Am I being ripped off by auto repair?

Question

I am trying to get my car back on the road after being since 2011 that the tags were expired. I moved to from NC to VA and we are trying to get everything done here. Today we finally got the title in the mail after a month! So we went and got the tags and now we need a VA state inspection. We've already put $1000 into the car for tires and axle repair about a month ago and when we did that we asked them to check the brakes and stuff and they said everything was fine. We haven't driven the car since then. We went to get an inspection and the guy just called and said I need to fix the window (it doesn't roll up or down), wiper blades (understandable), and front brake pads and rotor. He said the brake pads alone would cost about $280. I don't understand how it can be that much and how a month later than being told they're fine without driving it that now they're unpassable. Is he trying to rip me off. How much should all these repairs cost separately? I have a family friend in NC that always fixes things for dirt cheap so I'm going to ask him to help while I'm down but how much am I looking at paying him and making sure he's reasonably paid?

Answer 1

if you take your car to a mechanic, for whatever reason, chances are you are getting ripped off. They all do it! All the time!



I don't know what car you're driving but front brake pads usually run for about $25-$45 for a set. Go to this website http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/home___ and search for brake pads for your car. Each front set covers both front wheels. Rotors go for about the same amount. It's takes about 10 min per tire to change pads and with any luck about 2 min longer to change rotors. You jack up the car, take off the tire and there are 2 bolts that hold on the calipers. Take off the calipers and compress them with a "c" clamp, reinstall the new pads and off you go. To replace rotors, there are 2 bolts that hold on the caliper bracket. Remove them and remove the two screws holding on the rotor. Replace the rotor, replace the caliper and pads and off you go.



Most shops charge about $80 / hr for labor so a legimate price for replacing your two front brake pads would be about $75 including tax and $150 if you do the rotors.



Most shops charge about $280 for the pads as you just found out because people walk in and say "how much do you want to charge to change pads".



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My advice? If you've never changed pads before, find a friend who has. Boyfriend, dad, husband, neighbor etc. Have them order pads and rotors from advanceauto. Buy them a 6 six pack of beer and some chips and given them an hour and your brakes will be fixed.



seriously.. I have a friend who took his car to one of those specialty brake shops. They quoted him a price of $1800 for brake pads + rotors on all 4 wheels. I had him buy the parts for $180 and I did the job in 1.5 hours. And you can bet the shop would have been faster. That means they were going to gouge him for labor at $1080 per hour.



that help?

Answer 2

Despite the fact that $275 is a reasonable bit of money for a restore that you don't detect whilst you appear at your car from a distance, the amount itself sounds about proper. Mostly you will see a nice variance in prices for materials, however this time they will have equipped an fashioned Honda part, which was once a bit more highly-priced. Look at it this fashion: you get what you pay for. Match low cost imitation parts to your car, and you may ought to do the same job everywhere once more inside a couple of months. This time a decent section was geared up and you is not going to must worry about that concern any further. Are attempting no longer to emphasize over it.

Answer 3

You have to do research on repair shops in any city, especially if your new in town. Ask a co worker or get online and check reviews. BBB is a good starting place. There are so many commission based business's that rip you off its not even funny. $280 for pads sounds suspicious. That would make me rethink the entire repair bill. I personally would get away from that shop. Do some research now on the company and see if they have had complaints. Maybe you can force them to be honest, Threaten to report them to the BBB. Only after you find out if they are abusing the repair bill. BEst of luck.

Answer 4

I hate auto repair shops in general. Dealerships, shady-looking "auto repair" shacks, corporate chains, everything. There's no way to tell if they're ripping you off or not unless you have a place you REALLY trust, or you're mechanically inclined to inspect their work yourself. If one shop says you're fine and another shop wants your money, who would you trust? A scammer would never say your vehicle does not need repairs.