hi,

so I went into a mechanic to get work done on my brakes. They said they fixed the problems and i paid but it seemed over priced. also i felt that they really didn't like me personally


later that day i noticed weird things with my car. for one there is a clicking sound when i press the brakes....in *click*....out *click*...when the car is on and in park (emergency brake makes no difference) that wasn't there before. It seems to be coming from beneath the shifter. Also when the car is on and i press the brake in and release it there is a faint short squeak near the front of the car by the brake pedal. even when i am not moving and i press the brake and release it the short squeak happens. but it doesn't happen when the car is off only when it is on and it happens all the time. again this was not doing that before.

now i looked into the first problem and i've heard it's not such a big deal and that the selenoid that makes sure you can't shift if the brake isn't in just wore out and it's just an annoyance.

the second thing i'm not too sure about.

so do you guys think they did something to my car out of spite?

I thought about taking it back there and asking them about it but i'm just afraid they will do more damage. would complaining to them do any good or should i just try to move on.

what would you do in my situation?

 

Personally if it were me I'd go above the mechanics. I'd put in a call to the shop and ask to speak to a manager(at the very least). From there explain your situation and what you've noticed. Also, if you can remember the name of the mechanic that did the work or the person who helped you at the desk that will help. Don't come off as being some finger pointing ahole but just explain that you are concerned about the condition of the vehicle after the work was done. Personally I wouldn't feel very safe if my car was making those noises. Brakes aren't anything to take lightly imo. I'm not even going to speculate as to what the cause is but none the less I would still put in a call. I don't consider that complaining at all. More along the lines of assuring that your vehicle was properly taken care of. Be polite and give as much detail as possible. Chances are you're going to have to take it back in but I think it would be best to start off with a phone call.

Another tidbit of advice is to write down what exactly you want to say. Write down the problems you are having. I had a similar experience like this and I ended up shooting myself in the foot because the guy I talked to A. wasn't a supervisor and B. Ended up trying to turn everything around on me because he felt the way I explained the problem didn't "lay the blame on them".

Good luck none the less. I hope the problem gets resolved!

 

Sometimes when you fix one thing it can cause other issues. With that said, I have come across more shady (or just plain stupid) mechanics than good ones.

 

The clicking sound is the shifter interlock, a safety feature where you must press the brake pedal to shift out of park. The brake light switch activates a solenoid at the shift lever that unlocks it. It was there before, or you wouldn't be able to shift out of park.

 

This sound is absolutely NORMAL. When you press the pedal, it presses a switch that unlocks the shifter so you can shift it. From Park, with the ebrake on, try to switch into reverse. You'll find that you can't. But lightly press the pedal and hear the click, then you'll find that it'll shift. I hear mine every day and note it as a sign that things are working properly.

The pedal is probably setting in a different position than normal due to new pads and maybe higher fluid volume. It will take less pedal distance to stop than before. If it bothers you a lot, add some light grease to the pedal hinges.

 

The power brake booster can also make a normal squeaking noise due to air flowing through it's control valve.

 

thanks for the replies...i think i'm just going to try to live with it as long as nothing more goes wrong.

at least it's not as bad as some of the other horror stories i've read on the internet of young beginner mechanics taking a clients car out for a test drive, destroying the clutch, and then denying it completely saying it was that way to begin with.

 

To me it seems like nothing has gone wrong lol.
Everything you described is pretty normal like MK and wellfed have mentioned...
Nothing to worry about in my oppinion.

 

I don't get the crooked mechanic thing. First if you have a question or issues you should ask the people you paid to fix your car. Then if they start side stepping then maybe you have a mechanic issue. But that is the problem today, people don't ask questions, because they are afraid to sound like they don't know, (which they as a rule don't) or because they think someone doesn't like them.
I have a shop that does a lot of my work & The lady that writes up the work orders is very friendly but the owner & one of his best mechanics can come across kind of gruff. But they have stuff going on besides me. I never take it personally. They do very good work, they are not cheap, but when I drive it away the issues I have are fixed. If I have a question or concern they always address it when I ask.
So if it was me I would stop by the shop & ask them about the squeak or noise you here. It maybe normal or nothing to be concerned about. But if there is an is issue they can fix it before anything further happens, or in the other case you brought it to their attention & if something comes of the noise it is documented. The best mechanics make mistakes, sadly non of us are perfect.
I'm a retired mechanic so I understand both sides.
Good Luck give them a chance. But to call them crooked before you even ask about something isn't very fair. Remember a couple of things good mechanics are not cheap, & to find a good mechanic find a real busy shop. As a rule they are busy for a reason, THEY ARE GOOD.
The shop that does a lot of my work, has at least a week wait most of the time. Once I had an issues with a job they did. They installed new oil cooler lines. When I got home 70 miles away one of the fittings was leaking. I called them & the owner asked me if it was too bad to travel the 70 miles & it wasn't so he asked I bring it in in the morning & they would repair replace or whatever it took first thing. They did. It was a defective factory fitting.

 

Personally, what I would do is take it to a certified dealer you can trust AND establish a relationship with one of the guys who work there. They aren't a mom and pop that are struggling to stay open. They are certified dealers that probably won't close any time soon. Plus, guys who work at dealers make a decent living BUT if you tip them almost right off the bat and show up with some beers- you would honestly be in the clear.