I took my spare car into its respective dealership today to take care of a recall issue.
As dealerships do, they... read moreI took my spare car into its respective dealership today to take care of a recall issue.
As dealerships do, they conducted their inspection and found thousands of dollars worth of repairs, things to replace, and services to complete. One of which I was aware of: my brake pads and rotors needed replacing. Besides the outrageous quoted price, the dealership said they didn't even keep rotors in stock, and would need a day to get them.
There was no way I was going to fall for dealership antics, but it was still amusing to see how much they tried to rip me off, not knowing I'm something of a "car guy" myself. Having replaced many a brake pad and rotor in my garage as a teen, I walked away chuckling, planning out when and how I was going to do the work at home.
I drove past Brake Masters on the way home, and figured, "What the heck, I'll see what they're charging." Needless to say, I was at their shop five minutes later, and out the door with new rotors in about an hour. Chatting with Abraham, the owner, it was easy to see this business is modeled around personalized service. Not only did I pay 1/3 as much as the dealership tried to charge for brakes, but the techs gave honest professional opinions about other items the dealership tried to convince me needed to be replaced immediately. Rather than "upselling" me on services now, Abraham went so far as letting me know I had months before I would need to take care of a few issues.
That's a classy move by a small business owner, to turn down business for the sake of the customer's wallet. Do yourself a favor and give these guys a call before you let a dealership gouge you for money. It'll be easier on your wallet, and on your psyche when you're not left wondering if you'd just been had. read less
Brake Masters San Marcos
