Past history with garage and brake work: Garage fails to install my new pads with my new rotors and signs off on the car being done. I have to go pointedly disagree with the techs and service advisors and point out the boxes of new pads....right on top of the boxes for the new rotors. Time passes. Garage bleeds brakes, but doesn't bleed rear brakes when they claim they did. This causes fender-bender accident that loses me a job and made me hammer the hood straight with a fucking hammer. I'm not entirely sure why I gave them a third chance to fuck up my brakes...except for otherwise good service.
Timeline: Call ahead to set up an appointment for a locally-sourced caliper (old one had a broken bleeder) and master cylinder (mooshy pedal that bleeding did nothing to fix), go in at 11, get quoted 1:30 or 2 PM.
12 PM. One brake guy has left without notice, leaving one left. Car goes on lift.
1:30 PM: New caliper threads are hosed. Caliper is sent back, nobody has a new one, calls are out all over town.
2:30: New caliper found, on its way.
3:00: Nobody knows where new caliper is. Decision point of 'must drive 30 more miles to get to depot and return parts before closing' passes. Coworker cannot help.
3:15: New new caliper arrives as old new caliper is made to work. Made to work method damages bleeder on old new caliper. Emergency call is made to parts driver now taking new new caliper back to wherever they found it.
3:30: New new caliper has a crooked bleeder anyway. New one is found and swapped. Manager comments they've had quality control issues with Autozone parts. First warning sign, ignored.
3:45: I leave. Brakes are better, pedal is still a bit mooshy but firmer after initial squish. Spouse is understanding. Slight rasping noise from left front side, where work had been done, I ascribe it to misalignment of shredded underbody plastics. Second warning sign, ignored.
4:15: Heavy traffic on the freeway to Tigard. Godawful bang on the Samuel...er....Glenn L Jackson bridge by the airport. I ascribe it to road debris and think nothing of it.
4:45: More traffic. High speeds, bumper to bumper. U-turn in Wilsonville and back on 5 up to Carman Drive. Steep downhill, over railroad tracks....KERPOW! Third warning sign. Unmistakeable. I am braking as always, except the pedal sinks to the floor and the forward motion doesn't slow appreciably. Something is badly wrong. Downshift, e-brake, thank god I scrubbed off speed previously, come to a stop at the light uneventfully. Limp to the nearest safest place to pull off at WAY below the speed limit. Brakes die for the last time as I almost hit the curb. Something is REALLY badwrongdead.
Get out, take a peek at that left front...
Holy shit. That is the view through the wheel spokes at a caliper which has FALLEN THE FUCK OFF, pardon my French. I am not happy. I call the garage. They are surprised. Arrangements are made for a tow truck. Leaving Spouse with the car to ensure it's not towed--there are no universal receptionists inside the building whose lot I am invading--I walk about a mile in 90 degree heat to get the parts to the depot. The depot inventory manager is pathetically grateful I brought her these things, although I am dripping sweat and on the phone with the tow truck company which has called me in the meantime.
5:45: Tow truck actually arrives. I pay for nothing.
6:00: Reach other branch of garage, who the first branch has pegged as needing to take a look as they're more local.
6:40: When all other customers have been dispatched, mechanic comes back with caliper piston in hand, it having fallen completely out, giving me the strangest look. No parts stores are open. Car needs, once again, full bleed, front left caliper, and now possibly brake hose...those fuckers aren't supposed to dangle like that. Suggests if I hadn't been lucky, we would likely have a totalled car and then a new car...."a much better car."
6:45: Mechanic civilly informed that this is my first car, a car I have put 190,000 miles on since 1998, and been given the brief list of modifications. Mechanic, perhaps hearing either the loss of patience under my civility or the glint of madness behind the mirrored sunglasses, refrains from offering further opinions. Problem is found to be that the two bolts holding the caliper to the bracket are no longer present. Warning signs one and two. I indulge in a frisson of brief terror at how badly it could have gone, the first time I feel I've had the luxury of emotions other than aggravation since about 1 PM.
7:00: Manager from first store contacted and will be coming down to drive Spouse and I home.
8:15: Manager arrives.
The following truck ride is civil, but a little strained. I explain calmly and logically my previous issues. He offers a possible rationale that the bolts weren't tightened when the parts were there. He further explains he has only about three brake guys. Diplomatic perhaps to a fault, I fail to mention that this same guy has been doing the work every time I've had problems. Jez will be fixed first thing tomorrow, and about everybody's eyeballs will be on her to make goddamn sure nothing goes wrong. He offers to drive her up to the local store for me. At this point....no. Hell no. I politely decline and tell him I will make my own arrangements. I do not respond with the first thing that crosses my mind, which is "I'd rather kiss a Wookie!"
9:00: Manager drops us off so we can get a ride home and to grocery store from local coworker. Offers to take us to grocery store and wait, we decline. Upon departing, he says to just tell him how much we spent on groceries and he'd reimburse us as the least he can do for the whole thing and having to spend all day at a chain store.
Reading between the lines, I believe this is him offering a refund that corporate probably would not permit by any other name. We shopped, non-extravagantly, and in the end the entire sordid affair should wind up costing me only $90 instead of $300.
Forgive the length, it's been a HELL of a day. I'm without a car on Friday night, a whole heaping helping of karma has been burned keeping Spouse and I alive and Jez in one piece.
For the sake of the people out there who love you....make DAMN sure your brake work is done right.
I truly empathize with your horrible day. At the same time, that is why I do ALL my own work. That is how I know it's done right.
I do all my work too, for the work I can't do I ask friends, and work with them and learn how to do it.
There is one shop I do trust here, and its because he is basically a family friend, and will do whatever it takes to get a car done in time, and working perfectly.
__________________
-1994 Toyota Corolla-Ksport Coilovers, custom exhaust, Weapon R intake with Ram Air Kit
Past history with garage and brake work: Garage fails to install my new pads with my new rotors and signs off on the car being done. I have to go pointedly disagree with the techs and service advisors and point out the boxes of new pads....right on top of the boxes for the new rotors. Time passes. Garage bleeds brakes, but doesn't bleed rear brakes when they claim they did. This causes fender-bender accident that loses me a job and made me hammer the hood straight with a fucking hammer. I'm not entirely sure why I gave them a third chance to fuck up my brakes...except for otherwise good service.
Timeline: Call ahead to set up an appointment for a locally-sourced caliper (old one had a broken bleeder) and master cylinder (mooshy pedal that bleeding did nothing to fix), go in at 11, get quoted 1:30 or 2 PM.
12 PM. One brake guy has left without notice, leaving one left. Car goes on lift.
1:30 PM: New caliper threads are hosed. Caliper is sent back, nobody has a new one, calls are out all over town.
2:30: New caliper found, on its way.
3:00: Nobody knows where new caliper is. Decision point of 'must drive 30 more miles to get to depot and return parts before closing' passes. Coworker cannot help.
3:15: New new caliper arrives as old new caliper is made to work. Made to work method damages bleeder on old new caliper. Emergency call is made to parts driver now taking new new caliper back to wherever they found it.
3:30: New new caliper has a crooked bleeder anyway. New one is found and swapped. Manager comments they've had quality control issues with Autozone parts. First warning sign, ignored.
3:45: I leave. Brakes are better, pedal is still a bit mooshy but firmer after initial squish. Spouse is understanding. Slight rasping noise from left front side, where work had been done, I ascribe it to misalignment of shredded underbody plastics. Second warning sign, ignored.
4:15: Heavy traffic on the freeway to Tigard. Godawful bang on the Samuel...er....Glenn L Jackson bridge by the airport. I ascribe it to road debris and think nothing of it.
4:45: More traffic. High speeds, bumper to bumper. U-turn in Wilsonville and back on 5 up to Carman Drive. Steep downhill, over railroad tracks....KERPOW! Third warning sign. Unmistakeable. I am braking as always, except the pedal sinks to the floor and the forward motion doesn't slow appreciably. Something is badly wrong. Downshift, e-brake, thank god I scrubbed off speed previously, come to a stop at the light uneventfully. Limp to the nearest safest place to pull off at WAY below the speed limit. Brakes die for the last time as I almost hit the curb. Something is REALLY badwrongdead.
Get out, take a peek at that left front...
Holy shit. That is the view through the wheel spokes at a caliper which has FALLEN THE FUCK OFF, pardon my French. I am not happy. I call the garage. They are surprised. Arrangements are made for a tow truck. Leaving Spouse with the car to ensure it's not towed--there are no universal receptionists inside the building whose lot I am invading--I walk about a mile in 90 degree heat to get the parts to the depot. The depot inventory manager is pathetically grateful I brought her these things, although I am dripping sweat and on the phone with the tow truck company which has called me in the meantime.
5:45: Tow truck actually arrives. I pay for nothing.
6:00: Reach other branch of garage, who the first branch has pegged as needing to take a look as they're more local.
6:40: When all other customers have been dispatched, mechanic comes back with caliper piston in hand, it having fallen completely out, giving me the strangest look. No parts stores are open. Car needs, once again, full bleed, front left caliper, and now possibly brake hose...those fuckers aren't supposed to dangle like that. Suggests if I hadn't been lucky, we would likely have a totalled car and then a new car...."a much better car."
6:45: Mechanic civilly informed that this is my first car, a car I have put 190,000 miles on since 1998, and been given the brief list of modifications. Mechanic, perhaps hearing either the loss of patience under my civility or the glint of madness behind the mirrored sunglasses, refrains from offering further opinions. Problem is found to be that the two bolts holding the caliper to the bracket are no longer present. Warning signs one and two. I indulge in a frisson of brief terror at how badly it could have gone, the first time I feel I've had the luxury of emotions other than aggravation since about 1 PM.
7:00: Manager from first store contacted and will be coming down to drive Spouse and I home.
8:15: Manager arrives.
The following truck ride is civil, but a little strained. I explain calmly and logically my previous issues. He offers a possible rationale that the bolts weren't tightened when the parts were there. He further explains he has only about three brake guys. Diplomatic perhaps to a fault, I fail to mention that this same guy has been doing the work every time I've had problems. Jez will be fixed first thing tomorrow, and about everybody's eyeballs will be on her to make goddamn sure nothing goes wrong. He offers to drive her up to the local store for me. At this point....no. Hell no. I politely decline and tell him I will make my own arrangements. I do not respond with the first thing that crosses my mind, which is "I'd rather kiss a Wookie!"
9:00: Manager drops us off so we can get a ride home and to grocery store from local coworker. Offers to take us to grocery store and wait, we decline. Upon departing, he says to just tell him how much we spent on groceries and he'd reimburse us as the least he can do for the whole thing and having to spend all day at a chain store.
Reading between the lines, I believe this is him offering a refund that corporate probably would not permit by any other name. We shopped, non-extravagantly, and in the end the entire sordid affair should wind up costing me only $90 instead of $300.
Forgive the length, it's been a HELL of a day. I'm without a car on Friday night, a whole heaping helping of karma has been burned keeping Spouse and I alive and Jez in one piece.
For the sake of the people out there who love you....make DAMN sure your brake work is done right.
Sorry to read this, though the guy was apologetic and offered some help. You were lucky in that regard.
The "new" brakes our former, (read former) garage installed only lasted 2 years of moderate use. They failed to replace a rusted brake line. The fluid leaked out (Thank God it was at the end of a highway ramp) and were able to limp home (brake light did not come on until we were on our street) Upon the car being towed and looked at, the mechanic , said the "Rotor was damaged" End result, new brake repair work. No rental, no food offer, nothing.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dirty Dude
I truly empathize with your horrible day. At the same time, that is why I do ALL my own work. That is how I know it's done right.
Easy said, then done, unfortunately. Many people don't know and/or have the know how to do their own work,especially with the complexity of cars today.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheNightWolf
I do all my work too, for the work I can't do I ask friends, and work with them and learn how to do it.
There is one shop I do trust here, and its because he is basically a family friend, and will do whatever it takes to get a car done in time, and working perfectly.
You're lucky in that regard. After the experience with the shop I wrote about above, I don't trust ANY of them.
Easy said, then done, unfortunately. Many people don't know and/or have the know how to do their own work,especially with the complexity of cars today.
Oh I know, I just guess I was fortunate enough to be raised by(and as) a serious DIYer. If the project fails, I know who to blame and why. If I didn't have the collection of tools, experience, and a place to work on my vehicles, I, too, would have to trust someone else to do the work.
That reminds me, I should probably replace the brake and clutch fluids in both of my Toyotas.
__________________
1994 Pickup base model and a couple Mustangs.
Toyota brakes are EXTREMELY simple to maintain. That was one hell of a story of incompetence.
Be sure to file with the BBB, so others may possibly be spared from ..welll... DEATH! They have no power over anything else. They are just a reporting agency now.
Second, file your story with your states attorney general.
Lastly get a good lawyer. If you dont know one check your county bar association for a referral service. Your experience was one of GROSS NEGLIGENCE, period.
Get your car taken to someone else for proper repairs.
Wow...
Where I work I'm one of 3 techs, we all know how to do brake work. It's pretty stupid simple stuff. How do they have tech's that can't work on brakes?
yea, brakes should not be that hard. Thats complete neglect, considering we are talking about brakes. Which is freaking important! I'm the service manager at my shop, that guy would have been fired for sure if this wasn't the first time!
do it yourself that's why everyone signs up for forums nowadays anyways isn't it.
i ran in to some problems with my own brakes, 2 wheel studs had been chewed up thanks to someone being too happy with a torque wrench, and then the rubber boot had came off of 1 of the calipers causing the pin to dry out. but took care of it all myself
and that way i know everything was done correctly, or at least to the best of my knowledge
Aw man Im sorry about that. Something similar happened to my gf. She got her Subaru serviced at a shop I RECOMMENDED. I took her to pick up her car, we parted from there. Shortly after she calls me telling me she hears a funny noise, I tell her to pull over...I show up and the caliper bolts are gone, the Caliper was knocking against the rim, luckily it did not fall out. I hope things get better. Keep your head up.
Still trying to get those groceries reimbursed. Been trying to get some free legal advice (who knows, multiple failed brake jobs may be something pursuable in court), may wind up calling corporate and trying to get an official refund.
Brakes are solid now, at least. Now I just need new tires, a new windshield, new underbody plastics, the bracket built for the 7AGE EDIS sensor pickup, the new engine in...
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If I didn't have the collection of tools, experience, and a place to work on my vehicles, I, too, would have to trust someone else to do the work.
that's why everyone signs up for forums nowadays anyways isn't it.
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