My boyfriend heard minor squeaking noses whenever he drove his car so he took the car to Brake Masters thinking he would have to spend money on new brakes. The manager Javier was friendly and told my bf that brake checks are free and that they would check whatever else needed to be changed. Usually at other places it takes a couple hours to get all this done but 30 minutes later, we found out that brakes were fine, everything else was fine, just needed an oil and filter change. The shop didn't have the filter in stock so Javier made a call to another shop and another 30 minutes later, everything was ready to go and it cost less than $45. These guys are trustworthy. read more

Interesting. That sums it up. I was told to come here from America's Tire Co. to fix my lug nuts, only time I'll come here. The waiting area is small but it's a waiting area. TV is way up in the ceiling, kind of hard to watch, place feels old and dirty. Hardly any parking besides street parking. The manager is nice. Workers seem rude, they like to mess around a lot in the work area, and they cuss a lot (not really kid friendly if you have kids and plan to bring them here). After my car was finished, I wasn't even told it was finished, I just looked out and saw my car sitting there. It's a hit or miss with this place, never coming back to this place. Personally I'd rather pay an extra $20 and get it done professionally somewhere else and may I also add faster? read more

Yes 5 stars. The owner is amazing super helpful and honest. Tire Discount center wanted to charge me $750 for who knows what when the owner at Brake masters said it was only the alignment less than $80. So thankfull for this amazing place :) . very happy and reliefed customer. read more

Called about an oil change on Tuesday and a coupon that they had on THEIR OWN WEBSITE. The person on the phone confirmed that they would honor it and told me to come in on Thursday. Showed up on Thursday for the oil change and not only did they not honor their own coupon, they laughed right in my face. That's the last time I'll be coming here. read more

This place is amazing, Honest service - they picked me up from the bus stop AFTER 5:00p.m.! They have great prices with excellent quality service. Such a relief - Thank You Javier, Maribel & Jr. read more

Came here based on Yelp reviews as my regular mechanic was closed due to the holiday. The folks at Brake Masters were friendly, honest, fast, and close to home. Finished within time frame they gave me. Got an oil change. Would definitely come back! read more

Great customer service and great work on my alignment. I went to Brake Masters in Van Nuys and they made my alignment worse than before I brought it to them. I did not want to take it back to them for many reasons. The Altadena Brake Masters fixed the issue with no hassle or problem and with every intent on making me happy even though they didn't complete the original repair. I've been driving my car for a month now and no issues. They do good work and have great customer service. I will definitely be back! read more

I had a great experience with these guys. They fixed up my car for less than half of what the dealership was asking. When I had a follow-up complaint, they did additional work for free. Javier is a really friendly and helpful guy, and this garage turns things around pretty quickly. I'll be back next time I have car problems for sure. read more

These guys are great! Took my s2000 to get an alignment for a really fair price after getting recommended by American Tires; I had Javier (owner) set me up with Memo and left happy with the work they did. Plus, they were kind and helpful. Definitely recommend :) read more

Came in because my brakes were failing of course, Friendly people and I based my review on the folks coming in and out and other kudos posted on their wall.They seem to treat people right which is hard to find these days. Reasonable pricing and Javier is as good as they get. Very nice and reassured me about his awesome staff with their experience in mind. I am a loyalist and will be coming here in the future , If they did tires I probably wouldv'e just had it done there. read more

I went to them today with no appointment and asked them i needed an oil change. when i gave them my car the noticed that a band was worn and told me it needed to be replaced. service was great and like 3 hot chicks came in when i was there! dont know if that was coincidental but took about 45 minutes and cost me 133 bones. read more

These guys are the real deal, honest and they don't overcharge you-great break work.

Quick, good oil change. I really like the service, the staff was really great, and it's walking distance of the coffee gallery. You can kill an hour to just hang out the coffee gallery, but also watch whatever movie they're playing inside the brakes place. read more

I am extremely proud to endorse Brake masters for their service as well as their knowledge. Javier and staff are always helpful and honest. I had my vehicles serviced a their facility for years. Now my wife's car, my sister's cars and my brother's car get regular maintenance there as well. Some of the less-enjoyable experiences were more related to poor car quality and not the mechanic who is trying to help. read more

Great service, Honest, High integrity!!!!Javier -brake masters was recommended to me because I thought my car needed new brakes. Took my car in...he calls me a couple of hours later and tells me the breaks were fine and didnt need changing. So impressed because I was prepared for new brakes...loved the honesty. I recommend him to everyone I know. He and his team are the best!! read more

Javier has always been up front and honest. I've been going to them for three years. You want to go to an auto mechanic that is busy... they're ALWAYS busy. read more

I came today because my car has been making a very annoying sound when I turned my wheel to the right, only to find out a loose piece has been scratching my brake. The manager was able to fix the problem without any problem and charged me a great rate and than gave me an additional discount. Thank you I'm coming back for my oil change soon. read more

These guys are the best! I have been coming to Javier and his crew for years now. My car is a 1998 Volvo S70. The service is always excellent and most of all I CAN TRUST THEM!!! This shop also saves me tons of money over going to the Volvo Dealer. I cannot say enough good stuff about the service and treatment I enjoy here. read more

Expensive, slow, incompetent, and unwilling to fix mistakes. I brought them knuckles and bearings and asked them to press out the old ones and in the new ones. They managed to do most of this, but it took forever, they needed my help to snap a seal back into place (an extremely simple job), they didn't finish the job when promised, and it was the most expensive bearing replacement ever at $90 for labor. However the real problem was that they didn't press the hubs back in, telling me that I should pull them in with the axle nuts. It turns out that this isn't the way to do it. When I asked them to finish the job, they told me that they are busy and that maybe they can look at it the next day. I won't be back. read more

Brake Masters of Altadena is the BEST!!! Javier Vega is the most caring and compassionate gentleman. He is very ethical and understands the concerns when running up a bill with car repairs. He does not sell you a service you do not need and is very honest if you do need it or estimates about the time you will need repairs. His staff are caring as well. They go above and beyond in helping you with your car servicing needs. My family and I have been going to him for about 25 years! I strongly recommend them. read more

Customer service is AWESOME!!! Took my car in for new brakes. The price was very very very Reasonable!!!!! Javier at the front desk is very nice. I'll definitely come back to them in the near future!!! read more

Brake Masters (Managed by Javier, and his daughter) was recommended to me by Americas Tires in Pasadena. I'm really happy I went with the recommendation. This little place in Altadena is run with great integrity, truthfulness, honesty and a great desire to do well by their customers. I now tell people all about the quality of service, the management, and the staff who provide it. Granted, the interior is not a fancy place, however, what is more important, is the type of service provided, and the quality of the people and the mechanics who provide excellent service to my vehicle. I was told I needed new brakes. After careful inspection, Javier said the brakes did not need to be replaced. The other work done on my car over the last year makes me realize how grateful I am that America's Tires suggested I go to this specific business. Thank you to Javier, for taking such good care to see that the work done is done well, and for hiring people who have great skills, and who care about their customer's safety and the workmanship done on my car. A+++ Penny G. read more

This review is primarily for service because I don't know much about mechanics. Due to poor alignment I developed bad tire issues and had to get 4 wheels replaced through American tire. The guy there strongly recommended brakemaster, told me he brought all his cars there, dodge, subaru, pontiac, hondas. I called them 15 mins before closing and they squeezed me in. Fast efficient work. Small shop but pleasant to deal with. I would go back. read more

Husband ended up here during a road trip emergency. Called the shop 5 mins before closing on a Saturday to ask if there was ANY WAY they could take a look....they welcomed him into the shop and the whole team worked to get him back on the road as quickly as possible. Once it was determined that the parts were REALLY not available anywhere, they offered to give him a ride to a hotel if he could find one. When he returned to take them up on their offer for the ride, Javier offered this complete stranger his personal vehicle for the next 36 hours, as well as offering to come in on Sunday to do the repairs if he was able to find the part the next morning. Patronize this shop. These are good guys who went above and beyond to help. read more

I highly recommend. The outside looks dubious, parking is tight, and the music from the work area may be off putting, but Javier is terrific. Very fast, personable and gave me a discount when I said I found them on Yelp. I got a wheel alignment and would definitely go there again. I can see why they have great reviews on Yelp. read more

Came here again, this time for a radiator replacement when I noticed coolant absolutely streaming from my engine- not only did the guys replace it quickly and for a fair price, when I had a slight thermostat issue later that must have been related, they took care of that too. Fair and great work! read more

Beware!! My daughter brought her car here and had the brakes done. They didn't put the bolt back in the caliper when putting back together and she almost wreaked her car. When she brought it back they tried to BS her that "oh, it must have vibrated loose"...cant happen when done properly, and they didn't even put the bolt in in the first place. They did put one in to fix it, but would not take responsibility for their mistake or admit they had done anything wrong. If you take your car there, you better watch when they put it back together or you might drive away with breaks that don't work after spending $350 to have these clowns "fix" it. She will never go there again and I will warn everyone I know to stay away. read more

This is my first yelp review, and it takes a lot for me to write one. Well let me say that brake masters is the best and javier (owner) is the best and completly honest. I've used him many times in the past and he will not screw you over. To give you an example, a few days ago I put to much oil in my car and it started to bog and spew white smoke. Over the phone, javier thought it sounded like a blew a head gasket which would have cost me $1,000 - $1,300 to repair. When I actually brought the car in for brake masters to take a look, javier noticed that I simply put to much oil and that it needed to be drained. He did not even charge me to have the oil removed by one of his guys. He simply asked that I tip his mechanic for his time which I graciously gave the mechanic $20 for about 15 minutes of his time. If you ever need any car repair, call javier at brakemasters. He even has greeting cards from customers all over his wall and I don't know about you, but i've never seen a mechanic with dozens of thank you cards plastered around the office. read more

I've been bringing my car (the same one) here for almost 15 years. The owner, Javier, is one of the most honest, ethical people I have ever met. His team does an excellent, efficient job. I don't understand the complaints on this site at all, except that I guess it's true that you can't please everyone. read more

I wouldn't call them brake "MASTERS" . I dropped in knowing that I needed my brakes fixed from the noise they were making. I always use to get them done from a family friend. I took my car to Brake Master and I paid them to replace a pair of brakes. The workers are super kind and I felt that they knew what they were talking about, so I trusted them and let them do some work on my car. I own a Toyota echo 2000 so it shouldn't be hard to figure out the problem, right? I had to go back twice after my first visit because the noise still wasn't gone. Each time I went back , there was something new wrong. I may be 21 , but I'm not naive. I spent close to $300 dollars and two months later, I'm pissed because the noise is becoming more prevalent. I felt they took my money, but didn't take care of the problem. I am disappointed and I am not recommending to go. The only good thing about my experience were nice gentlemen. read more

Very reliable and honest place!!! Being a female, I have been overly priced by other places and other places failed to appropriately fix my car. Brake Masters have been very good with fixing my car in a timely manner, ensuring it works apporpriately and charging way less then other places I have been. read more

My starter on my Toyota Solara was on the brinks of complete breakdown, so I started shopping around. Two of the big places in Pasadena both quoted me over $500. Went in to Brake Masters and Wallace showed me in the computer that a new starter was defined as a one hour labor job. Dropped my car off, Javier called to say it would be done in an hour or so. When finished, he called again and said $315.00. I then stressed all day cause I was about $100 bucks short and couldn't pay him the entire amount. I finally while freaking out got to his store 15 mins til closing. I paid him what I could and asked him now what happens if I can't pay the rest. He looked at me with a warm smile and said, "Bring in the rest when you can." I said, "That's it, just pay you when I can?", and he just smiled and said, "That's it." Javier - you saved my life and my car that day. I don't know what other business' do in situations like this, but I doubt any would be so gracious and kind. Thank you Thank you Javier. read more

Was recommended by a tire shop (American Tire). They aligned the car fast and for a fair price. The shop doesn't look like much from the street, but the manager Javier will treat you fairly. Coupons available. read more

Was visiting my brother in Altadena,CA and he suggested i take my car to Brake Masters for an oil change and brake inspection. The folks there are very nice and they took care of the job promptly. Fast and friendly service. read more

I've been going to this Brake Masters for years now. I was referred by a friend and in turn I've referred many of my friends here as well. Before the first time I came here I was quoted $1100 for a long list of things supposedly wrong with my car from a chain store. My car seemed like it was in great shape and I didn't trust that they were being honest with me. So, on my friends recommendation I came to Brake Masters. Javier, the owner or manager was very cool. Explained what I needed, waved off the crazy unnecessary things and repaired my car for a fraction of what the other place quoted. In the probably 6+ years I've been coming here I've broken down twice pretty far away from this location and had AAA tow me to the nearest mechanic. Both times these places quoted outrageous amounts and I had my car towed to this Brake Masters instead and I was fixed up quickly and at a fraction of the price quoted by the other places. Now I don't even mess around. If I'm in the LA/Pasadena and coming here is an option, I'm coming here, even if I have to pay AAA extra to get me here. I scanned some of the other comments and while I obviously know nothing of the other commentors experience, I can't imagine Javier and his crew doing anything other than a great job. I'd especially recommend this place to my female friends. I know how stressful it is for my female friends to go to a mechanic and I trust these guys to do a good, honest job. A+ guys. Customer for life. :) read more

Nice body shop. They helped me fix a problem with my front end while doing an oil change, I think they also checked the alignment, but didn't mention anything about it, although I don't think it's that expensive? They are professional, and they might take time, but guess what, someone else has a problem with their car, you know? Someone who was there before you were, and they are working on the basis of who comes through the door before you, so get in the back of the line and stop being an asshole. Thank you Brake Masters. read more

I took my car in to fix a rattling noise the manger Javier confirmed the noise was coming from my motor mounts and that three of my four motor mounts were broken after spending hundreds I decided to take these motor mounts to get looked at from a different mechanic and sure enough 2 were only broken and they tried to charge me for the most expensive ones.... Not to mention the rattling was still there clear as day he verbal agrees to fix this noise for free for his wrong doing... After keeping my car for 2 days he tells me he can't do it it's to much of a liability now there keeping my car for another day to put my original mounts that were not broken in.... This is the worst experience I have ever had with a mechanic they lied to get money and agreed to fix something then went back on it I will never be going to this place again and I recommend no one come here!!! I will also be contacting corporate for this ridiculously poor customer service and lack of knowledge from the manager. This place doesn't even deserve one star unfortunately I have to give it one to post. read more

i was in there a few months back to have some brake and wheel seals work done on my one ton axle ok time pases an my brakes get weaker and weaker until they don't work at all so i go to a friends tire shop and he pulls the wheels and hub so we can look what we found was a shock , there were parts of the brake ass. put in backwards so it loosened in steed of tightened and the wheel seals linked bad leaving me to wonder if they changed the seals at . i will never go there again not even to get it fix. others should be careful of these shop when you go, i will do it myself it will take longer but i will know it was done right read more