12-24-2024, 09:00 PM
Offering just a quote for the labor was just them trying to save time to weed out people who would get sticker shock from it. There is a database that lists how long every job "should" take. So the information already exists. Looking up the cost of the parts necessary is a PITA because there are different grades and types and sometimes they don't know what needs to be replaced until they get their hands dirty. Or they say an alternator is $600 but when they want to buy it, now it's out of stock and the only one available is $800. Do you want to wait for the cheaper one to come in stock or pay $200 more now and leave them a bad Yelp review? You get the picture.
Most shops don't want you to bring your own parts, and you don't want to. The shop might charge more for them, but if it fails, they will replace it for free if it's within their warranty period, and the parts place reimburses them for their labor to do that. If you bring your own part and it fails, you're SOL. Often times the "discount" bringing our own parts isn't that much anyway.
I took our truck to Mikes and they replaced the front pads and whatever that requires (I don't remember). A few weeks later one of the calipers seized and rather than take it back I had a mobile mechanic look at it. He said the caliper needed to be replaced, and it was also his assessment that Mikes didn't do anything wrong, if it worked and looked okay when the truck was there that was the industry standard to leave it alone. I had him replace both. When I was buying the calipers at the auto parts place, the guy behind the counter told me that he had the same truck and it was a common problem, and he had the same issue the week before.
I haven't done any DIY brake work since my dad showed me how to do it in the 1980s. Even if I had the tools to do it right, having brakes fail is too much risk on the risk/reward scale for me. Getting stranded on the side of the road is one thing, but having a vehicle that won't stop is another.
Most shops don't want you to bring your own parts, and you don't want to. The shop might charge more for them, but if it fails, they will replace it for free if it's within their warranty period, and the parts place reimburses them for their labor to do that. If you bring your own part and it fails, you're SOL. Often times the "discount" bringing our own parts isn't that much anyway.
I took our truck to Mikes and they replaced the front pads and whatever that requires (I don't remember). A few weeks later one of the calipers seized and rather than take it back I had a mobile mechanic look at it. He said the caliper needed to be replaced, and it was also his assessment that Mikes didn't do anything wrong, if it worked and looked okay when the truck was there that was the industry standard to leave it alone. I had him replace both. When I was buying the calipers at the auto parts place, the guy behind the counter told me that he had the same truck and it was a common problem, and he had the same issue the week before.
I haven't done any DIY brake work since my dad showed me how to do it in the 1980s. Even if I had the tools to do it right, having brakes fail is too much risk on the risk/reward scale for me. Getting stranded on the side of the road is one thing, but having a vehicle that won't stop is another.