All I want is brake pads and tires

[Highlander]

But no one will just sell me those anymore. Now you "have to have" road hazard warranties, nitrogen fills, 4 wheal alignments, lifetime valve stems, those rotors have to be turned if they need it or not. And I guaran-damn tee you, if I let someone do the work they'll come up with a list fo "things" that are "broken"

I just want tires and brake pads damit!

 

[L8A]

Carquest and DIY my man.

 

[danthebugman]

Carquest and DIY my man.

Bingo :thumbsup:.

Dan

 

[blacklabel]

Carquest and DIY my man.

Only way your gonna get it done without an ear full...

Just took my truck into the shop to have the tires rotated and balanced. He immediately said "Ohh You want to think about new tires...these have been on six years." I said "No Thanks, just rotate and balance them, they are fine no dry rot cracks and plenty of tread." "I'll be surprised if there are no cracks on those tires."

So I went and sat down and waited...When it was finished and time to check out (which was free because of one of those lifetime warrantes) He said "You need to clean your Air Filter (it's a K&N) and may need a serpentine belt down the line..." OK thanks, and I was gone...which tells me, they didn't find any issues with the tires or they would have tried like hell to sell some, they would have said come out here and look at these cracks LOL

This was a 1996 F150XLT Eddie Bower Edition....I was kinda pleased when "The Shop" couldn't find anything to harp about and try to sell me..

Ohh the truck has 192,000 miles....Four Open Rusty Doors my butt!!

 

[TravelingJ]

You probably do need an alignment with a new set of tires. I know I get one each year with the new rubber.

 

[L8A]

Justin would know about tires with all the miles he puts on. Pretty standard practice though. you dont want them to wear faster.

 

[gibbleguts]

Kinda makes me feel bad but it has been a long time since I have owned a vehicle long enough to do tires or brakes. When I was younger I would do brakes myself tho and kinda enjoyed having more control of the parts that went on m vehicle without paying through the nose for labour.

 

[TravelingJ]

Kinda makes me feel bad but it has been a long time since I have owned a vehicle long enough to do tires or brakes. When I was younger I would do brakes myself tho and kinda enjoyed having more control of the parts that went on m vehicle without paying through the nose for labour.

What has worked well for me lately, was going to the shop I have major work done at, and just being very specific about what I wanted done. He had to order my tires, and the oil I wanted. I'm sure when it's time for brakes he will get in the exact set I'm looking for. So far his labor rates were reasonable. A lot of it depends on having a 'relationship' with the shop you go to.

 

[terrantheman]

Been doing my own brakes(pads, rotors, etc.) for years now. As far as tires go well I gotta go to the tire guy as I don't have that damn tool nor be able to balance them. But as far as brakes go I'm surprised you're having issues... Brakes = Racket for mechanics, simple job can be done in less than an hour all four wheels.

 

[shark]

Used to get the same thing every time I got an oil change at one place, that is conveniently associated with a repair shop.

 

[hogfarmer]

Being a mechanic I do all my maintenance myself, brakes, oil etc. Get a deal on tires, company discount. That said, it pisses me off when I hear about friends that got taken by unscrupulous shops. Gives all of us a bad reputation. I'll always help a friend with advice on what to have done.

 

[Highlander]

I used to brakes my self but I no longer have the tools. I've got to get the car inspected or I'd not worry about the tires. I doubt they'll pass. The brakes pads are pretty much worn out. Guess I'll have to just put my foot down and tell them only do what I want.

 

[NickThePyro]

The only time my Jeep has been in the shop in the past 5 years is for windshields replaced, R134a filling, welding, and alignments. I have saved thousands and thousands just by doing the labor myself. If you have mechanical aptitude and a weekend it is surprising how easy a lot of the stuff is to do, its just time consuming for the novice. Or better yet get a mechanic friend and buy him beer to work on your car, that's worked for me too on harder jobs.

 

[TravelingJ]

The only time my Jeep has been in the shop in the past 5 years is for windshields replaced, R134a filling, welding, and alignments. I have saved thousands and thousands just by doing the labor myself. If you have mechanical aptitude and a weekend it is surprising how easy a lot of the stuff is to do, its just time consuming for the novice. Or better yet get a mechanic friend and buy him beer to work on your car, that's worked for me too on harder jobs.

Just be careful with that. I have a lot of faith in my vehicle to hold together while driving down the road. I don't want a shadetree mechanic to be the cause of a catastrophic failure when I'm doing 70MPH on the highway. At least if a reputable shop screws something up, you have a shop to hold liable.

 

[LigaPrivadaFanboy]

Tirerack FTW - problem solved

 

[njstone]

Finding a good mechanic is harder than findIng a good smoking buddy. I found one in the Twin Cities, but it was a few weeks before we moved!

Great shop, though. They would actually REPAIR parts if they could (weld a patch over a hole in the exhaust etc.), rather that automatically ordering in a new one. Best shop in town, even if it was 45-minutes away and had a 2-3 week waiting list.

 

[smokinghole]

I used to brakes my self but I no longer have the tools. I've got to get the car inspected or I'd not worry about the tires. I doubt they'll pass. The brakes pads are pretty much worn out. Guess I'll have to just put my foot down and tell them only do what I want.

They amount they'll charge you for labor will buy you the tools you need. You need a jack (probably can use the one in your car if in a pinch), a stand, a wrench set/socket set, and a big C clamp. Hell if you don't buy a jack you can probably buy the tools for less than the labor depending on where you shop. The cool thing is you'll still have the tools when you're done, but you won't have anything if you pay them besides finished brakes. I haven't paid for anything except exhaust work in the last 4 years on the jeep I'm driving. I had it in for inspection and it was not passing emissions. So the very honest mechanic replaced some exhaust stuff. He is a local recommendation from a guy that has lived here for years. Hell last year sometime I replaced the radiator, water pump, thermostat and temperature sensor on my own. I don't want to know how bad I would have been raped for parts and labor on that work.

 

[blacklabel]

Finding a good mechanic is harder than findIng a good smoking buddy.

AMEN To That!! I just found mine in August this past year and I've been living here for 5 years! :bigeyes:

 

[gui_tarzan]

The only time my Jeep has been in the shop in the past 5 years is for windshields replaced, R134a filling, welding, and alignments. I have saved thousands and thousands just by doing the labor myself. If you have mechanical aptitude and a weekend it is surprising how easy a lot of the stuff is to do, its just time consuming for the novice. Or better yet get a mechanic friend and buy him beer to work on your car, that's worked for me too on harder jobs.

Welding? On your Jeep?

I do almost all my own work too with the exception of tires and alignments and only because I don't have the tools. If I had a brake lathe I'd do that part myself as well because I do all of our brakes and have on ever car we've owned. I do exhaust, tuneups, major collision repairs (not our accidents) on salvage title cars we've bought, you name it, I've probably done it at least once. Windshields, coolers, engine swaps, blah blah blah. My dad paints them, he's a bodyman. I have nothing against good shops, I just don't have the coin to pay them what they have to charge to keep the doors open.

 

[Clint]

One word: Costco.

They are well trained, have fantastic prices, and will rotate free for as long as you have the tires.:thumbsup: