Responsibility on required service to check brake pads?

hixx101 on 06/12/2018 - 17:45

Hi

My girlfriend is required to service her car 6 monthly or every 15K KMs (had done around 10k) in order to keep her extended warranty

6 months ago car was serviced and no reported issues with brake pads (not sure if they even looked at them) they didn't mention they needed replaced and she is not a particularly heavy on the brakes.

this time when handing the car in she asked them specifically to check the brakes and they said she would need to pay an additional $29 on top of the $300 service for wheel alignment where they check the brakes

issue one shouldn't a standard brake check be included in a minor service?

issue two - they called her back this arvo saying the brakes are now on metal and she needs to pay $520 to replace the pads and the damaged rotors

should the car dealership share part of the onus for not mentioning the brake pads on previous service or is she at fault for not checking her own brake pads between 6 monthly services?

would like additional opinions before arguing further

thanks

Automotive

Comments

  • dcep on 06/12/2018 - 17:49
    +6

    depends if their minor service includes inspection

    "brakes are now on metal and the rotors damaged" - should be pretty noticeable when driving

    • Scrooge McDuck on 06/12/2018 - 22:49

      All one needs to do is take the wheels off and check the pad thickness through the sight port of the caliper. That might even be in the manual under basic maintenance.

      Any brake squeal while driving?

      Does the GF rest her left foot on the brake pedal by any chance?

  • spackbace on 06/12/2018 - 18:02
    +4

    in order to keep her extended warranty

    Please tell me you're not over-servicing to keep some cheap shitty 'free' dealership extended warranty…

    • hixx101 on 06/12/2018 - 18:22

      she paid for shitty extended warranty prior to meeting her

      • HighAndDry on 06/12/2018 - 18:26
        +5

        And when you found out, you decided to continue dating her?!

        (I kid I kid.)

        • holdenmg on 06/12/2018 - 22:19

          She is high maintenance and her car is on the skids… :+)

    • flywire on 06/12/2018 - 19:46

      Go online and check a video.

      Jack the car up and remove one wheel, place it under the closest door (in case vehicle falls off jack), loosen two bolts on the caliper then remove the bottom bolt, hinge the caliper up, remove the brake pads and inspect them. It is easy to see if the facing has worn off. Rotors will need replacing if they have deep grooves.

      Reverse to refit (brake pads can be replaced with new ones at this stage) and don't over-tighten bolts on caliper.

      • Scrooge McDuck on 06/12/2018 - 23:02

        You don't need to open the caliper if it has a sight port. Just look through it to check the pad thickness. Friction material is obviously distinguishable from the backing plate. If it's all one material, there's no friction material left and the pads need to be replaced yesterday!

        If changing the pads, you'll need a big clamp or two and some timber to push the pistons back into the caliper. Otherwise the thicker fresh pads won't fit. Watch that the brake fluid doesn't overflow while doing this, some may need to be removed.

  • [Deactivated] on 06/12/2018 - 18:15
    +1

    Why are you getting a random wheel alignment?

    • hixx101 on 06/12/2018 - 18:18

      according to them you need to pay $29 for a wheel alignment in order to have your brake pads checked by the same machine

      • HighAndDry on 06/12/2018 - 18:19
        +3

        What. You don't need a machine to check the brakes, you just… look at them.

        • hixx101 on 06/12/2018 - 18:21
          +1

          Yes, this is the issue - it seems as though they don't which in my opinion is part of the bare minimum she should be getting for the $300 service

          • [Deactivated] on 06/12/2018 - 18:25
            +9

            @hixx101: $300 service? Wheel alignment service? $29 extra to do a brake check?

            It may not appear so but trust me, there's a lot of us going WTF? right now.

      • [Deactivated] on 06/12/2018 - 18:19

        Umm. Anyone? I'm out.

        • hixx101 on 06/12/2018 - 18:21
          +1

          this is the reason I am angry at them, they should be manually checking each service for degradation and for safety

          • HighAndDry on 06/12/2018 - 18:24

            @hixx101: Look - I can believe they're trying to rip your gf off with the wheel alignment, but I'm less willing to believe they'd forget to tell her about worn brakes because in the same vein, they'd get to charge her for replacing them.

            Brakes wear down - that's normal. They can go from "no needing replacing" to "on metal" within 6 months. It could also be true that they're not actually on metal and the rotors don't need replacing, and that they're trying to rip your gf off again (this is actually fairly likely considering they're trying to sell her on an unnecessary $300 wheel alignment).

            Go get a second opinion. If the brakes or rotors need changing, they need changing.

            • EightImmortals on 06/12/2018 - 22:22
              +2

              @HighAndDry: And for $520 you want proof that are good quality pads and rotors and cheap crap that only last 15 thousand K's.

              I'd be ditching these guys and finding a good local non-dealership mechanic.

      • [Deactivated] on 07/12/2018 - 10:03
        +2

        That's BS they are ripping you off. Wheel alignment has nothing to do with brakes. It's like saying you need to pay for the ceiling to be painted because you want a light bulb changed.

        Have a look at the service report for the previous service, it should list everything done and for $300 it should include brake check.

        They will probably refuse to give you the car back until you pay for the brakes to be done for safety reasons. At this point I would ask to see the rotors and pads myself. You dont usually replace rotors you skim them.

  • HighAndDry on 06/12/2018 - 18:18

    should the car dealership share part of the onus for not mentioning the brake pads on previous service

    They could actually not have needed replacing 6 months ago. And I second phunky:

    the brakes are now on metal

    Your girlfriend, being the driver, is responsible for noticing anything unusual with her car - her mechanic isn't there to check her car daily, she really needs to take it in if she notices something. And she really should've noticed if the brakes were on metal.

    Though also:

    she would need to pay an additional $29 on top of the $300 service for wheel alignment where they check the brakes

    You definitely don't need to do a wheel alignment in order to check the brakes.

    • hixx101 on 06/12/2018 - 18:20

      the only issue I have is when suggested to check the brake pads this time they said she needed to pay additional for it meaning they didn't check last time when they should have in my opinion checked on every service as brakes should always be checked during a minor or major service

      they advised in order for them to check this time, she would need to pay for the wheel alignment and have the machine check them - this gives me the impression they are too lazy to check them manually

      • HighAndDry on 06/12/2018 - 18:25

        when suggested to check the brake pads this time they said she needed to pay additional for it meaning they didn't check last time

        Not really. It could easily be because they realised how little she knows because she felt the need to specifically ask for her brakes to be checked, and figured hell, why not sell her an extra $300 wheel alignment while they're at it?

        • hixx101 on 06/12/2018 - 18:43

          extra $29 for wheel alignment when in for $300 service just for clarity

          • HighAndDry on 06/12/2018 - 18:48
            +1

            @hixx101: Ah right. Still, you don't need a wheel alignment (or a machine) to check brakes. It takes basically just eyeballs and a finger.

            • Gronk on 06/12/2018 - 18:53

              @HighAndDry:

              Ah right. Still, you don't need a wheel alignment (or a machine) to check brakes. It takes basically just eyeballs and a finger.

              My guess is that the service dept is pushing the wheel alignment because there's no specific reason to take the wheels off the car during the course of the $300 service, so they want to get paid for that labour time.

              I'm not agreeing with or justifying their actions, just putting forward an opinion.

              • [Deactivated] on 06/12/2018 - 19:17
                +2

                @Gronk: My guess is the service “adviser” is on a commission package so he/she is pushing unnecessary things in order to meet his/her targets!

                Plus taking 4 wheels off with a air gun is a 3 minute job and 2 seconds to check the brakes. No excuse for the extra charge.

                • Gronk on 07/12/2018 - 08:22
                  +1

                  @[Deactivated]:

                  No excuse for the extra charge.

                  I'm guessing you haven't worked at a dealership before, any old excuse will do :)

              • stewy on 07/12/2018 - 00:10
                +1

                @Gronk: The wheels should be coming off every service so they can do a thorough inspection of the brakes and suspension.

                OP needs to get his girlfriend to find a competent workshop. Hell, even Kmart Tyre and Auto Service couldn't be worse than this lot….

                • Gronk on 07/12/2018 - 08:24

                  @stewy: There's no argument that the dealer should have inspected the brakes at the last service, but by the sounnds of it they only did the (absolute) bare minimum and want to charge for anything on top of that.

                  Definitely time to look for another workshop.

    • Spam Service on 11/12/2018 - 14:48
      +1

      They could actually not have needed replacing 6 months ago.

      Replacing the brake pads is a preventative maintenance measure - you replace them before they get to metal-on-metal for this very reason. When servicing a car you don't leave a part that's going to wear out in 6 months - it needs replacing. That's the whole point of the service. You don't wait until they're worn out.

      Any $300 service should inspect brake pads.

      Personally I would ditch the dealership and the extended warranty. You're paying them $300 every 6 months to not service the car - get the car serviced by a decent mechanic and you won't need the warranty. What will happen is that after the warranty expires, the next time you take it into the dealership they will find a big list of things that need replacing. They just put it all off until you need to pay for it.

      • Daniel Plainview on 13/12/2018 - 13:23

        +1 to this advice - really it's embarrassing that any 'service' (which is generally just a glorified look over the vehicle and replacement of a few consumables) didn't include such a basic item. Very poor and I'd have zero confidence dealing with them in any manner at all - go elsewhere.

  • elgrande on 06/12/2018 - 19:01
    +4

    Whenever I get a service they always let me know how much % brakes are left. Its in their interest to check so they can get some extra $$.

  • JimmyF on 06/12/2018 - 19:19

    issue one shouldn't a standard brake check be included in a minor service?

    Brake check and checking pads are TWO different things.

    should the car dealership share part of the onus for not mentioning the brake pads on previous service or is she at fault for not checking her own brake pads between 6 monthly services?

    Not at all.

    Who said they hadn't been fine 6 months ago and what you call 'not heavy' is really heavy and eaten a set of pads.

  • CMH on 06/12/2018 - 19:37
    +1

    Just because someone doesn't drive like a hoon and pulling sick g's doesn't mean their wear and tear is low.

    An example would be a real case where this lady has her eye on the Speedo and would keep making small corrections every few seconds: accelerate, brake, accelerate, brake….

    Boy did she complain about it when her brakes, rotors, clutch… Basically every wear part just dies on her really quickly.

    According to her she's "a great driver!"

  • pegaxs on 06/12/2018 - 19:45
    +6

    This is why I hate making calls on brake pads.

    Let them go thinking they will be ok, and they go metal on metal. And somehow their braking is my fault.

    Tell the customer they need replacing and they are all up in arms over the price because some guy on Airtasker can do it for $40 supplied and fitted.

    Or get on forums and read threads like "Mechanic told us we needed new brake pads, these one are still stopping the car. Am I being scammed??"

    For them to have only lasted 6 months, they either didn't get checked last service, your girlfriend likes to ride around with one foot on the brake or she isnt telling you the whole truth about what they told her last service.

    Either way, you don’t need a wheel alignment for brake pads. And a brake pad inspection does not cost $29. I think they are trying to pull a swift one over you. If she is gullible enough to pay for an extended warranty, she is prime pickings for these types of operations.

  • EightImmortals on 06/12/2018 - 22:24

    I've never had a car service where they haven't looked at the pads/rotors and told where they are up to. This is part of a 'service' and if they charging you $29 'extra' then you need a different mechanic.

  • jimbobaus on 06/12/2018 - 23:19
    +6

    I work for a major mechanical chain and can tell you that there is not a single car service schedule in Australia that does not include brake pad check

    A wheel alignment is NOT needed when you do a brake check, they are just trying to milk things more money.

    Depending on how long ago the service was, check the service book and if they stamped it they are stating they checked the brakes, i would argue the point and see what u can get.

  • brendanm on 06/12/2018 - 23:48
    +2

    You are getting rorted every which way. Service shouldn't be $300. Service includes checking the brakes every single time, as they are obviously a major safety item. You need to name and shame who it is, as a mechanic I'm actually appalled that they don't check the brakes, and want to charge you to do so. If part of a dealership, I would be complaining to someone higher up. Pretty sure every service manual has "check tyres" and "check brakes" on every single service.

  • Euphemistic on 07/12/2018 - 06:26
    +2

    If the pads are down to metal the brakes should have been squealing when applied. There is a small soft metal indicator in the pad to tell you they are wearing out. You don’t need a mechanic to check that

    But yes, service should include a brake pad check for no charge. Find another mechanic and never go back regardless of the extra ‘warranty’. In fat it is probably worth putting them on social media for this type of practice.

    • GOFYS on 07/12/2018 - 10:03

      Totally agree. You should have had four wheels screaming at you for weeks, and you can't miss it.

  • driver33b on 07/12/2018 - 09:20

    An easy way to keep an eye on pad wear is check the fluid level in the brake reservoir under the bonnet…as the pad wears the caliper needs more fluid to push the piston/pads out further…so low fluid indicates skinny pads…not necessarily any help to OP, but handy to know ;)

  • HeWhoKnows on 07/12/2018 - 11:22

    Short answer is NO!

    Always check the invoice to see what work has been charged.

    In NSW the Brakes are supposed to be checked at the annual rego inspection but even that is just a brake test and not necessarily a visual inspection of the brakes.

    Still its just a matter of popping up on the hoist and removing the wheels.
    With some cars with disk brakes the brake pads can easily be inspected through the alloy wheels.

    Any Midas Store will be happy to do this for free and some Midas stores advertise a full safety inspection is included with a service.

  • eggles01 on 09/12/2018 - 03:21

    don't you realize that if you specifically ask at a service centre etc that will give them the idea that you are worried because something happened to them,like they did not work when you needed to use them giving the ones that will rip you off,you know I cannot work out just how some people are so ignorant of happenings while they are in their younger years

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