November 13, 2007 · 1 Comment
The first part of a good brake job starts with a little Q&A. Your mechanic should ask you some questions to better determine what the problem may be. It helps a lot if you are already prepared to answer these questions. A few of them might be:
* What kind of noise do you hear? Squealing? Grinding? Groaning? Clicking or clacking? Humming?
* When do you hear the noise? All the time? Only when you brake? On cold mornings? In reverse? Only when you brake and turn gently to the left (sounds dumb, but believe me, this helps)?
* Do you feel anything unusual when you brake? Vibration in the front of the vehicle? Pulsation in the pedal? Side to side movement in the steering wheel? Soft pedal? Sinking pedal? No pedal?
* When is the last time you had brakes done? Has anyone looked at this yet? (more…)
Categories: Auto repair knowledge
Tagged: brakes, mechanic, questions, san antonio, test drive
November 13, 2007 · 1 Comment
[This post is the introduction to my series on getting a great brake job. Over the next few parts, I'll give you details, what to look for, what to expect, and when to run away.]
There are so many places these days that you can get a brake job. Like oil changes, brake services are a commodity. They are very competitively priced and can even be done by your next door neighbor for a 6-pack of his favorite brew.
However, your safety rides on your brakes. If done improperly you could end up with irritating brake noise at the very least. In addition, poor quality parts may not last as long, leaving you to foot the bill on another brake job in as little as six months. On the other end of the spectrum, however, you could actually get in an accident. The problem for most people, however, is how do you know when you are getting a good brake job? How do the common folk (like me) know what really needs to be replaced and how much it should cost? Much less, how am I supposed to know anything about product brands? How do I know if a bad job has been done?
As a commodity, most people shop for brakes based solely on price. People have no commitment to any particular shop, as long as they can get the cheapest price. Right?
What ends up happening, however, are that shops resort to the old ‘bait and switch‘ to lure you in (more…)
Categories: Auto repair knowledge
Tagged: bait and switch, brake job, brakes, commodity, mechanic, san antonio, scare tactics
