We had the same experience with Just Brakes here in Austin. Or as we now call it, Just Break It. My wife took her van in to get the pads replaced just over 2 years ago. They were advertising a sub-$100 price.
Long and expensive story short: they told her she would more or less die due to a horrible accident if she did not approve another ~$800 worth of work (rotors, axles, and all sorts of other stuff). They got her sufficently upset and worried that she approved it.
I asked for the old rotors when I heard about this and we went to pick up the car. They were perfect. Not warped, not worn, a lot of life still left on them. (I still have them) The service manager then talked a load of utter nonsense about how the slight rust on the rotors meant they had to be replaced because the pads would not grab properly. This was a very light discoloration that gave the rotors a slightly brown hue in places, such as you see on almost any rotor that is not brand new. I told him we would not pay for the replacement of the rotors, as it was not needed. He basicaly refused to give us our car back unless we did.
I then asked why they replaced an axle. He said the CV boot was torn, therefore there was a chance that over time dirt could get into the bearing, and to replace the CV boot they had to take it all apart so why not put in a new axle. The CV boot had been just fine a couple of months earlier, when the car was at the dealer for maintenance. I was suspicious, but what could I do. I looked at the car on the lift after the work had been done and they confirmed the car was now "perfect" and said it was good for tens of thousands of miles.
My wife took the car back a couple of days later because the brakes were acting up (they had been fine before we took the car to JB for new pads). Next thing we knew, they were saying they had to replace the OTHER axle, because "the CV boot is torn". I told them to go to hell, although not in those words, fix their brake job so the brakes worked properly, and give us the car back. They had told my wife they'd take care of the brakes straight away over the phone. She ended up waiting there all day, with a young child, while they tried and tried to persuade her to pay for all sorts of unnecessary work. I finally had to go there and almost shout at the service manager to get our car back, and even then we ended up waiting around another hour.
Now it seemed certain they must have sabotaged the 2nd CV boot. There was indeed a tear in it now, but a couple of days earlier there had not been. I looked at the tear - it looked like someone had stuck a screwdriver into it and torn it up. It was a ragged, fresh tear, with no dirt or dust around the torn edges. The boot itself was supple and in great shape apart from the tear - not dried out and cracking as one would expect from a boot that had spontaneously torn.
Skipping more details and episodes, we ended up taking the car shortly afterward to the local dealer and paying a couple of hundred dollars to fix the brakes so they'd work properly again. While this was being done the dealer pointed out that the rotors were rather worn and right on the edge of needing replacement. I said this could not be, as they were new. He showed me - they were indeed very worn. This is a dealer who has never overcharged or done unnecessary work for us - a refreshingly capable and honest service shop. I have to conclude that JB replaced my good rotors with used ones that were almost at the end of their life. When I called them on this they denied it, of course.
I ended up having to get the rotors replaced about 6 months later. (I would not take it back to JB for replacemernt under warranty, as I did not want more damage done to my wife's vehicle)
Just over 2 years later now, and the axle JB said they replaced broke (bearing) while my wife was driving. We took it to the dealer, who was rather skeptical when we said it was slightly over two years old. He wouldn't come out and say anything bad about another shop (this dealer never does, as a matter of policy), but it was clear that he felt it to be rather unlikely that the axle was that new.
All in all, our sub-$100 brake job ended up costing us well over almost $ due to unnecessary work, the need to re-do work at a capable shop, and the failure of a part they said they replaced.
My recommendation - under no circumstances take your car to Just Brakes. Avoid them like the plague.
For myself, I would not even allow my car to be parked in their parking lot.
Gordon
austin, Texas
U.S.A.
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