On the morning of January 13, 2021, I dropped my vehicle off at L&D Automotive for a rattling noise in the rear of the vehicle. I explained, that I suspected a broken shock or muffler bracket. There were no other issues that I was aware of.
Later that evening, I got a call explaining the source of the noise was a loose shock, which was a simple fix. It just required tightening.
The person who called me went on to explain that the soft brake pedal (this was new to me, I haven't noticed or complained of a soft brake pedal) meant the Master Cylinder was bad and the rear brakes were completely worn out. He said the front brake pads still had a little life left in them, but the rear brake shoes, drums and Master Cylinder needed to be replaced immediately at a cost of $1300.00+.
I was quite surprised at this since the rear brakes and drums had been replaced in September 2020, approximately 2,000 miles ago. (This is a extra car that's rarely driven.) I explained this to the person on the phone. He expressed concern that we had been taken advantage of by the mechanic who did the work, because he has complete confidence in his technician. The person I was talking to offered me the opportunity to come in the next morning, put the car on the lift and take a look at it myself. I asked that no work be done until I had a chance to look at the car myself, the following morning.
As I was on my way to L&D the following morning, I got a call saying due to the circumstances the previous day, my car was the number two car discussed at their morning meeting. The car was put on the rack and the brakes were checked. It was determined that I did not need rear brake shoes or rotors, as I had been told the day before. However, it was still suggested that the Master Cylinder needed to be replaced and it would take 2-3 days to get it. I was asked if they could go ahead and get that part ordered. I asked what the cost would be to replace the Master Cylinder and was told approximately 950.00. I don't recall the exact amount.
Based on the fact I was told I needed rear brake shoes and new hubs that I didn't need, I declined and picked up the vehicle.
I picked up the car from L&D and took it directly car to an ASE Certified Mechanic who checked the braking system and found nothing wrong. He bled the brakes and checked the entire system again. His conclusion was the car didn't need a Master Cylinder and the braking system was working properly.
Its now been approximately seven months since I picked up the car. It's been driven daily without a single issue.
This whole experience really bothers me. I was really hoping I had found a shop close to home that I could take my vehicles to and no be afraid of being taken advantage of. Hopefully this was an isolated incident, however I won't be going back to find out. read more