Tire Kingdom Complaint - Went In For Brake Inspection, Came Out Almost In Debt $800 - Brake Service

Posted by Anonymous on 2008-05-10:

I gather that you did not have the work done? Good for you! If you had them do the work, you would not be posting as 'Feelingscrewed', you would be posting as 'Thoroughlyscrewedandsore'.
I had a similar experience with my local Goodyear joint. I took my vehicle in for a winter oil change (I normally do my own simple maintenance). They offered a 'free inspection'. I consented. Ten minutes later, they brought out an $850 estimate for 'important repairs' my vehicle needed. Brakes, power steering flush, transmission flush, coolant flush, clean the injectors, and replace a $15 tail light bulb ($2 at NAPA). I was also told I needed a new battery (the one in the vehicle was less than two months old). I declined the work. Many people do not. Find a reliable shop and let them do the work if your boyfriend cannot. Thank you for your post. Unfortunately, your experience is common!

Posted by Anonymous on 2008-05-10:

Actually depending on the car and what parts would be required, it's not totally out of the realm of possibility

Posted by Anonymous on 2008-05-10:

Quite true, dealer. A newer car with now-standard ABS brakes can easily exceed $1000 for a complete brake job. However, the OP researched the parts required for her job and they were 'substantially' cheaper. And while parts are only part of the expense, brake jobs are not labor intensive. Some shops will sell new rotors, rather than turning the old ones, will replace slave cylinders instead of rebuilding them...etc.

Posted by GenuineNerd on 2008-05-10:

NTB National Tire and Battery, which is also known as Tire Kingdom, is known to be a ripoff joint. They charged my mother $2400 to have a rack and pinion installed on her 1996 Oldsmobile Cutlass. She could have had the same repair done for half that price if she went to an independent mechanic. And their ads are unbelievable too, with too many "extras" added on, like a "$15.99 Pennzoil oil change", but they add "environmental and shop fees" on top of that price. Most other auto service chains, when they advertise oil changes, usually advertise an "out the door" price, with "no ups, and no extras" (to quote Earl Scheib, when he advertised $29.95 auto paint jobs many years ago.) Once you add the "environmental and shop fees", that $15.99 oil change will end up costing close to $25 anyway. And their tire prices don't include the required services either, like valve stems, mounting, balancing, and old tire disposal fees. Most reputable tire dealers advertise an "out the door" price on their tires, which INCLUDE the above services-and their "out the door" price is often less than NTB/Tire Kingdom's price, once you add the required services to their lowball price. Perhaps these "environmental and shop fees" vary from vehicle to vehicle, since some vehicles use only 4 quarts of oil, while other vehicles use anywhere from 5 to 8 quarts of oil...some pickup truck/SUV diesel engines, and Cadillacs with Northstar engines, use 8 quarts. But still, an "out the door" price will make it easier for customers to get an idea on how much an oil change or tire replacement is. I don't recommend NTB/Tire Kingdom. There are more reputable places out there to have your car serviced.

Posted by DebtorBasher on 2008-05-10:

I agree with GenuineNerd...I had my car at NTB this past month...because my "Service Engine" light was one..they replaced the front 02 sensors and said the back ones were fine. They charged $60.00 for the Diag. Test and said the test would take ONE HOUR to run...(obviously to run up the labor time)totaling just over $400.00. The next day the engine light came back on again. Thinking it may be somthing that would be covered in their "guarenteed" work the day before, I was told the two back 02 sensors needed replaced along WITH a complete Converter Assembly, they qouted me the price of $1095.57 PLUS the tax! I took the car to my regular garage, they rand the Diag. Test and told me the converter assembly didn't HAVE to be done right away and I can drive with it for a year if I wanted to and it wasn't going to affect the performance of the car. He took one look at the problem and knew that I never drive on the highway and only suggested that I have someone take it out for a drive on the highway for about ten miles and it would be fine. He DID suggest the converter assembly be done before my next emissions' test, which isn't until next year anyway. No problem with the back sensors at all. He cut the engine light off, gave me my car keys and sent me on my merry way with NO CHARGE and he ran the diag. test in less than three mintues! Looks like NTB would have seen the issue with the converter assembly when they ran the test the day before, but probably wanted me to bring the car back so they can charge up more labor hours because that was something that could have been done (if really needed) while he had the car up on the rack.

Posted by DebtorBasher on 2008-05-10:

Thanks to Pirate for his suggestion, I just got my own Diag. Code Reader delivered today...now I can check my own before taking it in to anyone.

Posted by Anonymous on 2008-05-10:

If your boyfriend is such a car genius, then why didn't he replace your brakes? It is ridiculous to complain about a retailer marking up the price of parts. When you go to a bar, you pay $5 for a drink you could make for $1 at home.

Posted by knt2000 on 2009-11-16:

I went in to just install tires, and they told me that I needed $1,200 worth of repairs/labor/parts. Needless to say, I did none of it. I even checked the prices of the parts, and they were 4 times the cost, and they get their stuff from Advance Discount Auto. I know, because my wife works for discount, and they even get a 20% or more discount on the retail prices. It was fun too, the guy approaches me to tell me that I need these "repairs" and he looks like he is talking to someone that has a patient in the hospital that is dieing and he got some REALLY bad news....

Posted by Hmmm on 2011-05-28:

I bet you all would like the parts to be sold at cost and no labor charged? Large auto shops have much higher costs than privately owned shops (better equipment, more employees). Thus labor rates are higher. Labor is quoted off of book time which is listed by the manufacturers and pulled off of Mitchell. Besides all of that, the price of the parts are marked up to offer nationwide warranties. Or should companies not mark them up and replace defective parts at no charge, incurring more costs? If you choose to decline the work, that is your prerogative. But you bash on these companies for trying to make a profit? This is not a for non-profit charitable organization. Think, people.