I think I was the one insulted.
I already told you my comment was NOT addressed at you
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And likewise my reply wasnāt to you. Sorry for the confusion.
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Iām still curious about what the failure was. Generally speaking, brake rotors donāt just suddenly āfailā - theyāre wear and tear parts - as in they wear down over time.
And he only way you could use the brakes āwrongā would be to ārideā them - meaning driving along with the brake applied for extended periods. This overheats them which would fry pads and create hot spots on the rotors.
What, exactly, were your symptoms? What was the rotor āfailureā?
I donāt know anything about brakes. But they said there was something that was supposed to be a coating or something on the outside of them, I canāt remember what they called it, had warn way too quickly. Iāve been driving for 40 years, and never had brakes go out so quickly. Before they were replace they had been there for at least 4 years. I donāt ride my brakes, so I donāt see how that could have been the problem. The distributor admitted without challenge that they were likely faulty in manufacturing.
One thing that can destroy brake components in a short period of time is when a brake caliper is reinstalled with the caliper hose twisted. This can act like a check valve and prevent the brake from releasing when the brake pedal is released.
And that would be the same as riding the brakes
Tester
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No symptoms but you experienced premature wear?
Normally the wear occurs on both front or both rear brakes. This would require 2 new rotors and a set of brake pads, but only one rotor showed wear?
$50 is awfully cheap for brake replacement, sounds like a ācash saleā or a transaction off the books.
Thereās no ācoatingā. Why donāt you just report whatever symptoms you had when the brakes / rotor āfailed.ā What was the āfailā? You hit the brakes and they just didnāt work at all? You hit the brakes and there was noise? You hit the brakes and the brake pedal vibrated up and down?
What happened to your brakes? Be very descriptive.
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If you read my original post, it was a yearly inspection āfailā a year ago. And again this year. Here in this state, cars are required to have a yearly inspection.
If the car fails inspection, then how are you allowed to keep driving it. Every state Iāve lived in which had a safety inspection you have 30 days to get it fixed. If you get caught driving around without an inspection sticker you can get fined and in some cases the vehicle can be impounded.
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I would think that it failed inspection last year and was repaired inorder to pass, then it failed again this year for what was repaired last yearā¦ hence the post about warranty paymentā¦
This is winding its way along some pathā¦ 
The parts manufacturer will most often only offer a limited warranty on their parts. This means they are only liable for a replacement of the part if it is shown to be defective in terms of materials or workmanship. Why donāt they cover the labor? Think about the ramifications. Where do you draw the line on what is usual, customary and reasonable? The cost of the part they know. Then some variable expense is presented that could be wildly inflated? No, it is much cleaner to say we warrant the part but not the labor.
The shop MAY offer a full warranty for some period. In that they guarantee both the part and the labor. They go back to the part manufacturer for the replacement part and eat the cost of the labor. Using quality parts, this probably doesnāt happen too often so itās a nice benefit to offer customers.
The shops that split the labor cost may actually be covering their labor cost @ 50% but losing out on the usual profit when labor is full priced.
Many rotors are coated now to reduce corrosion on non-swept surfaces. I canāt see how rust in a year would compromise the rotor enough for it to cause significant failure (e.g. runout) so doubt the explanation given. I have had very cheap rotors that had inclusions cast into the rotor surface and destroyed pads in record time but never buy white box parts again after thatā¦
We always had to show the original invoice (or print off) with the breakdown of parts and labor for payment, that cuts down on the inflated labor ratesā¦ But we also as a company spent more money then about any other business out there, it was nothing to spend over $10K a month on the 1st call vender for that shop, normal was over $50K per shop per month total for all the vendersā¦
Gee, I wonder why the automotive industry has a bad reputation and people dislike dealing with auto repair.
āYes, this part I sold you failed while under warranty but Iām going to charge you anyway.ā Sounds real professional.
Any well-run shop will offer a comprehensive warranty and price their services so that any warranty issues can be easily absorbed into the cost of doing business. Unfortunately that wonāt happen until we get rid of all the places doing $50 oil changes and $199 brake jobs.
Quality service comes at a price.
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Thereās room for both models but there have to be clear expectations. The burden of which usually falls on the better shop to explain why they are more expensive than Joe Schmoeās Repair Emporium down the street. Youāve said before that price shoppers really werenāt your preferred customer base anyway. That doesnāt make them go away, they just find a shop that suits their desires and needs and end up taking the risk. You had a successful enterprise providing a high end service- just proves itās possible to have either approach and make it work. Personally, I would take the high end deal myself rather than risk being a callback on my own dimeā¦
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Exactly. I have nothing against the budget-friendly shops and there is a clear and needed place for them. There have been many times where Iāve told a customer that I couldnāt help them but XYZ Garage would be a good fit for them. Unfortunately, a lot of people donāt understand the difference. Just like your shoe shopping experience is likely to be vastly different at Macyās than at Walmart, your auto repair experience will be different at Shop A than at Shop B.
Like you say, itās about expectations. The customers at my shop would never have thought about complaining of a $50 charge, but then again I wouldnāt needed to have charged them anything in the first place because I made enough profit from their original visit to cover any warranty concerns.
Issues arise when someone chooses a shop that has to recover that $50 in order to stay above water.
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That reminds me of the time I was trying to explain to an upper-class lady that her vehicle required matching tires per axle (2 at a time), well after it going in one ear and faster out the other, I said something about her buying one shoe at a timeā¦ She said, well heck no, I wouldnāt buy just one shoe, that would be dumb, why didnāt you just start with that, yes put 2 on it now pleaseā¦ 
I had a gentleman tell me one time, that he didnāt like being given a discounted price on something, that just made it look like it was overpriced in the 1st placeā¦ makes perfect since to meā¦
Funny! Itās all about knowing your audience (or customer). Start with that? I see pitfalls. Being accused of āmansplainingā for exampleā¦
I tend to agree with the second example. If itās on sale today, should be no reason itās not that price some other day 
Before I get roasted, I do understand contribution margin and loss leadersā¦ 
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100% right, if I would have started with you wouldnāt buy just one shoe thing, I would have gotten in trouble, after the boss stopped laughingā¦ Yeah within my 1st 6 months with the company I was put on probation for something I said (Iāve been accused of being blunt before), about the same time I was promoted with a 40% raise, yeah I got to do the job without the pay for next 6 months cause of itā¦ 
Oh well, live and learnā¦
Yeah, back in September I bought a dog car leash for my fur baby (mainly to keep him out of the front seats of my newish truck, hammock in the back), then the wifey wanted one for hers around the BF sales, when I went to the buy from the same vender they had a 1/2 off BF sale!!! I was like great!! Then the price just seemed a little off, so I went and checked what I had just paid for mine and it was only $2.00 more then the same one now 1/2 offā¦ I bought it anyway, didnāt really care but big mark up just to cut it back downā¦ BTW I checked a week after BF and it was back to the original price I paid for the 1st oneā¦ lol
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In NJ (possibly also in other states), when a merchant announces a BIG price reduction, the sign accompanying the sale item must state something along the lines ofā¦ this item may have been previously offered for sale at a lower price. Of course, that info is displayed in a very tiny font.
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