Why having a good mechanic is important 

"itschrome" (itschrome) 10/19/2015 at 12:46 • Filed to: None

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So Saturday I dropped my Caddy off for what was suppose to be routine brake replace. She just rolled past the 106k mark and it was past due for brakes a while ago. So I saved up my pennies and finally got the cash to drop her off for some new stopping power. Rotors/brakes at all corners as well as an oil change, in out under 700 no biggie. Well that was Saturday and I’m still sans my Caddy.

See back in the summer of 2014 when I bought the ol gal I knew she needed some brake lines, it was taken off the price of the car. I wasn;t worried. With in a week I popped a line as I kind of knew I would and took her down to my then mechanic. I paid several hundreds of dollars to have all my lines fixed. now flash forward 1.5 years and my car is back in the shop for new brakes.

My mechanic put the car on the lift and low and behold what does he see, several rusty brake lines running to all corners. the only new lines are running from master cylinder to anti lock system. Awesome. To make matters better my rear brakes have been hardly working at all, well not working at all on the left side. Apparently there was a lot of air in the lines. This means I have been really only working with my front wheels which explains the awful rotor warp I have going on up front. So what should have been an easy brake job turned into all new lines, new rear calipers since my left rear was frozen and not moving at all. plus new rotors/pads at all corners and an oil change... Mother fucker

The long and short is make sure you trust your mechanic or double check his work if possible. I’m fucking livid I’m double paying for a job.

SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman > itschrome 10/19/2015 at 13:39

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damn :(

itschrome > SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman 10/19/2015 at 13:52

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yeah, that’s exactly how I feel. damn.. I’m dropping a grand when i only hoped to spend 700. how ever I can’t wait to see how she drives now!! so that’s a plus. no matter what it costs nothing beats getting back in the car and having her drive like she should. good or bad, under or over budget nothing beats a properly working car

Rico > itschrome 10/19/2015 at 14:08

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Damn so the brakes felt fine this entire time?

itschrome > Rico 10/19/2015 at 14:39

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Well I mean after I had what few lines the other mechanic fixed they worked. I knew they would need to be replaced at some point since they had about 50k on them when I bought them. they got progressively worse over the past 8 months or so. How ever I chalked this up to just needing to replace. being a big soft car having a seemingly extra soft peddle didn’t really trigger any warning signs as big gm’s often has softer brake feel. I just been babying the brakes for the past 2 or 3 months, lots of coasting to stops ect. under harder braking I got a lot of wheel shake and drama, again I just chalked this up to really warped (you could see it just looking at the rotors) rotors so again short of knowing they needed replacement I didn’t think too much about it. I only had the car a few days before I “replaced” my brake lines and the feel was nigh/day so i never had reason to suspect much.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > itschrome 10/19/2015 at 17:13

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I don’t trust me. God help my customers!

itschrome > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 10/19/2015 at 18:18

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That’s the sort of honesty you want in a mechanic. You’re hired!

VincentMalamute-Kim > itschrome 10/19/2015 at 19:49

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I’ve had so many episodes like this. After my stainless steel brake lines burst because the pro installer didn’t spend the time to orient the angled outlet to avoid torquing the line, I decided that I can screw up this stuff just as well as the pros can. Except when I pay someone a lot of money I expect them to do it right and not rip me off would be a bonus. I have now learned how to do 99% of the work on my cars now. I have the shop mount tires, have them capture the R-134 if I evacuate the AC system but that’s it - I’ve learned via the Internet and forums (and a smarter friend is helpful).

I read your excuses on why you need to pay someone - and those are good excuses - maybe in the future you’ll be in a situation to DIY. But then you have to learn to live with experiences like this. I look at the time spent as my hobby. I generally like it and what else would I be doing with my time anyway?

itschrome > VincentMalamute-Kim 10/19/2015 at 20:02

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I hear you, and I have done my own work and know how to do most routine stuff. But these days I lack the time, the tools and a good space to do it. I do plenty of my own DIY but when it comes to my cars I honestly prefer a pro to do it. How ever finding a good one is the problem. I love my current guy, he’s very professional.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > itschrome 10/19/2015 at 21:20

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Excellent! Watch your email for a quote of what your car needs. Only $5k to make it safe! Wait, what do you drive again?

itschrome > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 10/19/2015 at 21:22

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Cadillac, so that’s probably right. I’ll write the check and drop her off tomorrow.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > itschrome 10/19/2015 at 22:04

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Perfect! When you get it back and there are ten new problems, just be aware they’re not my fault!

itschrome > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 10/19/2015 at 22:09

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Well I mean GM quality and complex engines are bound to cause problems.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > itschrome 10/19/2015 at 22:13

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Exactly! Also, don’t mind those stains that may or may not have been all over your interior before you dropped it off.