How do tire chains make money of $59 brake pad specials?

I can’t speak for the chain brake stores but it’s also possible that some of them could be obtaining white box, nameless brake pads and rotors on the cheap.

Several dealers I worked for would receive flyers in the mail which advertised brake/suspension components, electrical, ignition, etc and the prices were astoundingly cheap.
No name brand on them at all; only an identifying number.
A set of brake pads for 5 bucks wouldn’t be out of the question.

When I had my BMW motorcycle the oil filters were somewhat pricy. A BMW shop owner told me about a white box replacement just out that retailed for 20% of the BMW OEM filters so I tried one. The shop owner was using them and that guy puts a ton of miles on a bike every week so I figured the track record was good…
A few weeks later he told me to get that filter out of there because there were reports of the filter element disentegrating.

Luckily I caught mine in time. It still took me a full 20 minutes to dig that filter out, piece by piece.

There’s no way you can get a set of quality brake pads for $20. And by that I mean comparable to original equipment or actual original. Yes, $20 brake pads are out there, and they may work fine for many of you, but I have to warranty my work, and that means a brake job that doesn’t squeak, leave brake dust on the wheels, doesn’t wear out the rotors, gives a good pedal feel, and will last as long as the original brakes did. For example, a set of quality, original equipment front pads for a 99 Accord will cost me (wholesale) $38. There’s no way you’re getting that for a $59.95 brake job.

Something no one else has mentioned is that one way the big chains do this is on the backs of the mechanics. One large chain will pay the mechanic .8 hours of his wage for a front brake service. He is to replace the front pads, clean and lubricate all mounts, slides, and hardware, resurface the rotors on the brake lathe, and hand torque all the fasteners and wheel lugs and test drive the car. In 48 minutes. And that’s after doing the initial road test and inspection, probably for free. So a guy making $20/hr will make $16 for all that work. I’ve been doing this for a while, and there’s no way I’d do that much work for $16. So the customer either ends up with a young guy just busting ass to make a buck and not caring about quality, or an older experienced mechanic who is going to find upsells just to get paid a decent wage for his work.

Either way, the adage “if it sounds too good to be true it probably is” applies.

Let me tell you about the local chain that offers $16 oil changes. When checking in the customer is asked “Would you like us to check your fluid levels and air pressure for an additional $5?”

@asemaster, you’re dead on correct with your statements.

The additional charge for a fluid level and tire pressure check is a new one for me. It’s tragically sad that an oil change has come down to that and looks like the wave of the future.

It’s also sad that so many car owners who think nothing of paying a 100 dollars for a designer pair of jeans or 300 dollars for a generic framed wall picture will cringe at the thought of paying 40 or 50 dollars for an oil change.

@asemaster, no disagreements with your viewpoint. OEM quality is not in this $59 deal, and not expected…and shouldn’t be expected. When I decide to go cheap and get those 19.99 front pads, i know that i will replace them in about 1.5 to 2 years. That’s ok with me. Same for if I asked for the $59 deal, i would lower my expectation too!!

@asemaster - And that is why I stay away from the chains…And have always recommended that people find a good local mechanic. I’ve yet to find the national chain I’d recommend to anyone.