Shoutout to that one shop that actually fixed my brake job right the first time

Last October I took my 2012 Ford Focus to a chain shop for rear brakes and they screwed up the caliper alignment. I limped it to a little independent garage on Elm Street in Portland, and the guy spent an entire Tuesday diagnosing it without charging me a dime upfront. He showed me the stuck slide pin and replaced it for $45 total parts and labor. Has anyone else found a mechanic that actually earns your trust instead of just taking your money?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_val1mo ago

I read somewhere that chain shops push their mechanics to hit a certain number of hours per job, so they rush and cut corners like that caliper pin. That guy sounds like the kind of old-school mechanic who actually takes pride in fixing stuff right instead of just swapping parts. Hard to find someone like that these days, but when you do, you hold onto them.

the_david1mo ago

Followed the trail of good reviews on Yelp until I found a one-man shop who let me hang out in the bay and watch him replace my alternator while explaining every step (which no chain shop would ever let you do).