About Joe Trent

This is our new shop policy from this day forward.  As most shop policies, this one is a result of having been burned again trying to install brake pads on a vehicle that has aluminum calipers.  When a vehicle has aluminum brake calipers and you try to install pads, more often than not the caliper pistons jam and even if you do manage to get them to contract far enough to install the pads, they won’t release after the first time you apply the brakes.

Then you get to pry them off the vehicle and install new calipers. Crap… I’ve been down this road enough times on Chevy S10′s that you’d think I’d know better by now right? Nope, love wouldn’t lie to me again right?

The other day I’m working on a late model Mustang with aluminum calipers and I was busy with other jobs and really didn’t think about the fact they were aluminum. As soon as I started to push the pistons back to install the new brake pads I can assure you I started to remember all the problems I’ve had with aluminum calipers on the rear of Chevy S10′s.

I thought what the heck, lets try it anyways. Nope. They were stuck tighter than 2 coats of paint. Crap. Called the customer and gave him the news. He wasn’t happy. I get that. Nobody likes to hear that it’s going to cost more to fix their car.

My least favorite thing about fixing cars is having to call a customer back after the initial estimate and give them a new estimate.  I have a pretty good crystal ball because I’ve been doing this a long time. Over 32 years at the time of this post.  But once in a while I still get burned.  But the next time won’t be from installing brakes on old aluminum brake calipers I can assure you.  Like I said, everybody gets new calipers from now on if their Hup mobile has them.

Almost every week someone calls the shop and asks how much to install their brake pads, shocks, or some other auto part.

And my answer is almost always the same. We don’t install customer supplied parts. The only exception to this is if you own something like a 1932 Chevy and you want me to install your suspension parts.

Why? Because when you supply the part, I take ALL the risk. For example, today I broke my rule and I let a customer bring in his own struts and guess what? Sure enough after I had his truck ripped apart on my alignment rack, one of his struts was missing a part.

Now I have to deal with HIS problem which has now become MY problem that I’m NOT getting paid to solve.

This is not the first time this has happened.  This was one of the main reasons for instituting the policy that we don’t install customer supplied parts.  But I guarantee this is the last time that is going to happen.

Go buy a steak at the grocery store and take it down to the local steak house and ask them to cook it for you. See if they don’t show you the door…

Am I grumpy about this? Yes, I knew better.  So, if you were thinking about calling me to see about installing your brake pads, shocks, etc. Don’t.

I’ve had a lot of people tell me they bought the part so they could save money.  Great, install it yourself and save even more.

I love working for folks who don’t have time for this nonsense and just want their car fixed at a fair price.

If you have your own parts and could care less, try one of those unlicensed Craigslist mechanics.

Happiness is when you get a phone call thanking you for the work you’ve done on someones vehicle. Like the audio on the front page for example.

Today, Micheal Oats called and let us know he won driver of the year. He campaigns a slightly modified Mazda Miata  at the SCCA time trail events over in Hilo.

We set the car up with our secret racing specs for the chassis and he and his wife have been leading the pack every since. She competes too.  Needless to say… our alignment prices are going up.   Congratulations Micheal!