My brakes were making a squealing noise sometimes, so I took my car to Just Brakes to have the brakes inspected. I immediately became suspicious when they told me that they were going to do a complete friction reline for $99.88, before they even looked at the brakes. I suggested to them that they may want to inspect the brakes first to see if they actually needed repair. They agreed and told me that they were backed up, but they would drive me home and call me in about an hour.
True to their word, an hour later they called the house and reported that my brake system was a mess. They said the front pads were wearing unevenly and the calipers needed to be rebuilt. They also said that the rear brake cylinders were leaking and needed to be replaced. Apparently, the springs were week as well. They also recommended draining all the brake fluid and replacing it. And, of course, my brakes were worn out and I would need the friction reline with the drums and rotors resurfaced. The cost of all of this would be close to $500.
I had a bad feeling about all of this, since the car only had 40,000 miles on it since it was new and I could not understand how all that wear could have happened. I told them on the phone that I did not want them to do the work and to come get me. They said they would put the car back together, but they were too busy to pick me up and they did not know when they would be able to get me. I had a neighbor take me there and they turned over the car without charge.
I then took the car to my usual mechanic and asked him to check the brakes. I did not mention the Just Brake experience. My mechanic inspected the brakes and reported that there was nothing wrong with the brakes at all! There was still 50% of the life of the brakes left on the front and 85% on the rear. I asked if the rear brake cylinders were leaking and he said "no". My mechanic adjusted the rear brakes and cleaned the dust from the front ones. He said that the front pads were a little glazed and that was probably the cause of the noise, but it was nothing to worry about. The total charge for an hours worth of work was $38.
The bottom line is that Just Brakes told me that I needed a lot of work that was unnecessary and when I would not fall for the scam, they would not pick me up after they took me home. My only reason for writing this is to advise other unsuspecting potential customers that Just Brakes engages in unsavory business practices and you should avoid using them at all costs. Trust me, you are not going to get a brake job for $99.88.
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