I recently went to this repair shop to fix my sister's vehicle. Her car was making a horrible grinding sound when driving and braking. After an inspection by the mechanic I was told that the brakes needed to be changed,the rotors resurfaced, and that the ball-bearings were shot. The total estimate was over $750 dollars. Typically I don't just drop that kind of cash without getting a second opinion, but the car was in need of obvious repair and my sister needed the vehicle soon to make a long distance trip with her family, plus I work so it's not like I have free time to waste (used PTO for this repair).
After waiting an entire morning, the mechanic comes back to me and lets me know that a part had been broken while they were putting one of the brake components back together, and they said that it was safe to drive temporarily, but I would need to bring it back in once the part had come in. After I leave the shop, I noticed that the grinding sound is still there and just assumed that since the brakes were new and the rotors resurfaced, it might just need some time to wear in.
I take the car back to get the broken part replaced and I let the front desk lady know that it's still making a sound and it needs to be fixed. I come to pick up the car, and I was told everything was good-to-go. I jump in the vehicle, and the grinding sound is still there, but just less intense. Again, I just assumed that the new parts needed more time to settle in and that the mechanic had done his job properly.
My sister gets the car back and immediately says the car is not right and that something is still wrong. It's Sunday and ACE is closed and my sister needs to leave for a trip tomorrow. They end up going to another mechanic, and the shop tells them that the resurfacing job was horribly done and that the rotors should have been completely replaced. Also, ACE had used the cheapest brake pads, and over charged for the labor. The new mechanic gave my sister a quote for all new brake rotors for $450 installed. Didn't even charge her for his inspection/time.
Obviously I'm never coming back to ACE because I wasted a ton of money.
Bottom line - if you need real auto repair work, do yourself a favor and find a real mechanic shop. This place had 2 chances to do honest work and they failed both times. read more