Re: [ihc] Off topic brake question

[Ted Borck <tborck@xxxxxxxxx>]

On Wed, 19 May 2004, ken.dunnington wrote:

> Leo Horishny wrote:

<snip>

> LH> we purchased a 91 'Burb.   When we did a pre purchase
> LH> check, the mechanic I normally go
> LH> to told us the brakes were in need of total replacement soon: rear drums
> LH> turned, new rear shoes, new front pads and
> LH> I can't remember now if it was new front rotors or just resurfacing and
> LH> quoted me $900 for the job.
>
> LH> My wife is now insisting we take advantage of a Brake Team $99 offer.

<snip>

The $99 Brake job is a come on.

It's like Midas' Mufflers life time guarantee, the mufflers are free, but
you will pay for the hangers, and pipes or pipe repairs.

Check it out, after all it is a GM product and the brake parts are not
un-obtainium.

I'd also go to some good local small garage mechanics, and get additional
quotes.

Just make sure that you don't run into a situation in which they tear
everything down, and then you're presented with an *increased*quote* and
pressured to pay much much more, in order to get your 'Burb back.

Case in point, I received a phone call from one of my daughters who took
her vehicle to a Goodyear (?) store ($$ special)to get the brakes checked
out prior to driving from KC MO to Nashville, TN, the next day.

The brakes were not pulling, dragging or scouring, she just wanted someone
to make sure they were OK.

Apparently, seeing a 20ish female, the shop decided to take advantage of
her initiative and lack of mechanical knowledge.  They disembled the (god
only knows what), and presented her with a repair quote of $2,200.00, to
repair and put her car back together.

She called me (I'm in Miami, FL) in tears.

After speaking to the service manager/or mechanic, and realizing that the
mechanic hadn't even looked at what was supposedly in need of repair; they
were persuaded to reassemble her car (I didn't tell them that I was in
Miami), and send my daughter on her way with no charge.

It's fun to help out a damsel in distress. <g>

--
Ted Borck	tborck@domain.elided