Brake Masters

I went into Brake Masters in Surprise, AZ to have my A/C checked for their $19.95 cost. I stayed outside with the mechanic who was working on my car the whole time. I informed the mechanic that it had a new A/C compressor and drier installed and had the system recharged in September 2011. I informed the mechanic that the freon had leaked out and that I had a leak somewhere. The mechanic stated that he would put oil and dye, and a little refrigerant into the system to locate the leak and that was part of the $19.95 price.

When I went into to pay, the cost was $170. The gentleman inside brought me a form to sign, and the bill. I never authorized Brake Masters to fully charge my system because I knew there was a leak. I was informed that they had to do this to check the system and are now telling me that they have my signature authorizing the work. I informed the district manager and he offered to replace the refrigerant at no charge and to fix the line that needs repair and that he had my signature authorizing the work.

I informed him that at no time did anyone with a white shirt give me a form authoring the work as I was outside the garage bay the whole time and only dealt with the mechanic. They were only to check my system for the $19.95 price. What they did was have me sign their form after they said my car was ready and I went inside and they handed me the form with my bill. The form was to be signed before any additional work is done, not after the fact and given with the bill as a part of the normal procedure in order to get your car. I want my money refunded less the $19.95.

My daughter took her car to Brake Masters in Lake Havasu City, AZ, for an oil change, and was told by the service writer Richard, that she needed a fuel filter, and that the total cost would be $69.00 to replace it. The interesting thing is that a 2005 Nissan Sentra has no fuel filter. When I called Richard about the issue, he stuck to his story, and told me to call the district manager Jim. When I talked to Jim, he acknowledged the fact that the vehicle had no fuel filter, and that it was just a mistake. My main complaint is that something similar happened a while back. I took my truck into Brake Masters, Lake Havasu City, for front brake pads, and they told me I needed a front brake caliper. I told them I had just had it replaced the week before at the dealership, and that it is warrantied. They then proceeded to tell me to take it back, which I did. The result was the caliper was fine, and I was charged $90.00 for the inspection. Brake Masters in Lake Havasu should be investigated for improper business practice.

I took my car in for an oil change back in April or May 2011. Brake Masters tightened the oil pan nut too tight and cracked my oil pan. They gave me a hard time to fix it until I contacted Consumer Affairs and filed a complaint.

Brake Masters then contacted me and stated that they would make the necessary repairs if I took the car into their shop. I was informed that it would take 2 to 3 hours to replace the oil pan that I had to buy at a Buick dealer. I waited for my car from 8:00am until 7:30pm the whole day. I lost a full day's pay of 10 hours at $250.00 and my car still wasn't repaired. When I walked back into the shop with the manager, I noticed that the wires were hanging down from under my dash and cut with a razor blade. The blade and electrical tape were in plain sight. I asked the manager why were they cutting my wires? His response was that a wire was pinched and stuck to the chassis when they lifted the engine of my car, and that the car wouldn't start.

I became upset and stated to the manager that my car had been in storage for 10 years and that it was in excellent condition and that I was very displeased regarding the cutting of the wires. At 8:00pm, they acquired a rental car for me so that I could go home and not miss another day of work. The next day I contacted Brake Masters and they stated that my car still wouldn't start and that they were going to have it towed to an electrician's shop. I picked up my car the following day. The manager's supervisor apologized and promised me that Brake Masters would honor the warranty for up to 1 year, if I had any electrical issues in the future.

For the last month I have had electrical problems with blowing out the fuses for my dash lights, blinker problems and my radio shutting off by itself. I never had these problems with my car until I took it to Brake Masters, and I can't afford to be having it fixed anymore. I am a senior citizen on a fixed income. I have been a Brake Masters client for many years and I'm filing this complaint hoping that you can contact Brake Masters and have them honor their 1-year warranty to correct my electrical short problems. I have stressed out over all the inconvenience that these problems have caused me and due to my health issues, I cannot afford to argue with anyone. Please have them contact me and correct the problem that was created and caused by them a few months ago.

I am disappointed in Brake Masters. At this location, they have gone through three managers since I had brake work done on my PT Cruiser. My PT had approximately 130k plus miles before I had to do the brakes. Very fortunate indeed. I took the car in as there was a grinding noise on the left side. They said my calipers were bad so they needed to be replaced. They also cut the rotors and put in new pads. I brought the car back about 2 to 3 months ago for the same grinding. They re-cut the rotors and sent me on my way.

Last week, I took my vehicle back in for the same reason. The calipers had damaged the rotors again. Now, I had to pay for new rotors and an upgrade in pads as the manager said the ones they replaced were not that good and wear out too soon! That might have been good to know in the beginning. Then they tried to charge me full labor for the work. How ridiculous is that when the original work was supposed to be guaranteed? Or are just the parts guaranteed? Obviously, they do not back up their mechanics' work.

My guess is that I did not receive new calipers, maybe only rebuilt if that. I am going to take my vehicle to a reputable brake specialist and have them give me a diagnostic. There should be no reason that I have to come back within a few months of having a full front brake job to have the work done a second and third time.

On March 19, I took my car in for an oil change. After the work was done, I was informed that there was a crack around the oil pan drain plug. I informed the manager, Nicole, that my car never had any oil leaks. She stated that they were not at fault. I took my car home and after an hour, I noticed a big oil leak on my garage floor. I took my car back to Brake Masters and they once again stated that the damages were not their fault. I was upset and told the manager that I was going to contact the Consumer Affairs Dept. and file a complaint. Her response was, "Do what you have to do! It's not our fault." I asked to speak with her supervisor but was denied access to him.

One hour later, I was contacted by Nicole and she stated that her supervisor stated to her that if I purchased a new oil pan, they would install it for free. I told her that I shouldn't have to buy anything especially since the damage was done in her shop. Her response was, "That's the best that we can do. So if you want it done, you have to go and purchase a new oil pan." I went to the Buick Dealer and purchased a new oil pan for $181.67. Then, I went back to Brake Masters and scheduled a date to repair my car. I was told by the manager that I could bring it in any day and that the repairs would only take two to three hours.

On 3/23/11, I arrived at Brake Masters at 8:00 AM. While I was there, I noticed that the mechanic dis-assembled my entire front end. The front axle was on the floor along with my starter, rotors and other parts. My engine was tiled and the transmission oil was leaking all over the floor. Four hours had passed so I asked the assistant manager, Richard, how long the repair was going to take. His response was, "We're almost done." I told him that I was missing work and losing money. His response again was, "We're almost done." At 2:00 PM, I walked in the shop and noticed that no progress had been made.

I asked the manager what's going on because nothing is being done. His response was, "As soon as my mechanic finishes, I'll inform you." At 5:00 PM, my car was still dis-assembled. I asked Richard, "What is going on? This was supposed to take two to three hours according to Nicole and I have been here since 8:00 AM." He then stated that the car wouldn't start. I walked in the shop and noticed that the mechanic was pulling on wires on top of my engine and that two wires were damaged and cut. He stated, "There's no problem. I will fix them with electrical tape."

Then, I looked inside my car because the drivers door was open. I noticed wires cut and hanging on the floor next to a razor blade. I stated to the mechanic, "What are you doing to my car? You were supposed to fix my oil pan, not cut my wires and possibly cause an electrical short?" He stated that I needed to go back to the lobby because of the cameras in the shop. I was very upset. At 7:00 PM, my car still didn't start.

I had been at Brake Masters since 8:00 AM. I was very upset and tired. I had lost $250.00 from missing my 10 hours of work. I stated to the manager that I couldn't miss any more work and that they needed to get me a loner car. He contacted his supervisor and the loner was approved. By the time the car arrived, it was already 8:40 PM. I had spent 12 1/2 hours at Brake Masters. The next day, my car was taken to an Electrician's Shop and my car was returned to me. I noticed that my car wasn't running the same. The idle was ruff and the car didn't start as easy as it used to. It felt like not enough amps were kicking over the starter. I contacted Brake Masters and asked to speak with their supervisor. Two hours later, Mr. Sal ** contacted me.

I shared with Mr. Sal ** how disappointed I was with the way I was mistreated and disrespected by Nicole, his manager, and that I was going to contact the Consumer Affairs Complaint Dept. All he did was apologize and that was it. I filed a complaint with Consumer Affairs which I believe was on 3/28/11. In the complaint, I asked to be reimbursed for the time lost from work which was $250.00 and the $181.67 for the oil pan.

Two days later, Mr. Sal ** contacted me and stated that he could not pay me for my loss of work time but that he would pay me for the oil pan. I stated to Mr. Sal ** that my car still wasn't running right. That my starter was not amping up like it used to and that I was very disappointed. He told me that he would mail me a check for the oil pan and guarantee my car for a period of one year if any problems occurred due to their services and repairs. On 4/10/11, my starter started to spin and not engage. I started to have electrical problems also. The key bell goes on while I'm driving and also the dash lights go on periodically.

My cruise control also engaged without my engaging it. This became worst as time went on. I called Brake Masters and informed the assistant manager regarding this problem. He stated that he would contact his supervisor, Mr. Sal **. After an hour, Richard called me back and informed me to bring in my car and that they would check the starter and see what the problem was. I took my car in on 4/29/11. I waited for 1 and 1/2 hours. The manager told me that they checked the car and that the starter was just fine--no electrical problems were noticed. I informed Richard that my car had let me stranded several times in the past week and that the bell was ringing on occasion.

He then became upset and once again stated that there was nothing wrong with my car. He tried to get me to sign his release document in which I refused to do so. He brought me my car to the front of his shop and didn't say a word. I then tried to start my car and the same thing happened, the starter was just spinning. I honked my horn at Richard and he returned. I told him, "See? The starter isn't working." Then, I tried to start my car again in front of him and it still wouldn't start. He said that it wasn't their fault and just proceeded to walk away from me while I was still talking.

This was very upsetting to me. I felt that I was disrespected once again and that Richard just didn't care about me as his customer. I had to take my car to another auto mechanics shop and have the repairs done. The cost was $216.46. In my complaint, I want to be compensated for the repairs worth $216.46 and also the time missed from my work worth $250.00 due to their mishandling and disrespectful treatment which I received.