Brakes

Brake Fluids & Bleeding
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Upsell: “We’ve got you down for an oil change. Do you want to add a brake fluid change and brake bleed today for just $80?”

First off, what the heck is Brake Bleeding or Flushing? Brake bleeding is a process that removes air from your braking system. Air and moisture can get into your brake system over time and can cause the brake pedal to feel soft or to go further to the floor than usual. Bleeding the brakes should help fix this and give you a nice firm brake pedal. But before you say yes…
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What you need to know:
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-Brake fluid generally only needs to be changed every 3 years
-All this depends on your vehicle’s make/model/year and how you drive.
-At this that 3 year interval, they should also bleed your brakes to remove air from the system
-Quick lube type shops may often try to perform this service more frequently than is necessary. Give the FIXD Mechanic Hotline a call to double check or check your maintenance timeline.
-If you are getting pressured into this service, give the FIXD Mechanic Hotline a call to double check or check your maintenance timeline.
-This upsell could easily add $100+ to your bill

How to respond:
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‍Your response: “Can you check when my last brake fluid change was? Oh, it was last year? No, thanks, I don’t think that’ll be necessary.”

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Brake Pads & Rotors
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Upsell: “Take a look at your brakes here… see how bad they are? You really ought to get those replaced as soon as possible. I can go ahead and do it today if you’d like.”
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Talk about a scary situation! You know you need solid brakes to drive safely, but how do you know if they’re really “that bad”? What do “good brakes” even look like?
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What you need to know:
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–When it comes to replacing brakes, what matters is brake pad or brake rotor thickness
-A quick Google search will tell you the “minimum brake pad thickness” recommended for your specific vehicle
-If you feel a mechanic is trying to pressure you into buying new brakes, dial the FIXD Mechanic Hotline right away for reliable, unbiased answers, especially in this scenario because it could end up costing you over $600!
-Thickness is often measured in millimeters and each millimeter of thickness can get you through about 5000 miles of driving
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How to respond:
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Your response: “How much thickness is left on my brake pad/brake rotor?
”Next, call the FIXD Mechanic Hotline or Google what the “minimum brake pad thickness” and “minimum brake rotor thickness” is for your vehicle. See if what they’re saying matches up with what you find.