My 17 year old daughter is very good about taking care of things on her own. Sometimes I think she's a grown-up in a girl's body. She is very independent for her age and I'm thankful she has a good head on her shoulders. She gets her own oil changed, has her tires rotated and balanced and has even purchased new tires on her own. Recently, she noticed a noise coming from the front passenger side of the vehicle when she applied the brakes. Being little Miss Independent she took the car by a local Express Oil Change and Service Center where they performed a free brake inspection. They printed out a quote for her which totaled $271.72. According to the technician that performed the inspection, the rotors had hot spots and the brake pads had only 10% wear left.
10% - Doesn't sound like enough to me. I certainly didn't want one of my "babies" driving around on 10% (lol). I decided to have it examined again by someone different before letting her drive it. This time, I would be right in the middle of it - I wanted to see these rotors and brake pads for myself. Take a look:
The brake pad on the left is the one taken off the car. See the groove in the middle? It should be deep like the new one (on the right). Instead the entire surface of the old pad is almost smooth. You can barely feel the groove when rubbing your finger across it. The new pad also has a rough texture and you can see the old one (on the left) is shiny and slick. This old brake pad did not have 10% wear left - it was much less.
Also, there was nothing wrong with the rotors. According to the technician, there were "hot spots" on the rotors. In order for there to be hot spots, the metal on the brake pad would have to rub against the rotor. There were no groves or worn places on the rotors.
The estimate for the parts for the front rotors and brake pads from Express Oil Change and Service Center totaled $183.73 (does not include labor). This estimate included parts that the car did not actually need (new rotors). Actual cost of parts (brake pads) from Advanced Auto Parts - $34.99. Our car has wonderful brakes again and for a fraction of the cost.
Does this sound like someone trying to take advantage? Clearly......this is exactly the kind of thing that gives auto repair centers, etc. a bad name. Perhaps Express Oil Change and Service Center should have considered that this young girl wasn't solely responsible for the upkeep of her car. PERHAPS they should have considered the consequences before trying to HUSTLE a young girl out of her money. My job here is done.....be careful ladies (and teenage girls) - there are wolves out there in sheeps clothing. Be smart and investigate further to minimize your chances of being the victim of unethical sales tactics.
Rexanne Smith
Queen of Cars
