like my dad always told me...you want something done right? do it yourself..

not to mention i'd never take any vehicle to a place called "just brakes"...
 your just asking to get just ripped off.. :<(

chris

In a message dated 10/17/07 2:04:13 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
mrpolak@YAHOO.COM writes:

>
> I just wanted to pass this on to you as a word of caution when dealing with
> JUST BRAKES franchise, or any other "mechanic" for that matter.
>
> Like a genius I left my parking brake up for one last time and overheated my
> rear brakes.  The brake pedal went to the floor, but I still could stop. I
> did not have the time to replace the rear brakes on my Vanagon, so I decided
> to take my vehicle to JUST BRAKES... because they are "experts"... right?
>
> So, I get a call from them telling me it will take $1000 to fix the problem.
>  Allegedly my rear drums were worn beyond spec (out by .02 inches) and my
> master cylinder was shot because it was dry or leaking or bypassing (They said
> it was one of the three, but hey did not know which).
>
> What they did not know is that 1) the rear drums only have about 10K miles
> on them 2) I inspected the rear brakes a week before taking it in and 3)
> master cylinder was low because the parking brake lever that's attached to the
> brake shoe came off causing the brake cylinder to expand and 4) I know more
> about Vanagons, or VWs for that matter, than they do.
>
> I came in to talk to them to find out the logic behind their thinking and
> realized that I could not reason with them.  They mis-measured the rear drums,
> totally missed the broken parking brake, diagnosed the master cylinder based
> on a wild assumption, broke the reverse lock-out on my shifter and left
> greasy hand prints all over hubcaps and body of the van. Yeah, I was just a little
> miffed -- Too miffed to deal with them
>
> So, I picked the camper and replaced my brakes the next day in my driveway
> despite Neighborhood Home Owner's Association's by-laws.  Advanced Auto Parts
> delivered the brake shoes on Sunday morning and I bought the proper tools to
> work on drum brakes.  The job took 1.5 hours which included meticulously
> adjusting the parking brake.  The master cylinder is just fine and the rear drums
> are fine.
>
> $75 later I wonder how many people JUST BRAKES ripped off who didn't know
> any better?  At least one I work with, and probably hundreds more...
>
> Thanks to the Vanagon List for the wealth of knowledge I acquired over the
> years - it sure makes owning a Westfalia easier!
>
> And... I'd be very careful dealing with franchise auto shops!
>
> Chris S.
>
> P.S. Better Business Bureau complaint to follow.
>

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