Okay so check this out... my Z was making a little bit of annoying brake squeal a month ago so I took it to a large retail service chain to have it looked at... got some new front rotors and pads, they told me the rear rotors and pads were very low (6/32) but they were good enough to pass the next inspection, and then some. So I drive the car home and over the next couple of weeks, day by day it begins to make a horrible metallic scraping/grinding sound from the rear that started out being quiet and didn't seem to be much to worry about, but got louder every day such that eventually it was really loud... really embarrassing when riding down the street since the weather's nice and lots of people are on the sidewalk. So I take it to a little local mom 'n pop garage near me this time and they tell me the rear pads are COMPLETELY GONE. The calipers were scraping directly against the rotors. That was the sound I heard. So the rear rotors needed replaced now too.

(It's a testament to how little braking the rears actually do in our cars that the stopping power wasn't even noticeably affected.)

Taught me a little lesson, no offense to any of you guys who may work at a large retail service chain but this showed me the difference between the two garages. The kid who worked at the chain that was probably getting paid $6 bucks an hour to look at my car probably barely looked at the brakes, because he doesn't give a **** about my car. He knows he's going to have a hundred customers tomorrow whether I'm a satisfied patron or not. On the other hand, the mom 'n pop garage depends on making me happy to earn my business back again in the future, which they did. So that was just my little rant for the day.

 

that sucks dude, all my brake pads need to be replaced all my breaks squeak, lil to much of doing 100 and burnouts etc. etc. but it goes to show you, the worker only does as good as hes paid to do

 

I do my own brakes, I have no one to blame for my own death but myself heh...

 

Mom and Pop stores are always better, b/c of the customer service and they want your repeat business. If not shops think about resturants etc. My .02

 

IMHO,

What's being stated around here is generally true, however I always perform what I call a thorough assessment of how any shop is run, large retail service chain or locally owned shops. I have been through some harrowing experiences with both types and the best thing to do is always have the simplest jobs done first when going to a new shop, have a visual inspection of the shop to your best ability, and always ask as many questions as possible, try to plan for any possible recourse, and most importantly, if you develop an uncomfortable gut feeling, the follow your instincts and don't return.

 

Very well said!

doing a little research on a shop like you said can and will save you heartache injury and spending money when not needed.

 

just do it yourself... Disc brakes are cake

 

Same here.

Glad to hear you got the problem fixed though. Having brakes that are not working properly is not a good thing...

 

Being more thorough when checking out a car for more possible work does not mean a small mom and pop shop is better. I would rather go to a dealership that specializes in one certain brand of car instead of several. The technicians at a dealership would know your car better then any mom and pop shop would. Did you have the oil changers check the brakes, or was it a flat rate technician that actually gets paid for the work he does. The oil changers are usually hourly and just do a quick visual inspection since they are under pressure to get the vehicle done and another one in the shop.

 

do it yourself. they take an hour from pulling out the jack to putting it back. very easy.