I've been bringing my vehicles here for years. The first time, I was low on oil and they added a little at NO charge. Who does that? So upon returning for brakes, I was told that I only needed front brakes, when they could have told me I needed all four. I wouldn't have known the difference. In the years since, they have done larger jobs at considerably less than other quotes I received and I have never had a problem with their work. Always first rate. The owner, Javier, is professional and friendly...a great combination. This shop is honest and good at what they do. I have read some of the negative reviews...about the height of the TV (really??) or that another mechanic said they would have to do the brakes over...and pay THAT mechanic for the privilege...hmmm. Why didn't the second mechanic tell him to return to Brake Masters and give them a chance to fix the problem, I wonder?? (Hint: $$$) And yes, the crew may talk to each other like regular human beings...but you're not bringing your car to church. Bottom line: Good, honest people and a great value. read more

Javier is an amazing Businessman his Customer Service, kindness, & knowledge is unmatched! I had my alignment and oil change done here today. I was in and out of there in less than an hour! And the price was right! For being my first experience with this business wow he just gained a life time customer! Thank you Javier I truly appreciate you and everything you do. Happy holidays from a very happy Lady! read more

Brake Masters - Prices and transparency - Auto Repair Near Me - Altadena, California

Fantastic and friendly service by a great team of folks at Brakemasters Altadena. I went in for a minor brake repair and they had me in and out quickly. You won't be disappointed by the team here read more

Have come here a few times after getting tires when an alignment was needed. Walk ins welcome. Helpful, reliable, friendly and competitive prices. Small office with some seating to wait or can walk to a nearby coffe shop until car is ready which has always been sooner than anticipated. Restroom on site available. read more

The owner here is an amazing guy and he's extremely helpful with what you need to know. He suggests what you might need, but he isn't going to force anything on you. He's extremely honest and I'm super grateful to know him. read more

Great oil change and friendly service! I was on my way to Jiffy Lube when I saw the sign "Express oil change" and pulled right in. They worked on my car right away, and were so kind and gracious. So glad to have found this gem right in my own neighborhood! read more

improperly screwing bolts. Got an oil change here. At first I was just annoyed that they left my car parked and unattended with the windows down, but later on, weeks later, I noticed that my oil belly plate was loose and falling off. They did not screw the bolts on right, so they fell out, leaving the under carriage loose and scraping around. definitely don't recommend coming here read more

Brake Masters - un screwed oil plate - Auto Repair Near Me - Altadena, California

Excellent service and friendly staff. They had the car ready just as promised. Great value for the money!

They will get you in quickly but their parts and overall quality are sub par. Brought my car in for a replacement of brake pads & (maybe) rotors and they were able to get it done very quickly (within 2 hours). Drove it and there was a noise that occurred every time I pressed the brake that I hadn't heard before. Went to get it checked and they said it would cost an additional $900 to fix the bushings - I didn't have an issue with the bushings before. Took it to Carroll's Brake Shop in South Pasadena and they were able to get it fixed with no issues and the noise was gone - no bushing replacement btw. Quick but not great quality. read more

I came here because my Toyota dealer told me I needed over $700 worth of repairs and I truly couldn't believe it! Javier, the owner of Brake Masters, was very honest with me and told me what truly needed to be fixed and what didn't and quoted me a price of $150. I was in and out in under 2 hours. I trust this company and their work. I'm coming here for all of my future car maintenance needs. read more

Tl;dr - please learn how to not screw up Acura digital clocks. My partner and I drive an Acura TL 2006. My partners family has gone to Altadena Brake Masters for a long time and trusts their work. The first time we took the car to Altadena Break Masters for some help with an oil change, when we learned about an oil leak. It was taken care of in an afternoon, but the repair process broke the digital clock in the Acura. We also asked for help with the rear view mirror (kept falling out). It was re-installed, but then a week later it fell out of its socket again. A while later, we took the car to Jason's Honda and Acura repair shop In Tujunga because something had gone wrong either with the battery or the starter. The car wasn't starting up, so I had called AAA and when they showed up they said that the starter was malfunctioning. I drive the car for a few days and the diagnosis made sense: it regularly took me about 3-6 attempts at starting the car to actually get it running. After picking it up, my partner drove to a lookout point in the mountains that has no service to meditate. Once he got back in the car to drive home, it wouldn't start up. So he had to walk all the way down until he got cell service and call AAA to get help. At that point the AAA guy said it was a battery problem, which he solved by putting distilled water in the battery. He didn't have a battery on him to replace the malfunctioning one. Fed up with this, my partner sent the Acura back to Altadena Brake Masters to replace the battery, asking them to Please Not Screw Up The Clock Again as it had really annoyed us to live with a broken clock that is impossible to fix (Google it, it's a huge pre-2008 Acura challenge). Ultimately I don't really understand why they unfortunately screwed it up again, but now I have to take the car back to Jason's or someplace else. I'm really exhausted and I just want to drive a safe car with components that actually work. read more

Great mechanic and reasonable prices! Very ethical and trustworthy on work that requires to be done. Highly recommend! Also would recommend you call first, they tend to be busy! read more

I've been coming to Javier and his team for a few years now and he has always been friendly, professional and reliable. He's kept my cars brakes and sensors and lights running perfectly with his excellent service. His high quality service matches his prices. Furthermore his willingness to solve your car's problems promptly is the main reason why I keep coming to this shop. read more

This is a family run business. I've always interacted with the father and daughter. Both are super honest and reasonable people. Always accommodating and I 100% trust them with my vehicle. read more

Great family owned business. Took care of my car and I'd be back in a heartbeat. Happy to support a small business that takes care of their customer. read more

DONT GO HERE FOR ALIGNMENT!! I brought my car here for wheel alignment. I left with crooked (off centered) steering wheel. Brought it back to them for THREE times, and they still cannot get it fixed. $69.95 for wheel alignment. Complete waste of money. America's Tire in Pasadena recommended this place for alignment. Definitely not recommend read more

I can't say enough nice things about the people here and the job they do. They are always welcoming, efficient and transparent about timeline and what your car needs. I'll always take my car here first. Thank you!!! read more

Got my spark plugs and tires aligned for the fraction of the price from my dealer. Very honest and affordable service for my hybrid Lexus. I would recommend Brake masters for basic services. read more

They didn't know how to reset my car and spent 8 hours on my car. Still couldn't figure it out. Still charged me full price. My brake light never went out. read more

They always give the best price in town, hands down they are all reliable and trustworthy! I have been coming here for over six years!! I will always recommend them to family and friends! read more

Needed a tire alignment for my car. America's Best recommended Brake Masters. Javier was very helpful and my car was fit in right away.

Replaced rear breaks and rotors in two hours without an appointment. The price was very reasonable.

The people seem nice. The workers appeared to do a consciencious job.. although they take a long time. There are thank you cards on their wall which is unusual for a brake place. I just wish they would clean the place up. If you are going to have to sit there for 2 hours or more, they should give you a nicer cleaner place to wait. Or provide one of those buzzer thingies so you can take off down the street for coffee or to get your nails done and come back when your car is done. Not a boxing fan... and I heard a lot of talk about boxing while I was waiting. It was weird that when I first arrived, someone was in the back spray painting a car. I think it was on the level as a favor to the owner's daughter's boyfriend, but my first thought was I was taking my car to a chop shop. The chains don't share a computer system where you can check the lifetime warranty purchases you have made already. They made me call the one in Tarzana who said they didn't have my records anyway because their computers went down in 2010. I have to find my receipt and come back for a credit on the parts. Total was about $225 and two hours for rear brakes, rotors, and a few other things. read more

I've had two appointments that angered me as a customer. Improper windshield wiper replacement. A week after replacing my windshield wipers, during a rainy day one wiper was not properly screwed on and flew off the street. Thankfully, the metal end did not damage my window. Oil change, when I drove off, my meter was not set nor was there a date or mileage mark for next oil change. I pay you for a service, I trust that I shouldn't have to come back to get it revisited. read more

Please do not go to this location work is not done correctly they take your money and don't do work than the so call manager tries to say it's something else to get more money out of you when they need to do the work right the first time., just for a Damn wheel alignment. I would not recommend this place a complete rip-off. read more

Quick and confident service! We had good experience with this team. We got help right away. 100% recommend. Thank you

I am so grateful to have found this place! I've taken my car brakes here twice. Last year was the front and a few weeks ago the back. After a few days of getting the back brakes fixed I noticed shaking. I called Javier and he said bring it in for an inspection. Turns out the front brakes was the issue. Since it was done last year it was no longer under warranty, but Javier went ahead and fixed it anyways FOR FREE!!!! I wish every mechanic/mechanic shop was as honest and forthcoming as him. He also had one of his guys drive me to work which was about 10 minutes away. His staff is also amazing! HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!! read more

Well, I thought they had done a great job but I was wrong. My brakes already need complete replacing, they replaced my radiator but it was the water pump all along, the power steering unit whines like it's empty all the time (I took it back several times and they kept saying they fixed it but it wasn't fixed and the only change was that my stereo came disconnected every time they had my car which leads me to suspect they were rough-riding it). And...they did an alignment so wrong that my tires (brand new at the time) have to be replaced. Don't go here. read more

Brake Masters - Auto Repair Near Me - Altadena, California

Good lord this place is outrageously expensive for brakes. I'm getting my brakes done somewhere else.

expensive but what isn't these days... The reason for the one star is that I got my car back with a deep scratch on the leather steering wheel! carelessness with people's belongings.... Addition: just found that clips on my break pad weren't completely mounted and THE WHEEL BOLTS WERE NOT TIGHTENED!.. like they were straight up loose..unbelievable. read more

Took it for brakes and oil change, retrieved my car was driving and was hearing a scraping noise and noticed the whole panel on the bottom of the car was loose they forgot to put it back, then had to take it back again do to lug nuts were missing. Overall bad service had to return multiple times do to whoever was working on my car did not know what they were doing. Returned 3 times in 1 day read more

Javier delivers excellent customer service. When our family has an issue with our cars, we look to Javier first. He's honest, and goes the extra mile to try and solve whatever issue. read more

I was very disappointed when i called to see how much my Front brakes would cost me to be replaced. Now this is also after i had gotten the Ceramic lifetime brakes a little over a year ago. I was quoted between $80-90. Now i did mention my previous trip and was then told " oh if you did them over a year ago... then we would have no records of it our computers crashed. But don't worry we can tell if you did or not by looking at the brakes." and yes word for word. I then told them not to worry i would go to another location and have them look me up there. "oh no our systems are not connected no one else would have a record." So I said no thank you hung up the phone bought my brakes for 19.99 at AUTOZONE....and payed $ 30 for a friends father to A) change my brakes B) teach me whats and hows of changing all the brakes. THANKS!!!!!! read more

They took care of my car in a very timely manner and affordable. I needed new brake pads and my oil changed. Warning lights were going off and I was having a crappy week but I'm so glad I found these guys. Super pleasant to deal with and will definitely be getting my business again. read more

Great staff and great work! Needed an alignment for our car, it was a sat, he stayed late just to finish ours! Thank you! Will def recommend to my friends! read more

Deserves one star if not for the average quality of service. Had purchased breaks from here a while ago (spent more than $140) and within 2 months of purchase, my breaks started squealing. I took it to a shop that I frequent in koreantown Los Angeles, and they told me that the break quality was extremely horrible - - to the point where I would need a disc replacement as well since the break pads were hard as steel. Needless to say, I needed to replace the break pads - which cost me another $100 or so. It angered me so that I wanted to take the break pads back (since I still have it in the trunk) to Brake Masters so they can tell me why I was given a subpar pad and ask for refund. Yet in this day and age, time is a luxury that I cannot afford. So, Brake Masters management, if you're out there, I would sincerely appreciate it if you can give me an explanation of why the break pad you used was of such quality. This also serves as a word of caution to consumers - beware of the breaks you're using! if it's squealing right after you've changed the breaks, it's likely that it's not you, but the breaks you're using. read more

I went to Brake Masters for a front end alignment on a very simple 1995 American car. I had phoned a local tire store who didn't do alignment and they referred me to Brake Masters and said that if I mentioned them I would get a discount. So I phoned Brake Masters and asked them for a price and was told it would be $55 and I could come right in. $55 is a good price and I live very close by so I went for it. While I was there I noticed an older German car that I happen to know a lot about. It was there to have several things fixed, all of which were within my area of expertice. I offered my help on a few of the problems to one of the mechanics and he said he appreciated the advice. I also wanted to get my brake fluid flushed and suggested to the manager that I help his mechanic with the German car problems in exchange for a brake fluid flush. He said fine and I came back the next day. Anyway, I drove home that day after my alignment and I _think_ it was better, but the car still pulls to the right a little. The next day I go back for the brake fluid flush and bring some electrical parts to help the mechanic with on the German car. Manager says great and I help the mechanic fix power windows and car audio. Basically my knowledge and a few parts saved the mechanic several hours of barking up the wrong tree. I went home because they were busy and had not yet flushed my brakes. When I returned and picked up the car, the Manager said it would only be $30. ???? I said that wasn't the deal and he relented. When I phoned to see if it was ready, he told me that I had one leaking wheel cylinder and it would be $89 to replace it. The day before the dealer had done the 29 point inspection which included the rear brakes and there was no leak. So I kind of think that the Brake Masters shop comes up with extra things to fix after they quote you a deal. During my time in the waiting area on the two days, two other customers had issues with the shop regarding being told one price and then other things being added to the list of things to do. My conclusion is the mechanic that I helped with the german car was a great guy and he really appreciated the time that I saved him, and that the manager is really interested in quoting a nice low price for something and then adding things to the bill after work has begun. read more

I have used this biz during Covid for easy quick repairs. Always friendly and reasonably priced. Good work. Go here!!! Support local

Very honest yet professional business. Took my car hear because of some noise around the chasis and they were accurate with their diagnosis as to what the problem was. Gave me a fair price that definitely beat the other major brand kings. What more can you ask? Be careful though. They might leave grease on the steering wheel because sometimes they run out of surgical gloves. Also when they don't look busy, keep in mind that some of the cars that are ahead of you are parked around the residential. read more

I love this place, I've been here twice. Just recently I took my car in because the brakes were dragging. I did research on this problem before I took it in, I knew it could be one of two things. Most common is that the master cylinder needs to be replaced, an expensive repair. Sometimes you just need new brake fluid, a cheap repair. Well after they inspected it they told me they couldn't find anything wrong! lol After I described the symptoms of my problem in greater detail to the owner ( who is very nice by the way) he said a brake fluid flush could remedy the problem, if that doesn't work then I need a new master cylinder. After 40 bucks for the brake flush the brakes work great! Honest and good work. read more