On November 18th we brought our car, a 2003 Ford Escape, in to the Flagstaff branch franchise of Brake Masters owned by Joel Tipps (#121). They (supposedly) did a full inspection and reported that the front brakes were fine, good for years of additional service, but the rear brakes needed over $400 worth of work done. We agreed, they kept our car overnight, and we picked it up the following day, November 19th. The final bill was for $432.60.
On Monday evening, December 6th, only 17 days after Brake Masters declared that our front brakes were in perfect condition, they completely failed. We had no warning. My partner was at the wheel, traveling down the fairly steep hill on Rt. 66 right before the pedestrian crosswalk, and he suddenly had no way to stop at the red light. He had no choice but to run through the light, and barely managed to turn onto Blackbird Roost. He was able to use the uphill slope on Blackbird Roost to finally come to a stop, but it was only his masterful driving skill that got him to safety and avoid a potentially serious accident.
Weather was not a factor; it was cold but clear and the road was free of ice. Traffic was moderate and flowing smoothly. This was pure mechanical failure; there were no triggering, contributory, or exacerbating factors involved.
Rob (my partner) was at Brake Masters when they opened the next morning (Tuesday, the 7th), fully expecting to be able to have the car towed in. However, they provide no such service; we arranged for our own towing, got the car in, and Brake Masters said they would get it looked at right away. They didn't; they kept our car overnight, but when Rob went back the next day (the 8th), they hadn't even brought it into the garage for an initial evaluation, so Rob stayed there, waiting and watching, until eventually they started work.
After they finished, when we looked over the paperwork detailing work requisitioned and services performed, we were appalled. We were expecting honesty, but what had actually happened was not reflected on the work forms, which grossly minimized the severity of the brake failure. We were expecting accountability, at least enough to completely inspect our brakes again. Most of all we were expecting competency, thinking that a company named Brake Masters would at least recognize if brake tubing looked like it needed to be replaced. Instead, Juan, the self-reported manager and the person we spoke with directly, was condescending, patronizing, and utterly unwilling to even acknowledge what could well have happened, not only to my partner but to any other completely innocent people on the street that night. His chiefest priority was to avoid any trace of responsibility. His only response to what might have been a horrible accident involving who knows how many other people, and the serious injury or even the death of my partner, was to hand us another bill for $360.45 and tell us, "If you want a car that doesn't need repairs, go buy a new one."
On November 18th we had agreed to every recommendation that Brake Masters originally suggested for repairs and preventative maintenance, and at that time they had been happy to guarantee that our car was indeed road-worthy, even assuring us (unrealistically) that we could expect years of trouble-free driving. The second invoice stated that, "There is no guarantee that any other rubber line, bushing, and/or belt will not have an issue in the near or further future". Basically their "inspection" is worthless, and their utter lack of any kind of accountability makes all of the work they do on cars suspect at best.
In my opinion, this moves beyond nonfeasance (failure to act where there was a duty to act) into criminal negligence, and you can bet we are reporting them to the Better Business Bureau.
DO NOT GO THERE. DO NOT USE THEM.
Their guarantees are worthless and so are their service read more