This place has to be the biggest scam in my opinoin. Today I went in there assuming I would pay 99.00 to get my brakes a done. So I drop my car off, and guy calls back a few hours later saying it would be 600+, saying I needed all this other stuff done. So I tell the guy I dont want the brakes done and he said you owe me 100, I said I wasnt paying. When I get there I see they already had begin working on the car even. They ended up putting the brakes back on and I didnt pay a dime, but it took some yelling.
Even Brake Check is kind of a rip off. I went in there to get shoes and pads, and they tried to stick me for over 400 on a host of ****.
Sure. What I was trying to convey was that work had to begin in order to get an estimate. Is Just Brakes a ripoff? Absolutely. But any brake job cannot be estimated without taking things apart. (Take it from someone who has done a couple dozen brake jobs in his lifetime.)
I never go to a mechanic that's part of some corporation or chain. Best to find a mechanic with his own shop and get to know him. These types of shops in my opinion usually rely on repeat customers, and therefore treat you right.
Let me guess...they pulled the "crystallized brake pads" maneuver Total crooks. I got my brakes done there once, and as a test 6 months later went to another one and they said I needed a bunch of work. Never go there
This is almost the EXACT same thing that happened to me years ago before their big scandal. I think they were cautious for a while because of the bad publicity but maybe things have come full circle.
If you ever go to a Just Brakes or a Firestone, you better bring the "easy glide". Those places are built for suckers.
Yup I have the same story as everyone else. A couple of years ago, I went to Just Brakes to have new pads installed. After about 20 mins, they come out and have a list of things that are wrong with my brakes and that cost over $600. It took me awhile to get my car out because they kept claiming that it would be illegal for them to let me drive my car with my brakes in that "condition".
I went to brake check last year and they did a free inspection. No work or parts ordered until I said so. They put everything back on and I came back a week or two later after I had just gotten paid and I just showed them the "diagnosis" they had handed me on the previous visit and they went to work. Plus if you schedule an appointment well in advance, you get a discount, the further ahead you schedule, the bigger the discount. Of course they didn't do that great a job....I took it back and they did some sanding but couldn't get rid of the noise. I took it to another mechanic after about 8 months and he said he couldn't find anything wrong with them. The wear pattern was uneven, but he couldn't figure out why.
Dude, go to Brake Check Tehy are freaking awesome, and they will actually charge what they say. The warranty they provide is good, and honest especially the customer service they provide. I went to on off of 2920, and the main one I go to is on 1960 close to Mr. Sticker
The key to going to a brake place is: Spoiler Be really good drinking buddies with the manager. Then you can get EVERYTHING done for free, maybe worst case scenario, pay the $99.00 whatever crap.
Here is my horror story from Just Brakes. Back in 1999 I decided to go get my brakes done at Just Brakes since it was time to get new ones on my 1996 Honda Accord Coupe. At this time my car was dropped about 2" had rims and just fixed up a bit. Nothing crazy just more subtle cosmetic things. Well I took the car there cause it was near my house and i heard that it was pretty decent. Problem 1: As soon as I get there the guy that drives it into the garage thinks he can have fun in my car comes speeding around the side and up the ramp knowing my car is lowered causing the front end to scrape the ramp which at that point I should have got the hell out of there. I start going off on the manager who then proceeds to go talk to the guy about what he did and starts apologizing. BTW he would have scraped any sports car out there with the way he came up the ramp because of the low clearance. After inspecting my stuff they tell me that they recommend this and that and better pads etc so I say okay cause it was all in all about $300 bucks for all 4 brakes. After the work is completed I take my car and drive it for a week and then I notice anytime i brake i get a nasty squeal that i never had before. So i take it back to the shop and the guy drives it around and comes back and says i don't hear anything. I said lets go and I'll drive it and show you. He finally agrees and we go driving and it squeals and I tell him that's the sound. He says he didn't hear anything. So at this point im pissed off, I roll down my windows and do it again and again until he finally has no choice but to agree or admit he is deaf. So we go back to the shop and they tell me they have to work on it and see why it's make that much noise. I come back and the manager comes and talks to me and says the problem is that the car has been lowered and it's causing the brakes to squeal. It's not to factory specs so it's causing problems. At this point I look at him like he's a moron. I can't believe this guy thinks im stupid and wants to give me some excuse like this. I turn to him and say that's funny because with my factory brakes that I have had from day 1 it never squealed once and it has always been lowered. So what's your excuse now? He was caught in his lie and didn't have much to say and at that point I start telling him that I want my money back or brakes that don't squeal to which he said he can't do anything about. So right in front of him i called my credit card company and put a hold on the charge and disputed it. To make a long story short at the end of the day I won the dispute and they didn't get a damn dime from me.
