Auto Repair: Learn About a Possible Brake Scam

When you take your car to an auto repair shop to get your brakes checked out, you probably expect to pay a lot. This is because, for many people, it seems like repairs always cost more than expected. While this may be due to the simple price of parts and labor, it can also be due to a scam that the employees run to make more money. One of the most common scams that people experience is when a shop insists that their entire braking system needs to be repaired, which is clearly expensive. Then, certain parts may not even be repaired or replaced at all, as it is often hard for customers to verify this fact. Learn the details of this type of scenario so you can avoid getting scammed in this way.

Hearing a squeaking or grinding noise in your car can persuade you to go to the local auto repair shop to get it checked out. This is a good idea because it can become worse fast, ending up costing more money than it has to since more parts get damaged. However, you may be surprised when you get there since some shops will try to scam you. Instead of suggesting the typical repairs of replacing the brake pads, they may suggest that you overhaul the whole system. This often means that the seals in the calipers have to be replaced. Sadly, while the caliper seals tend to be cheap, the labor price is usually very high, meaning that you will pay for a lot more than you should when only the pads likely need to be replaced. Of course, in some cases this task is actually necessary, but it is hard to tell whether this is the case, which means that unless you trust the shop you go to, you are probably being scammed.

It is not only hard to tell whether the seals need to be replaced, but it is also difficult to tell whether the company has actually done it. They may charge you for the job, and then end up not doing it at all. They may also just replace the outer seals, which are the only ones you can see, but even this is hard for the average person to notice. Most people do not even second guess whether the repairs were made, as they assume that they would automatically know that the problem is still not solved, but this is not always possible. Therefore, you should avoid getting repairs like this done until you know for sure that they are necessary.

In fact, you are advised to get a second opinion if you think that the suggested auto repair is unnecessary. Most people have no idea when their shop is scamming them, and employees rely on this fact. Thus, if you do not think that your car needs a particular type of auto repair, and you cannot verify that you even got the fix that you paid for, you should get a second opinion from a trusted business.