Stranded in Austin.A BIG THANKS to Brake Specialists Plus(William Cannon)& Smokenssz.
07-28-2009, 10:31 PM
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Stranded in Austin.A BIG THANKS to Brake Specialists Plus(William Cannon)& Smokenssz. My entire family and I were driving down I-35 today in Austin when I heard a pop and a clunk in the front end of our Expedition. I thought I hit something in the road that I didn't see. When I tried to slow down it was obvious that something was wrong. It shook violently and there was a metal on metal grinding sound coming from the front. I pulled over into a gas station and saw that the inside of my front driver side rim was torn up and had metal shaving hanging off it. I had my wife pull it forward slowly while I watched and saw that the caliper had separated from the rotor and was wedged between the rotor and the rim. The car rolled about 5 feet before it completely wedged and locked up the wheel.
I didn't know a repair shop or a tow company in Austin so there we were, 3 adults, my elderly mother included, and 3 children stuck in the 104* heat 75 miles from home.
I called my buddy Smokenssz (who makes an appearance here every once in a blue moon or so) and he called Aaron at Brake Specialist Plus on William Cannon and offered to come get us if it couldn't be fixed that day. Aaron hooked me up with a good deal on a tow truck he contracts with and got the Expedition in the shop and in the air asap. It turned out that the bolt simply backed out of the caliper. No signs it broke or sheered off, the threads looked good, it was just gone.
That was weird because the last brake work that was done to it was 4-5 months ago and it's run perfect until that instance when it came apart.
Sonny, one of the mechanics there, fixed everything up fast and tested everything to make sure it was going to work. When I saw how it looked on the side of the road I was imaging $500 or more. I got out of there dirt cheap. I ended up paying a total bill (tow truck, replacement bolts, labor, and quality inspection afterward included) of about what other companies would charge just to tow it.
The guys at Brake Specialist Plus also did some welding on my Z28 a few months back. Sonny welded in a cut out and fixed a break in my old rusted factory catback piping and some other minor welds and did quality work. And Aaron hooked me up with a good price that time too.
These guys are always friendly and professional and easy to deal with. I don't have to worry about emptying out my car because no one there will steal anything or let anyone else steal anything. And I never have to worry about them charging me for parts or labor that I don't need.
So thanks to Aaron, Sonny, and all the other guys at Brake Specialist Plus at 1417 West William Cannon. And thanks to Smokenssz.
I didn't know a repair shop or a tow company in Austin so there we were, 3 adults, my elderly mother included, and 3 children stuck in the 104* heat 75 miles from home.
I called my buddy Smokenssz (who makes an appearance here every once in a blue moon or so) and he called Aaron at Brake Specialist Plus on William Cannon and offered to come get us if it couldn't be fixed that day. Aaron hooked me up with a good deal on a tow truck he contracts with and got the Expedition in the shop and in the air asap. It turned out that the bolt simply backed out of the caliper. No signs it broke or sheered off, the threads looked good, it was just gone.
That was weird because the last brake work that was done to it was 4-5 months ago and it's run perfect until that instance when it came apart.Sonny, one of the mechanics there, fixed everything up fast and tested everything to make sure it was going to work. When I saw how it looked on the side of the road I was imaging $500 or more. I got out of there dirt cheap. I ended up paying a total bill (tow truck, replacement bolts, labor, and quality inspection afterward included) of about what other companies would charge just to tow it.
The guys at Brake Specialist Plus also did some welding on my Z28 a few months back. Sonny welded in a cut out and fixed a break in my old rusted factory catback piping and some other minor welds and did quality work. And Aaron hooked me up with a good price that time too.
These guys are always friendly and professional and easy to deal with. I don't have to worry about emptying out my car because no one there will steal anything or let anyone else steal anything. And I never have to worry about them charging me for parts or labor that I don't need.
So thanks to Aaron, Sonny, and all the other guys at Brake Specialist Plus at 1417 West William Cannon. And thanks to Smokenssz.
07-29-2009, 07:21 AM
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I'm glad things worked out for you bud....those guys do really good work that's why I've been using them for about 8 yrs now
I'm glad it didnt mess things up too bad. I also told them you are a cheap a$$ so don't give you a heart attack, I told Aaron to save that for next time...JK. No prob that's what friends are for, later.
I'm glad it didnt mess things up too bad. I also told them you are a cheap a$$ so don't give you a heart attack, I told Aaron to save that for next time...JK. No prob that's what friends are for, later. 
07-29-2009, 02:55 PM
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Hey now. If you think that's bad, I may or may not own Mustangs too........ 
This is the first problem we've ever had with it and it has 115,000 miles on it. Before this the only issue was how big a pain in the *** it was to change the spark plugs.
This is the first problem we've ever had with it and it has 115,000 miles on it. Before this the only issue was how big a pain in the *** it was to change the spark plugs.
07-29-2009, 03:54 PM
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Yep. And to make matters worse, when I was all done, one of the coil boots must not have had a solid connection because it ran horribly. I ran a scanner and didn't get any codes so I had to pull all the coils again and make sure they were seated properly. I told my wife that if we still own that thing when the next plug change comes around, she's doing them. A little incentive to sell it and get a Suburban.
It really has been a good family vehicle but there are just a few things that would make me never buy one again. Plugs, coils, and the front seats. Neither of us can stand the front seats. They're like sitting on wooden crates. The back supports are too narrow and one of your should blade is always sticking out to one side, the "lumbar support" it too high and seems to want to support my middle back, and their "reclined" position is only about a 45 degree angle. Every time we ride in a friend's suv we compare seats. And so far I think the Expedition must have the most uncomfortable front seats ever made. Maybe that's changed in the last few years, but ours is a 2001, and it's horrible.
It really has been a good family vehicle but there are just a few things that would make me never buy one again. Plugs, coils, and the front seats. Neither of us can stand the front seats. They're like sitting on wooden crates. The back supports are too narrow and one of your should blade is always sticking out to one side, the "lumbar support" it too high and seems to want to support my middle back, and their "reclined" position is only about a 45 degree angle. Every time we ride in a friend's suv we compare seats. And so far I think the Expedition must have the most uncomfortable front seats ever made. Maybe that's changed in the last few years, but ours is a 2001, and it's horrible.
07-30-2009, 12:21 AM
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Yep. And to make matters worse, when I was all done, one of the coil boots must not have had a solid connection because it ran horribly. I ran a scanner and didn't get any codes so I had to pull all the coils again and make sure they were seated properly. I told my wife that if we still own that thing when the next plug change comes around, she's doing them. A little incentive to sell it and get a Suburban.
It really has been a good family vehicle but there are just a few things that would make me never buy one again. Plugs, coils, and the front seats. Neither of us can stand the front seats. They're like sitting on wooden crates. The back supports are too narrow and one of your should blade is always sticking out to one side, the "lumbar support" it too high and seems to want to support my middle back, and their "reclined" position is only about a 45 degree angle. Every time we ride in a friend's suv we compare seats. And so far I think the Expedition must have the most uncomfortable front seats ever made. Maybe that's changed in the last few years, but ours is a 2001, and it's horrible.
It really has been a good family vehicle but there are just a few things that would make me never buy one again. Plugs, coils, and the front seats. Neither of us can stand the front seats. They're like sitting on wooden crates. The back supports are too narrow and one of your should blade is always sticking out to one side, the "lumbar support" it too high and seems to want to support my middle back, and their "reclined" position is only about a 45 degree angle. Every time we ride in a friend's suv we compare seats. And so far I think the Expedition must have the most uncomfortable front seats ever made. Maybe that's changed in the last few years, but ours is a 2001, and it's horrible.
is all I'm hearing
