After over a week of hearing strange squealing noises… and then strange grinding noises… coming from my Honda Element, I finally got around to getting the brakes fixed today. Due to some good reviews I found online, I headed over to a place called Brake Masters, located near the intersection of Nellis and Washington (East Las Vegas baby!).
Overall I’m relatively happy with the experience. From what I can tell, they did a good job overall. They replaced the brake pads, changed the oil, gave me what seemed like fair prices, and didn’t try to scam me too much like a lot of auto repair places do. Of course, the manager did convince me of the need to get the “special” (more expensive) ceramic brake pads. The “normal” ones just wouldn’t do!
The only thing that bothered me about the whole experience was the unexpectedly long wait time. After being assured that there really wasn’t that much that need to be done and that it should be pretty quick, I figured I’d be out of there in under 2 hours at least. I was wrong. I was in the waiting room for well over 3 hours, breathing in the cigarette smoke wafting in from the garage for much of the time.
Apparently those special lifetime-guaranteed super-powered ceramic brake pads had to be ordered from some other location in the city. And the old guy who delivered them definitely took his sweet time doing it.
Anyway, despite the long wait, I’m satisfied overall with the level of service at Brake Masters on Nellis and would probably recommend them to my friends. Now that my brakes have been fixed, my cracked windshield repaired, and the oil changed that damn Element better be “good to go” for a while!
p.s. Apparently the Brake Masters on Craig isn’t so good…
I also lived on the East side of Las Vegas; 13 years to be exact. For the past 7 years Brake Masters on Nellis was my main place for oil changes and brake check-ups. I got a liftime brake service from them for a bit over $300, but later found out that it was only for the pads. Even tho I paid for rotors too they refused to cover rotors. Too bad. Well, I went with that until they claimed I needed rotors too frequently. But I continued with the oil changes because they were cheap. Well, we had to move to Portland so I had a brake check done this past Feb. They claimed that I needed a brake fluid flush for nearly $60. Their idea of a flush was to just suck out the master cylinder sump and then top it off. A true flush requires that the car be hoisted and all 4 tire brake lines be drained. When I caught them on this fraud they refudiated it, even tho I had watched the whole procedure from their window to the shop. That was it! I will never go back to a place that engages in fraud!!!
I use Brake Masters for all my auto needs and I’ve always had a good experience. I would definitely recommend their services.
When I got mine repaired I found a place that was using some type of new technique to fill the cracks in. Turned out pretty good. I had a really big chip, so it still shows, but I was still happy. If you don’t plan on replacing the windshield, you should fix it ASAP so that a crack doesn’t form.
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