I have 97 Honda Accord that is on her last legs. 200k and the brakes are screaching and whining REALLY bad when I back up. I had a friend look at them and she says I am probably going to have to have the brake pads and rotors replaced (if not more). I know this isn't cheap and is probably going to cost me more than the blue book value of the dang thing, but I'm not in a place where I can take on a new car payment. I need to get about another year out of the hunk of junk while I pay off my medical bills from my arm surgery last year. :banghead: So here's my question....where do I go? I know that if I take it to a chain auto place they will try to rip me off so I need to go to a reputable place that will do the job and not try to take advantage of me because I'm a woman who knows nothing about cars. I have heard good things about Tag Automotive and will call them tomorrow if they are open, but want to get other thoughts, advice, recommendations if I can. I really can't afford any of this right now so I want to be smart and get the best price I can. Thanks all! :cheers:
My Vote is Brian's Auto Repair, across from Polenta Elem. Brians # 919-723-8185 The first job he did for us he could have raked us over the coals. The car had been on fire and we didn't know what caused it or how much was damaged. Turns out it was just a power steering hose that had been rubbed in two and it ignited. He could have told us anything and we wouldn't have known much difference. He replaced it, cleaned it up, checked everything out and we were done for about $125 including towing it. I could have hugged hime, LOL I just took my old van in there before Christmas and asked him to look it over before we left on a trip to make sure everything was ok. I got out of there with an oil change and that was all he said it need. Again, he could have made a laundry list. Got back and forth on our trip with no problems. In my experience, he's very honest and his prices are more than reasonable.
Before you go anywhere, go to Carmax. They will tell you what they will buy your car for (whether or not you buy a car from them) in writing. They will also tell you why your car is worth what they offer. The quote is good for seven days. Then you can take your car, and the CarMax quote to all the other dealers you want and see if they will match (or beat) Carmax's offer.
She's wanting a repair. Not another car. And Carmax is a ripoff. Been there, done that. Their "offer" was laughable. Got more than twice as much in a private sale. The same week.
I second this.... I have gone to Brian a lot of times... Even before he got the Shop he is in now. I went to his house and had my car worked on. He will call you and tell you what he thinks you need or tell you the best way to go for you money!!
I have a Honda Pilot and had a Honda civic...I take my Honda's to All On The Line (919-779-2006, Gary,Owner) he only works on Honda and Toyota he is straight foward and tells you exactly what you need. Great work never had a problem with anything he has done. Very honest guy! His shop is behind Lowes on 40/42.
I'm taking it to Brian's on Wednesday morning. I have a feeling it's not going to be good news and that front and back will need to be replaced, but based on what folks are saying he'll be reasonable about what I need and helping keep the cost down. Thanks for all of the advice/recommendations! :cheers:
One thing you can do to save yourself some $ is go ahead and buy the brakes you need and have THEM put them on. We did that with my BIL's truck, DH & BIL were working on it and hit a snag, needed a new hub bearing, which we didn't have. So took it up to Brians last week and fixed BIL's truck right up and it wasn't as bad as we thought it would be as far as cost.
On side note, while I have done this in the past for certain mechanical items just be warned that 99.9% of the shops will not warranty parts that they are not responsible for supplying.
good advice....they make money on the parts and labor. Another thing that would be smart is to replace the brake pads before they wear down your rotors. What's the saying? "an ounce of prevention..." I think I paid like $100 for my back two pads and turned rotors. Like I said..not as bad as you might think. A brake replacement is common no matter what car so unless there is something else wrong with it, I wouldn't blame the car. Honda Accords will last forever if you take care of them. I have 230K miles on one of mine and it runs like a scalded dog (knocking on wood).
