Morning in a den of thieves

I've been putting off getting my brakes done for a while now. I took a couple of trips through the mountains of Arizona and New Mexico and had worn the pads down quite a bit.

So right after dropping the kids off at school I went up to the local brake check and braced myself for the hard sell.

I usually do my own brakes but since I have a sloping driveway and my jack doesn't lift the truck high enough to use my jack stands I don't want to risk having the damn car fall on me.

Anyway, I walked in and told them I wanted front brake pads and that's it.

Of course, they pull the tires off and brake nerd starts trying to tell me I need my rotors turned.

He was so full of shit that his eyes turned brown. I refused, telling him the rotors were fine and that I've worked on cars all my life.

The cheeky bastard wouldn't give up. He kept telling me that I was going to ruin my Anti-lock brakes and the car would shake itself to pieces if I didn't take his advice.

I repeated "No thank you" He said "well I'll have to clear this with my boss since you want to continue with this dangerous situation."

The rotor surfaces were very smooth but I knew they were counting on me being an ignorant fuck and falling for their scare tactics.

I sat down in the waiting room with my coffee and a book but I really couldn't enjoy it because the shop manager and brake nerd were busy screwing over this poor lady telling her that umpteen things were wrong with her car.

Funny thing was, when they told her she needed new brakes, she pulled out a receipt showing that they had just replaced them a month earlier. Turns out they lied and never fixed them then forgot. BUSTED! I was laughing a little when the crooks tried to blame it on a computer error.

I used to try to give people advice in these situations but I found out long ago that people don't appreciate it when I try to save them from being screwed; Plus I'd be denying them the opportunity to learn from their own experiences.

Finally, they pulled my truck around and I visually inspected each wheel to make sure they actually put brake pads on my vehicle. Brake nerd starts going on about the brakes grabbing and how I should be careful because I didn't take his advice. I had to laugh. The brakes were as smooth as silk. I called him on his shit and he knew it.

I've learned to never take a repair person of any type at their word. You have to check their story, watch every move they make and ask lots of questions. Evaluate a persons handshake and eye contact (or lack of it) before you do any business with them.

The world is filled with fucking thieves whether they wear a ski mask, a business suit or greasy overalls.

Watch out for these assholes or they'll get you too.