First off, cars are just not my middle son's thing. With that said I have made it repeatedly clear that any time that he supects that something is wrong, all that is needed is a call and Dear ole Dad (that would be me) will be there to help him figure it out and fix it if we can. I preach oil changes, tire rotation, and the importance of a practiced ear as was passed down to me by my own father.
Imagine my dismay when I recieved a call Monday evening asking for help due a "terrible noise' coming from the front of his truck. After arriving I took a short, very short, drive in the parking lot only to hear that wonderful metal on metal sound coming from the front of vehicle. When asked how long this had been going on I was told, "about three months, but it got really bad a little while ago." In my defence, I did not kill the child (too many witnesses, very busy road), but I did recll that there was a reputable auto repair shop close at hand. I took it there and dropped it off, asking to be informed as to what needed to be repaired.
Well, there was not one spec of fibre on the brake pad at all. None, nada, zilch. They told me there was a very substantial gouge in the rotor and that it had taken quite some time to get one that bad in there. My vision flashed red again and a very devious scheme came to mind. I told them to change the rotor out, put on all new pads front and back, change all the belts, filters, and oil. I also told them to rotate and balance the tires and do a front end allignment. Total cost in parts? $197.28. Total cost to him with labor? $750.00. Total cost if we had done this three months ago? $75.00. If he won't listen to my voice, perhaps he will listen to his wallet. Looks like the money he has put aside for his new laptop has just been diverted.
Imagine my dismay when I recieved a call Monday evening asking for help due a "terrible noise' coming from the front of his truck. After arriving I took a short, very short, drive in the parking lot only to hear that wonderful metal on metal sound coming from the front of vehicle. When asked how long this had been going on I was told, "about three months, but it got really bad a little while ago." In my defence, I did not kill the child (too many witnesses, very busy road), but I did recll that there was a reputable auto repair shop close at hand. I took it there and dropped it off, asking to be informed as to what needed to be repaired.
Well, there was not one spec of fibre on the brake pad at all. None, nada, zilch. They told me there was a very substantial gouge in the rotor and that it had taken quite some time to get one that bad in there. My vision flashed red again and a very devious scheme came to mind. I told them to change the rotor out, put on all new pads front and back, change all the belts, filters, and oil. I also told them to rotate and balance the tires and do a front end allignment. Total cost in parts? $197.28. Total cost to him with labor? $750.00. Total cost if we had done this three months ago? $75.00. If he won't listen to my voice, perhaps he will listen to his wallet. Looks like the money he has put aside for his new laptop has just been diverted.