading" my hardware. Their initial reason when walking me around my car, cos I NEEDED it. Yet, on the recipt, they say for a BETTER warranty.

They also said that my calipers were sticking as well, but that somehow did not make it onto this recipt for some reason. That I'm also confused about since it was such a "safety concern"

Robert, here are the part numbers for the brakes, although I have no clue if they are the right ones.

105.07300 Ceramic brake pad
104.05120 PosiQuiet semi Met pads

I do not know if the rears are ceramic, I was told they would be, but I have no clue about brand names.

Another little interesting Tid Bit, they had to replace a lug nut and a wheel stud. I know nothing was wrong with those when I went in. Must have been that bad habit they have with OVERtightening things.

Robert, thank you for your Mechanical insite on all of this.

regards,

I only have a couple of responses to the individual who obviously hates VB....I am seeing this ever so clear about someone who so calls just needs pads gets an estimate for what you call the magical number of $600 all the time from VB......

what a load of crap............Like I stated before, all I can do is to show someone what there car is doing and make recommendations, the decision is on the consumer.......you want to bash VB for this and that,

and you do know how mant times someone has come in with flat out metal to metal with no pads and want a $80 job.....cant count how many times........if your rotors are below spec or cannot be turned without going below discard minimum(from the manufacturer),I am not going to do it.........I am going to tell them(customer) that the rotor has to be replaced..........

I didnt invent this number......so dont bash us for just informing you.............if you are having uneven brake pad wear, your caliper is probably gummed up behind the piston and needs to be rebuilt....is it something I am going to cram down your throat?...no...........just a recommendation.......

all I can do is to give someone the info, and by the way, I walk them around the vehicle and physically show them, what the problems are or could be........and let them make an eduacted decision.......

by the way, how do you kink a brake line?........LOL........I guess next time I have a headache I'll go to the doctor and after his diagnosis he tells me he needs bloodwork done and I tell him I dont need any bloodwork, I just need an aspirin........but then again, you'll listen to him huh?

"I would like to start this off by saying I am sorry you had "a horrible experience". Now what I will do is hopefully inform you of really what you dealt with."

If you are truly sorry, why is this episode repeated all day, every day, at all of your Company's shops?

"You came to a VB establishment with the expectation of a brake job for $80. Correct?....thats fine. Now, what VB offers for $79, is a set of standard metallic brake pads front & rear shoes/pads, turning the rotors/drums and thats it........for $80.........now, you are saying quotes for this and that were coming back much higher than you expected.....correct?..now, were you shown what your rotor micrometer'd out at?....If your rotors/drums were below the manufacturers minimum requirement then it is the VB employee to inform you of that...did they do that?.....probably yes.......did you choose to do those repairs?.....NO.......thats on you.....you want someone to slap some brake pads on your car 'cause that's all it needs, according to your mechanic bud, and do not want to know any other info on what your car is doing or is about?............"

Why is it Jeff, that EVERYONE who goes to your shop gets the same bill...$600? Everyone needs rotors? Everyone needs calipers? Everyone needs wheel cylinders? About the only thing left on the car after you get done is the pedal itself.

"look, my point is this.......everything in a car is either a mechanic item or an item that will deteriorate after time.....YOUR CAR IS NOT INVINCIBLE..........things wearout and need to be replaced just like oil. As a brake person, I cannot force anyone to make a repair, just make recommendations........sure......I can slap pads on your car and send you on your way...but at that first squeek.......now its all my fault....As for your caliper.......if your caliper was over tightened or lets say for polital correctness a "northern car"......there is a chance that that the caliper was either frozen in place or rusted in place......it had to be taken out to do the job REQUESTED BY YOU......and the broken bolt was being replaced NO CHARGE.........."

Yawn! You want to know something Jeff? I slap pads on cars every day, and NONE of them squeak. I rarely turn rotors, and I don't replace them very often either. Try reading the manufacturer's recommendations on rotors. Believe it or not, they can last more than a year. I replace them ONLY if they are warped, or below spec. I know of several your shops have replaced that were less than a day old. Amazing how another shop can get the goods on you guys.

"I'm just following your description here......yes, the bolt probably had to be outsourced and of course no one controls the drivers of another company for promp delivery of an item..........now as far as your brake hose goes.......dryrot happens.......rubber naturally goes bad after time.....especially since the outsourcing of rubber products manufacturing back in the 80's.......so your car has cheap rubber lines........blame Lee I. for that, not the guy doing your brakes....plain and simple, look at your reciept, especially near the bottom.....is anything mentioned about RECOMMENDED REPAIRS?....."

Am I reading this correctly? You are trying to offer up as an excuse for replacing everything except the pedal, the rubber quality of the 1980's? HUH?! The pad on the pedal is made from rubber. Better start selling that part too.

"nothing in life is mandatory, it is your choice, do an $80 brake pad slap quick fix or do the job right....but then again, your the one behind the wheel coming up on a crooswalk full of kids! Who's getting sued now?"

THIS is the best part of your entire story. Florida Law allows the shop to require the owner of the vehicle tow their vehicle off the property at the owners' expense, if there is a safety issue...and, brakes are a safety issue.

When your guys tell the hapless customer the magic $600 price, they say "put my wheels back on". You then try to chop the price, and the required repairs down. Wait, you just said you have to do it all in order to keep from being sued. HUH?! How can you have it both ways?

The bill goes from $600, to $400, to $300, to $200. The required repairs disappear, like magic. So much for your defense against being sued. I had one guy on the phone while you sharlatans worked your magic. His bill was all but eliminated...how do you like me now?

Anyway, if the customer still doesn't budge, you just wait them out. You know if you can hold the car on the rack for a few hours, the customer will get tired, and tell you to do the work. If not, you'll wait until the close of business to put the wheels on. Tow truck operators don't wait long, so the customer is already out at least one tow bill...simply because you didn't want to accomodate the customer and put their wheels on for the tow truck.

You'll tell the customer the calipers need to be rebuilt, only because they are old. How does "old" equal failing?

You tell them the wheel cylinders need replacing because of the moisture behind the dust boot. That "moisture" is what seals the rubber piston, to the cylinder casting. Rubber doesn't seal anything by itself.

Everyone needs rotors. How is that possible? Especially when the rotors are less than a day old? I replace them on maybe 1/4 of the cars I do. How do you attain a 1.000 batting average, using HONESTY as the rule of thumb?

Hoses? Wait...you covered that. It's the rubber quality of the 1980's. The mere fact the hoses aren't leaking, or collapsed means nothing. This goes back to that "old" theory again.

Master Cylinder? I've seen them last for as much as 20 years. I just replaced one that was 40 years old. You guys can't stand it if they are more than a year old.

Flushing? BINGO! Jeff finally hits one out of the park! THIS is the ONLY thing that actually should be done regularly. Of course, what Jeff failed to mention, is in order for you to have ANY warranty at all, you have to have ALL of his bogus recommendations completed, including the ANNUAL flushing, for which you get to pay $30. YAY! I can pay $600, and then another $30/yr to have the exact same warranty I could get from ANY honest shop for about 1/4 the price initially, and no out of pocket expenses each year.

You guys slay me. I notice your turnover rate is monstrously high. Mechanics only put up with liars and charlatans just so long before their pangs of guilt settle in.

"A"...if you would like, I will pull the numbers off your pads for you. It would be my pleasure. My shop is easy to find. I'm behind the Zone. It only takes about 30Minutes to find me. Or, have John get them. John gets mufflers from me whenever he runs low. Does that help?

I love sticking it to VB. My best customers are people who got the normal VB, JB, BL, etc treatment. My shop never has to change it's name. VB will be called something else when they get sued by the AG again. It's a regular thing. The last time it happened, they had the nerve to use the phrase "New name..same great people". HA!

I notice they have no repeat business. My shop isn't in these reports Jeff. Yours is. Sux to be you.

I'm actually very tired of people who DO NOT read posts here let me answer all your questions, and clear up your false accusations

now, were you shown what your rotor micrometer'd out at?....If your rotors/drums were below the manufacturers minimum requirement then it is the VB employee to inform you of that...did they do that?.....probably yes....

Yes I was. My rotors, drums, by VB's standards WERE FINE.

did you choose to do those repairs?.....NO.......thats on you.....you want someone to slap some brake pads on your car 'cause that's all it needs, according to your mechanic bud, and do not want to know any other info on what your car is doing or is about?.........

I chose not to do the repairs because I only needed pads. I did not need new calipers, lines or what not. I know what a bad line looks like. My rotors were not bad VB checked those themselves. You refer my my mecanic friend as if hes an at home garage kind of guy, he is certified and works in an actual shop, I do not think he would tell me I did not need something if I did.

As for your caliper.......if your caliper was over tightened or lets say for polital correctness a "northern car"......there is a chance that that the caliper was either frozen in place or rusted in place......it had to be taken out to do the job REQUESTED BY YOU......and the broken bolt was being replaced NO CHARGE.......

My car was not a northerner car I did a Car fax on it and it had always been in the south. It had one owner, a corporate leasing company. Nothing was wrong with the bolt when they took me through the initial run down of my car when they had the brake system broke down, but, WOW for some reason later, it was broken, if anyone did it, it was VB. They SHOULD replace the BOLT for FREE. I am not paying for ANYTHING they BREAK!

..........now as far as your brake hose goes.......dryrot happens.......rubber naturally goes bad after time.....especially since the outsourcing of rubber products manufacturing back in the 80's.......so your car has cheap rubber lines.....

WOW. Did I ever mention my hose was faulty? NO! Did I mention anything about it going bad? NO! What I said was that THEY KINKED MY HOSE causing me to have very bad brakes! Some one obviously can't read.

plain and simple, look at your receipt, especially near the bottom.....is anything mentioned about RECOMMENDED REPAIRS?..

Yes there is I had my brakes re-inspected by another mechanic and guess what? NOTHING ELSE WAS WRONG WITH MY BRAKES! Once again, READ before you knock on me. In fact, a few comments up a person does have a good reason why they would tell me something was wrong when its not, they have to pay for a lot of things and they need the money. I am VERY GLAD I did not go through with their recommended repairs because it was nothing but a bunch of false crap that they tried to charge me for.

nothing in life is mandatory, it is your choice, do an $80 brake pad slap quick fix or do the job right....but then again, your the one behind the wheel coming up on a crooswalk full of kids! Who's getting sued now?

I DID NOT GET AN 80 DOLLAR BRAKE JOB!!!!!!!!!!! IT COST ME OVER 200 DOLLARS TO GET MY BRAKES DONE!!!!!!! IT WAS NOT A QUICK FIX (7 hours to me is not a quick fix) If something as bad as me hitting a kid because of my faulty brakes came up you can bet you're a** I would be suing VB because THEY ARE THE ONES THAT F**** UP!!!!!!!!

It was not MY incompetence that has made this the worst mechanics experience in my life it's the unethical practices by VB. Yes I should have just used my friend, I didn't, my bad. But that does not constitute the HORRABLE experience that VB has put me through.

So Jeff. I hope that answers your questions since you seem to want to put words in MY MOUTH. Next time read the whole post and maybe you wont get such a rude response.

Robert, I think I know where you are now. And thank you for the info about the backing plates, I will defiantly have to look that up. I understand where you are coming from, and yes, I have learned my lesson. I will most defiantly use him from here on out. If It does come up they did not do what they told me they did, there will be heck to pay on their part.


Regards,

I would like to start this off by saying I am sorry you had "a horrible experience". Now what I will do is hopefully inform you of really what you dealt with.

You came to a VB establishment with the expectation of a brake job for $80. Correct?....thats fine. Now, what VB offers for $79, is a set of standard metallic brake pads front & rear shoes/pads, turning the rotors/drums and thats it........for $80.........now, you are saying quotes for this and that were coming back much higher than you expected.....correct?..now, were you shown what your rotor micrometer'd out at?....If your rotors/drums were below the manufacturers minimum requirement then it is the VB employee to inform you of that...did they do that?.....probably yes.......did you choose to do those repairs?.....NO.......thats on you.....you want someone to slap some brake pads on your car 'cause that's all it needs, according to your mechanic bud, and do not want to know any other info on what your car is doing or is about?............

look, my point is this.......everything in a car is either a mechanic item or an item that will deteriorate after time.....YOUR CAR IS NOT INVINCIBLE..........things wearout and need to be replaced just like oil. As a brake person, I cannot force anyone to make a repair, just make recommendations........sure......I can slap pads on your car and send you on your way...but at that first squeek.......now its all my fault....As for your caliper.......if your caliper was over tightened or lets say for polital correctness a "northern car"......there is a chance that that the caliper was either frozen in place or rusted in place......it had to be taken out to do the job REQUESTED BY YOU......and the broken bolt was being replaced NO CHARGE..........

I'm just following your description here......yes, the bolt probably had to be outsourced and of course no one controls the drivers of another company for promp delivery of an item..........now as far as your brake hose goes.......dryrot happens.......rubber naturally goes bad after time.....especially since the outsourcing of rubber products manufacturing back in the 80's.......so your car has cheap rubber lines........blame Lee I. for that, not the guy doing your brakes....plain and simple, look at your reciept, especially near the bottom.....is anything mentioned about RECOMMENDED REPAIRS?.....

nothing in life is mandatory, it is your choice, do an $80 brake pad slap quick fix or do the job right....but then again, your the one behind the wheel coming up on a crooswalk full of kids! Who's getting sued now?

I would like to start this off by saying I am sorry you had "a horrible experience". Now what I will do is hopefully inform you of really what you dealt with.

You came to a VB establishment with the expectation of a brake job for $80. Correct?....thats fine. Now, what VB offers for $79, is a set of standard metallic brake pads front & rear shoes/pads, turning the rotors/drums and thats it........for $80.........now, you are saying quotes for this and that were coming back much higher than you expected.....correct?..now, were you shown what your rotor micrometer'd out at?....If your rotors/drums were below the manufacturers minimum requirement then it is the VB employee to inform you of that...did they do that?.....probably yes.......did you choose to do those repairs?.....NO.......thats on you.....you want someone to slap some brake pads on your car 'cause that's all it needs, according to your mechanic bud, and do not want to know any other info on what your car is doing or is about?............

look, my point is this.......everything in a car is either a mechanic item or an item that will deteriorate after time.....YOUR CAR IS NOT INVINCIBLE..........things wearout and need to be replaced just like oil. As a brake person, I cannot force anyone to make a repair, just make recommendations........sure......I can slap pads on your car and send you on your way...but at that first squeek.......now its all my fault....As for your caliper.......if your caliper was over tightened or lets say for polital correctness a "northern car"......there is a chance that that the caliper was either frozen in place or rusted in place......it had to be taken out to do the job REQUESTED BY YOU......and the broken bolt was being replaced NO CHARGE..........

I'm just following your description here......yes, the bolt probably had to be outsourced and of course no one controls the drivers of another company for promp delivery of an item..........now as far as your brake hose goes.......dryrot happens.......rubber naturally goes bad after time.....especially since the outsourcing of rubber products manufacturing back in the 80's.......so your car has cheap rubber lines........blame Lee I. for that, not the guy doing your brakes....plain and simple, look at your reciept, especially near the bottom.....is anything mentioned about RECOMMENDED REPAIRS?.....

nothing in life is mandatory, it is your choice, do an $80 brake pad slap quick fix or do the job right....but then again, your the one behind the wheel coming up on a crooswalk full of kids! Who's getting sued now?

I would like to start this off by saying I am sorry you had "a horrible experience". Now what I will do is hopefully inform you of really what you dealt with.

You came to a VB establishment with the expectation of a brake job for $80. Correct?....thats fine. Now, what VB offers for $79, is a set of standard metallic brake pads front & rear shoes/pads, turning the rotors/drums and thats it........for $80.........now, you are saying quotes for this and that were coming back much higher than you expected.....correct?..now, were you shown what your rotor micrometer'd out at?....If your rotors/drums were below the manufacturers minimum requirement then it is the VB employee to inform you of that...did they do that?.....probably yes.......did you choose to do those repairs?.....NO.......thats on you.....you want someone to slap some brake pads on your car 'cause that's all it needs, according to your mechanic bud, and do not want to know any other info on what your car is doing or is about?............

look, my point is this.......everything in a car is either a mechanic item or an item that will deteriorate after time.....YOUR CAR IS NOT INVINCIBLE..........things wearout and need to be replaced just like oil. As a brake person, I cannot force anyone to make a repair, just make recommendations........sure......I can slap pads on your car and send you on your way...but at that first squeek.......now its all my fault....As for your caliper.......if your caliper was over tightened or lets say for polital correctness a "northern car"......there is a chance that that the caliper was either frozen in place or rusted in place......it had to be taken out to do the job REQUESTED BY YOU......and the broken bolt was being replaced NO CHARGE..........

I'm just following your description here......yes, the bolt probably had to be outsourced and of course no one controls the drivers of another company for promp delivery of an item..........now as far as your brake hose goes.......dryrot happens.......rubber naturally goes bad after time.....especially since the outsourcing of rubber products manufacturing back in the 80's.......so your car has cheap rubber lines........blame Lee I. for that, not the guy doing your brakes....plain and simple, look at your reciept, especially near the bottom.....is anything mentioned about RECOMMENDED REPAIRS?.....

nothing in life is mandatory, it is your choice, do an $80 brake pad slap quick fix or do the job right....but then again, your the one behind the wheel coming up on a crooswalk full of kids! Who's getting sued now?

I would like to start this off by saying I am sorry you had "a horrible experience". Now what I will do is hopefully inform you of really what you dealt with.

You came to a VB establishment with the expectation of a brake job for $80. Correct?....thats fine. Now, what VB offers for $79, is a set of standard metallic brake pads front & rear shoes/pads, turning the rotors/drums and thats it........for $80.........now, you are saying quotes for this and that were coming back much higher than you expected.....correct?..now, were you shown what your rotor micrometer'd out at?....If your rotors/drums were below the manufacturers minimum requirement then it is the VB employee to inform you of that...did they do that?.....probably yes.......did you choose to do those repairs?.....NO.......thats on you.....you want someone to slap some brake pads on your car 'cause that's all it needs, according to your mechanic bud, and do not want to know any other info on what your car is doing or is about?............

look, my point is this.......everything in a car is either a mechanic item or an item that will deteriorate after time.....YOUR CAR IS NOT INVINCIBLE..........things wearout and need to be replaced just like oil. As a brake person, I cannot force anyone to make a repair, just make recommendations........sure......I can slap pads on your car and send you on your way...but at that first squeek.......now its all my fault....As for your caliper.......if your caliper was over tightened or lets say for polital correctness a "northern car"......there is a chance that that the caliper was either frozen in place or rusted in place......it had to be taken out to do the job REQUESTED BY YOU......and the broken bolt was being replaced NO CHARGE..........

I'm just following your description here......yes, the bolt probably had to be outsourced and of course no one controls the drivers of another company for promp delivery of an item..........now as far as your brake hose goes.......dryrot happens.......rubber naturally goes bad after time.....especially since the outsourcing of rubber products manufacturing back in the 80's.......so your car has cheap rubber lines........blame Lee I. for that, not the guy doing your brakes....plain and simple, look at your reciept, especially near the bottom.....is anything mentioned about RECOMMENDED REPAIRS?.....

nothing in life is mandatory, it is your choice, do an $80 brake pad slap quick fix or do the job right....but then again, your the one behind the wheel coming up on a crooswalk full of kids! Who's getting sued now?

Have your friend pull the number from the backing plates. Those numbers will correspond to the brand and part number for the pads. Any part store can do an interchange look-up. I can do it on my NAPA program.

No, I am not Robert's Tires. Although he does have excellent pricing on used tires, my shop is a NAPA AutoCare Center. And no, I do not advertise make-believe prices. In fact, I warn people through my advertising not to believe them.

Nearly all of my customers are other businesses, and professionals. They know the difference between CHEAP and GOOD. I do the jalopy fix-ups here and there, but only if I have absolutely nothing else to do. If watching the leaves fall counts as doing something, then the junkers are SOL.

My whole point in all of these tit-for-tats, is that you have a friend who works on cars. USE him. There is no reason to go anywhere else. A friend will look out for you. Strangers won't. You tried to get a CHEAPer deal, but it was not...by any standard.

Get the numbers from the pads(your VB invoice is meaningless, as they can put any number on it) and find out what you really have. If the numbers do not come up with a Ceramic pad, you have a case. If John cannot do the interchange, post the numbers, and I will do it for you.

Good luck.

Robert, Im still trying to pinpoint your shop. I do know where napa is, but the only place i know is Roberts tire shop. That is in that general area, and if you ARE him. then I am quite blown out of the water since My faimly and I always go to "roberts" to get anything tire related fixed. And i have NEVER EVER had a problem there. but if you are the owners of that place, you dont do brakes. So maybe its not you. The only other facility in the area that i know about is the place right by nappa. I have never been there but my mother got her AC fixed there a loong time ago.

I am not going to argue the point any longer, if you are correct and they did NOT put ceramic brakes on my car, and charged me for ceramic brakes i will take legal action.


As for Bob. Thank you. I will check out the avenues that you have brought to mind. And thank you for verifying they are unethical.

Value Brakes - just brakes - brake world - brake depot - brake land are basically the creation of two brothers from Michigan. They were popular in Atlanta until the lawsuits started coming in and they sold out to Just Brakes and headed for Gainesville, FL. Heck, the General Manager of the company during the 90's was an ex-convict who spent many a year in the slammer for dealing.

Having said that, Anyone who believes that these folks generally care about your vehicle and your safety are nuts.

Fact one: The shops need your money to survive. No shop could offer to give away $80.00 dollar brake jobs and expect to pay their rent, salaries, etc. And to help you with the break-even figures:
rent per month $3,000 plus per month
utility bills: $500 per month
salaries: $4,000 plus per month for 1 manager + two inexperienced mechanics
Cost of parts: 20% - 25% of gross sales ($8,000 cost of goods)
Advertising: 300 per month.
$3,000 per month (equipment lease / bank note)
(value brakes shop averages around $35,000 - $55,000 dollars per month in gross sales)
FIXED EXPENSES AVERAGE AROUND $18,800-$20,000 PER MONTH. These are just average figures..

So, if they get 60 customers per day X 6 days per week (240 customers per month). Each and every customer must pay around $160-$170.00 dollars per ticket to get to $40,000 dollars in gross sales.

You actually believed that they were going to give you an $80.00 brake job?

Hey, I'm not trying to be nasty, I just think that Value brakes, Just brakes seem to pry on the bottom feeders. They are not going for the really nice vehicles, nor are they looking to con the highly educated person. They look for people like you and try to screw you. Once again, I'm not trying to be crude or mock your inteligence level..I just think people need to be careful visiting these facilities. I will guarantee you that almost none of their employees are ASE certified nor do they own more than a few hundred dollars in tools.
How do I know this.

Yes, believe it or not, I used to work for and defend Brake Depot/Brake land/ in court. If you want to win.

I suggest that you notify the attorney general in your state and prove that these are "bait and switch tactics". I'm sorry that they knowlingly chose to rip you off, but if you knew the owners, you would understand.
Call the attorney General. Call the local news station and ask them to file a report.
Good luck
Bob

Your buddy would have made $40 off the job to begin with. You ended up giving him the $40 anyway.

You could have gotten the job done for $160, but instead you are out $300.

1-Ceramic pads are NOT used by VB. They buy junk pads for about $3/set. THAT is why they howl. They also do not lubricate the sliders, or the backing plates. Squealing comes from metal-metal contact.

2-There is ALWAYS a gap between the pad and the rotor. When there is no gap, you are either stopping, or stopped. Ceramic pads do NOT squish. No pad really does, but cheap ones tend to crush down slightly, if you do not burnish them. Burnishing takes about 5 minutes, and a dozen hard stops. Ceramic pads are perfect straight from the box.

Since you are in my neighborhood(shop is), you should know about "things that are too good to be true". Between my shop and John's, is a place that advertises oil changes for $8.88. He even throws in a FREE tire rotation. Do you really think that is possible to do? Lose money on the oil change, and then pay the mechanic extra to do FREE work on top of the money-losing oil change? Think about it. Ask John how they do it. Ask him about Florida Law and not letting the customer drive away with unsafe brakes. Get it? That $8 oil change costs $200 when you get the brake job, they claim you need. Next door to the Beaver street NAPA is a place that advertises a $60 Lifetime Warranty 4 wheel brake job. Really! Never going to happen.

Kind of Caddywhompas from John's shop is a Chinese restaurant that had a $3 buffet. I'll bet that was some good food.

You need to use common sense. Your FRIEND was willing to do the work for next to nothing, ONLY because he's your friend. He fixed your brakes anyway, and got $40. The same amount he'd have made to begin with. Only, he would have used good pads, and not the $3 China Specials that VB uses.

Learn something from this experience. And no, the lesson is not that I am a horrible person. John doesn't think I am. I hook him up whenever he asks.

I sincerely hope you mean something else.

I sincerely hope you mean something else.

I sincerely hope you mean something else.

Yes robert, I live in Jacksonville Florida, and i still yet to see YOUR company name anywhere on here. Some people DO make mistakes when filling out forms.

My mother was a mechanic. The shop is called Muffler depot but they also do brakes as well as many other things. This is not the point. the mecanics of the situation is not the point, the point is a very cut and dry case.

I am not going to argue mecanics with you since you seem to be the "all knowing" I will however argue that YOU dear are the one NOT GETTING THE POINT

The "hardening up" was Value brakes excuse for poor brake pressure.

Lets stick with the rip of facts.

Value brakes told me things were wrong with my car that werent and tried to give me nearly a whole new brake system.
- the only thing my car needed was BRAKE PADS

Value brakes took way too much time on my car, and did an imcomplete job.

- I still had to go back the next day for them to do an additonal repair to my caliper.

Value brakes kinked my brake line
- Putting an unsafe car on the road

I had to go somewhere else, fork over an additional $40.00 just to get this fixed and the car Inspected all over again to assure nothing else was wrong. And there wasn't
- thus value brakes was DEFINATLY trying to rip me off. If something else was wrong i would have been told.

If you are correct about the ceramic brakes then Value brakes did a VERY bad job on my car.

The brakes were not squealing before hand.

I paid 260.00 to get incompetent work done on my car.

THIS my friends is the RIP OFF. Maybe you will get it now.

"A"

You still aren't quite understanding what I wrote.

>>You wrote:
.."A squishy pad can be a result of putting new brake pads on. I cant remeber exacally why, but I do know it is a direct result of putting new pads on and there being a slight gap between the pad and the rotor. They are going to be more squishy when they are first put on but should harden up withing 500 miles. I was going on 2,000 and they were getting worse and worse.

They were squishy before, my pads were in bad shape. I bought the car at 52,000 miles and noticed they were going bad, I did not have a chance to get to them until 60,000 miles. I do not know if the previous owner of the car kept it in check. Hince I'm sure they were in really bad shape".
>>

Once again, take this from an experienced mechanic. You WILL NOT get a "squishy" pad from putting on new brakes [IF done correctly]. A squishy pedal is always from a loss of fluid pressure, whether that be from a leak, air in the system or a kinked line. That is it.

FYI..There is supposed to be a small gap in between the rotors and the pads.

I don't know where you got that info about your brakes "hardening up" after driving, but it is BS. A properly done brake job will be the same when it rolls out of the shop as when you get 1000 miles on it.

As far as squealing goes, it usually is not the pad surface that is squealing, it is the backing plate and the piston of the caliper.

As far as the things you mentioned that your freind said about ceramic pads, ALL not true. He needs to stick to mufflers as he knows very little about brakes.

ps. I can see your mother taught you well about brakes. Was she a certified mechanic? Probably not.

Ceramic pads do NOT do any of those things. If you have anything other than stamped-steel wheels, you NEED ceramic pads. They are the ONLY pads that DON'T chalk, flake, or squeal. There's a reason they are the most expensive. It's because they are the best.

I see you ended up letting your buddy fix your car. What did you learn from this experience? I assume it's not that you live in Florida.

I got tired of the squealing and I was worried since my brakes were not "hardening up" so I humbled myself and did go to my friends shop, Muffler Depot.

He took my brakes apart and walked me though the wonderful world of brakes. He took my car completely apart and showed me where everything was and what it did.

I was told by him that:

A) Ceramic brakes do tend to squeal and they tend to chalk off.

Value brakes told me one of the benefits of having ceramic brakes was they would NOT squeal and they DO chalk off.

B)My friend found a kink in one of my brake lines that was causing me not to get adequate brake fluid to my front passanger side brake. He did fix this for me though, He also lubed up my brakes, so now the squealing isn't half as bad.

C) I asked him if anything else was wrong with my brakes like Value Brakes was trying to tell me it was. He said nothing what so ever was wrong, all I needed was the kink fixed and my brakes were in very good condition.

Cost of all of this 40.00 not bad at all for peace of mind.

I'm happy they did not mess up my master cylinder. If this would have been the case, I would be forking over an additional 200 to get that fixed.

I'm still very upset that i have to live with these brakes squealing everytime I apply the brakes, but that is my fault for not going with my friends shop in the first place.

I wish there was some way to get the 40.00 fee back from Value Brakes for having to have someone go back and FIX my brake line, but judging by the other reports on here, and my personal experiance with them, all they will tell me is I should have went back to them to have them fix it.

As said in my report above, they do not care about what they do to people. When I called to get them to figure out why my brakes were squealing all I got told was it was most likely something else wrong with my car. (nothing else was wrong)

I think they install Ceramics and tell you they dont squeal so when you come back they can tell you something else thats not wrong with your brakes are, and fix that, thus ripping you off for more money.

I also with I could somehow get reimbursement for them lying. NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH MY BRAKE SYSTEM. THE ONLY THING I NEEDED WAS THE ONLY THING THAT WAS WRONG!!!!!

Is there anything I can do to somehow get SOME KIND of reimbursement for all they have put me though????

As for the last rebuttle:

First, Steve thank you for letting me know exacally what they did to my calipers.

Yes, I do know a few things about cars. My mother taught me a few things about cars so I would not be stuck on the side of the road in the middle of the night, being a girl and all, that is unsafe, But I do not want to do the work myself for many reasons. I do not have a place to work on my car being the biggest one. And second, I rather have a professional do the work.

A squishy pad can be a result of putting new brake pads on. I cant remeber exacally why, but I do know it is a direct result of putting new pads on and there being a slight gap between the pad and the rotor. They are going to be more squishy when they are first put on but should harden up withing 500 miles. I was going on 2,000 and they were getting worse and worse.

They were squishy before, my pads were in bad shape. I bought the car at 52,000 miles and noticed they were going bad, I did not have a chance to get to them until 60,000 miles. I do not know if the previous owner of the car kept it in check. Hince I'm sure they were in really bad shape.

Value brakes did Bleed my brake system. A squishy pedal can be caused by air in the brake line as well. Value brakes Bleed my brakes, thus there shouldent have been any air in the line, and
my brakes should have hardened up. They didn't

I did not PAY for an 80 dollar brake job. Yes, thier ad made me think WOW thats a good deal, let me go check it out. But in the end, (and i just found the reciept) I paid 260.00 For both axels. I apologize if you missed that bit. But if I did get a crappy 80 dollar job and something was wrong, I probably wouldent be on here.

Yes, you get what you pay for. I paid 260 for BRAKE PADS, thus I should have NO problems, and I most defiantly shouldent have had to fork over an additional 40.00 for someone else to fix them.

I want to get the word out to people Who may not know much about cars. I do not want them to get ripped off by these people.

They get customers suckered in by their ad. Yes i know this is a marketing ploy, upsell upsell upsell. I understand that but they will tell you everything is wrong with your brakes and then try to tell you that they dont want to put an unsafe car on the road, thus guilt tripping you into buying the whole package that you dont need. They will also charge you over 600 to do this work.

Luckily (if you want to say that) I only paid 260 for BRAKE PADS, they still did incompetant work. I almost want to go as far as saying they put an UNSAFE car back on the road, because I hardly had brakes at ALL. I am lucky in the sense that I did not let them fully re-do my brakes because I would not have proof of them Lying about the condition of your car just so they can pocket more money.


Not to mention I spent 7 hours total over two days to get bad work done on my car.

The main reason I was filing the report was to warn people of their unethical practices. After I got them RE-checked out, and was told there was absolutely nothing else wrong with my brakes I was outraged. Value brakes was trying to charge to me fix something that WAS NOT BROKEN!

Its JUST PLAIN WRONG.

"A",

After reading your posts I have come to a conclusion. Do the job yourself! Why take it to a mechanic if you know what it needs?

You seem to speak about what you needed and didn't need and referenced several parts and procedures regarding brake jobs. This indicates to me that you should have the knowledge to just do it yourself. It really is a very simple task.

Now, I'll explain. You asked what the mechanic was doing messing with your calipers. Well, they have to come off to change pads and/or rotors.

FYI. A squishy pedal is very rarely a result of worn pads unless they are all the way gone and overextending your caliper and/or wheel cylinders. It is usually due to a system that needs to be bled resulting from a a leak.

The reason your caliper bolt was bad is they cross threaded it while re-installing it.

You get what you pay for. If you really think you can get a proper brake job done on all 4 wheel for only $80 you need a reality check.

Why is it that no one ever wants to pay a competent mechanic. The friend of your freind who was going to do it for $80/axle offered you a very good deal.

"A",

After reading your posts I have come to a conclusion. Do the job yourself! Why take it to a mechanic if you know what it needs?

You seem to speak about what you needed and didn't need and referenced several parts and procedures regarding brake jobs. This indicates to me that you should have the knowledge to just do it yourself. It really is a very simple task.

Now, I'll explain. You asked what the mechanic was doing messing with your calipers. Well, they have to come off to change pads and/or rotors.

FYI. A squishy pedal is very rarely a result of worn pads unless they are all the way gone and overextending your caliper and/or wheel cylinders. It is usually due to a system that needs to be bled resulting from a a leak.

The reason your caliper bolt was bad is they cross threaded it while re-installing it.

You get what you pay for. If you really think you can get a proper brake job done on all 4 wheel for only $80 you need a reality check.

Why is it that no one ever wants to pay a competent mechanic. The friend of your freind who was going to do it for $80/axle offered you a very good deal.

"A",

After reading your posts I have come to a conclusion. Do the job yourself! Why take it to a mechanic if you know what it needs?

You seem to speak about what you needed and didn't need and referenced several parts and procedures regarding brake jobs. This indicates to me that you should have the knowledge to just do it yourself. It really is a very simple task.

Now, I'll explain. You asked what the mechanic was doing messing with your calipers. Well, they have to come off to change pads and/or rotors.

FYI. A squishy pedal is very rarely a result of worn pads unless they are all the way gone and overextending your caliper and/or wheel cylinders. It is usually due to a system that needs to be bled resulting from a a leak.

The reason your caliper bolt was bad is they cross threaded it while re-installing it.

You get what you pay for. If you really think you can get a proper brake job done on all 4 wheel for only $80 you need a reality check.

Why is it that no one ever wants to pay a competent mechanic. The friend of your freind who was going to do it for $80/axle offered you a very good deal.

"A",

After reading your posts I have come to a conclusion. Do the job yourself! Why take it to a mechanic if you know what it needs?

You seem to speak about what you needed and didn't need and referenced several parts and procedures regarding brake jobs. This indicates to me that you should have the knowledge to just do it yourself. It really is a very simple task.

Now, I'll explain. You asked what the mechanic was doing messing with your calipers. Well, they have to come off to change pads and/or rotors.

FYI. A squishy pedal is very rarely a result of worn pads unless they are all the way gone and overextending your caliper and/or wheel cylinders. It is usually due to a system that needs to be bled resulting from a a leak.

The reason your caliper bolt was bad is they cross threaded it while re-installing it.

You get what you pay for. If you really think you can get a proper brake job done on all 4 wheel for only $80 you need a reality check.

Why is it that no one ever wants to pay a competent mechanic. The friend of your freind who was going to do it for $80/axle offered you a very good deal.

Robert,

I do not know why I am even acknowleging you. Honestly the only reason I came back to check on the report I wrote was because I was wondering what kind of " constructive solution" ripoffreport let you file on my report.


First of all. My friend wanted 80 per PAIR. I went to him for BOTH brakes. If you took the change to actually READ my post instead of going straight for the jugular you would have noticed that tid bit.


I posted this rip off report to WARN others of thier unethical pratices. I am highly saddened that you have nothing else better to do with your time except sit there and read other peoples reports and 9 times out of 10 put them down without even reading that ACTUAL material. I am not surprised at your behavor though, some people are just rude.



As for my reasoning for thinking that some one else could do my brakes for 80 dollars is because THEIR AD SAID SO. I aplogize, but I tend to belive written material in a magazine. I AM shocked because they lied in their ad. They did not state anywhere that "Yes we will give you a 80 dollar brake job, but your going to be back in 1000 miles because your brakes will fail"

When I called to set up the apointment I even asked if this applied to my car, and they said yes. So I was lead to belive not just by written material, but also verbally that the 80 dollar job would be FINE for my vehicle.

I see in a lot of posts you say you OWN a company that fixes cars, please feel free to post what place you ACTUALLY own. That way I know never to go there. You are obviously a wierd one, it seems the way you get your kicks is by putting people down. I says volumes for the way you would treat potential customers that have a complaint against your company, and I most DEFINATLY do not want to be put in the position of dealing with YOU.

I know you will post back, I do not even care. I wanted people to know of their unethical behavor and that is what I have done. You, on the other hand, are the perverbial thorn in my ___ that I wish that I didnt even have to aknowlege.

With the UTMOST regards,

You have a buddy who owns/works a repair shop. So naturally, you want the super-incredible-can't be done for that amount-unbelievably low price at VB. They did exactly what they always do. And now you are shocked.

Your friend could have done the job correctly for a REASONABLE price($80), yet somehow you determined getting all four done for LESS than $80 was reasonable. Your buddy was giving you a huge discount by doing it for $80. Good pads for your LHS would have cost him almost that much. Chrysler wants Ceramic pads front and rear. His cost from NAPA would have been $68. What line of reasoning brought you to the conclusion that if your buddy can do the front brakes for "X", another place must be able to the job for a total stranger for "X-Y", and include the rear brakes too? How does that work?

I have a buddy who cuts down trees. If he gives me a price, I don't bother talking to another company. I KNOW he's giving me a good deal.

I see you used the one on Blanding. I'll probably see you pretty soon at my shop so your brakes will work properly. I get a whole bunch more than $78 to do four wheels. Try doubling it. That's still a deal, and I don't take two days to do a two hour job.