Several years ago, when I was traveling a lot and simply didn't have (or didn't want to take) the time to do even simple car projects, my wife took her Lexus RX330 to a local shop with a sterling (as auto repair shops go) reputation for some brake work.

After picking up her car she called me on the road that night and said it just didn't feel right - that she had to apply a lot more pedal pressure than normal. She called the shop the next morning and described the issue to the owner, who immediately pooh-poohed her and explained that he had personally test-driven the car after the work had been completed (something he claimed he always did) and that everything was fine. He did offer to have her bring the car in two days later (said that was the soonest they could have a look). Even after she told him she was concerned because she felt it was a safety issue, he repeated that two days later was the soonest they could look at her car.

When I got home the next day I drove the car. Any guesses as to whether my wife or the shop owner was correct in their assessment? The brakes absolutely weren't right. The shop had worked only on the front, so I began my examination there. Everything looked right and felt right, but something was clearly not right.

I drove the car again and came away with the same impression as I had the first time, so I moved my inspection to the rear of the car -even though they had worked only on the front. It took about two seconds to spot the first set of locking pliers, then another few to move to the other side and spot the second set, both being used to clamp off the soft rear brake lines. Took a couple of photos then removed the pliers. Test drove the car and, whattaya know, everything really was fine this time.

Took the car to the shop the next day and told the owner what I'd found. He denied it, so I showed him the photos, which, amazingly, he implied I had staged. Rather than make a big scene, which wouldn't have accomplished anything anyway, I thanked him for the two pairs of Snap-On C-clamp locking pliers and bid him a good day. He started to object, then thought better of it.

From that day forward, of course, we told the story to anyone and everyone who was looking for a good local shop they could trust.

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I had a warranty repair on the rear suspension of my old Xterra. I was going to use it to tow the following day, so checked the wheel nut torques once I got it home. One of the nuts was frozen on the stud. I took it back to the dealer which was in the process of closing their service department for the night, but the manager held someone to take care of it. How did they take care of it? He put an impact wrench to the nut and SLAMMED IT down while I was standing there watching. Of course it didn't torque anything but he did a great job melting the nut to the stud. The car still had 5/6 good nuts on that wheel, so I took it home with the promise that they'd fix it in the morning. I was there first thing before getting my trailer, and they had to plasma torch the nut apart to get it off the stud and then replace the stud.

I just can't imagine the line of thought that goes from "I galled the wheel nut" to "SLAM IT WITH THE IMPACT"

I bought my El Camino in 1991. The wheels are steel wheels, with a chrome "beauty" ring, and a plastic center cap. After 380,000 miles I have put a lot of sets tires on it. After the first set of tires, I learned to remove the beauty rings and center caps before taking it to a tire shop. The tire monkeys just beat the hell out of them, and broke several of the clips that hold the caps in place.

Then after the third or 4th set of tires, I noticed it was impossible to thread the lug nuts on by hand. They all had messed up threads from the tire monkeys driving the lugs on with an impact.

I replaced every single lug and nut with new GM parts. I found a small independent repair shop with a road force tire balance machine to mount and balance the tires. I had Tire Rack deliver the ties to them, and chatted eyeball to eyeball with the owner that all the lugs and nuts were new, and spun on and off with ease. And I want them to hand start each nut before they tighten them. I always go home, and double check the torque. They are always some almost loose, and some on so tight I have to use my impact to get off, to torque them down.

When I first got my 911 in 1995, I got home and noticed I had one low tire in the rear. I found a small nail, so I went to a local owned tire store around the corner from my office. I watched as they used my jack plate to raise the side of the car, and a hand wrench to remove the aluminum lugs, and a torque wrench to put them back on. They did not put a single scratch on the Fuchs, and the unmounted the tire, patched it on the inside, and remounted the tire. No impact use at all. And it was all no charge. I wrote them an analog letter of thanks and said I would be buying my next set of tires from them. They sent me a nice jacket with their logo on it.

Unfortunately for me, the family that owned it sold the store to a big chain a few years later. They kept the name, but the service has become more like all the other shops.

It's incredible how inconsistent shops are with torquing nuts. It's the most basic of things but somehow impossible to be done right. Even with great shops. There's a wonderful Porsche shop in Birmingham, AL, and one time I had them swap brake pads (I didn't have a garage at the time :( ) before a track day and I thought, well they did a whole track inspection, but I'll check torque before I go out. All loose. 40-60 lb-ft tops. The mind boggles.

Indeed, the tool is invaluable. Last June I was replacing pads prior to a rally and I didn't have the tool - I managed to get the RHS piston turned in with bent-tip needle-nose pliers and patience, but the LHS wouldn't budge. Then I hit a deer and the car spent a while waiting for me to find parts, then getting fixed, and I got it back in March. I recently got a tool and last week got around to doing the other wheel - the tool paid for itself instantly for the ease with which it retracted the piston...but the yoke wouldn't budge. I had no problem fitting a new inner pad in, but with the yoke not moving there was no way I was getting the new outer pad in. I should be able to push or tap with a hammer on the outer piston where the handbrake lever attaches and slide it over, but there it sits. And yet my brakes work normally. Maybe my emergency brake is weaker than normal and I didn't realize it. I concluded that caliper is going to need to come off and get a rebuild.

understood. It's actually a 2 piston design, but acting on common yolk. It sounds like your indirect/secondary piston needs to be resealed or the piston is damaged.

My 81 Celica was overheating a bit so I took it to the Toyota dealership. I was 25 at the time and didn't do much wrenching.
They said I needed a new rad and I gave them the approval. New rad and new hoses.
A few days later my temp light goes off and the temp gauge is pegged at the end.
I'm furious and take the car back. I guess I was pretty loud and the owner comes out and asks me and the mechanic to come into his office. Turns out the mechanic used the old hoses and clamps and one blew. The mechanic admits he should have replaced them.
Then he turns to me and says if you don't want problems buy a new car. I calmly turn to the owner and say to him I want my deposit back for the new 4Runner I ordered 2 weeks ago. He agrees.

And then there was another time when the same Celica had new tires on they didn't tighten the lugs. My wife was driving it and when she stopped at a set of lights she watched the rear wheel roll through the intersection.

Yep - there’s a jackscrew between the emergency brake piston and the main piston for self adjusting, going off the top of my head. The whole assembly should slide in the bird if you hit the back of the e brake piston but it doesn’t. I need to focus on my Fiat when I get back from traveling so I’m going to leave it with the local Saab shop to have them deal with it next week when I’m gone. That’s about the last thing I need to do on that car. It’s a great car and I don’t really want to get rid of it.

Swapped wasserboxer in Vanagon with a zero mile crate Zetec, back when you could still get them. After 1000 miles, needed to do first oil change. Pouring rain so took to JiffyLube. A week later, the drain plug fell out and my 1200 mile motor was wasted. They never compensated me.