I Paid $391 For Brakes On My Mercedes At A Brake Shop, As I'm Driving, the Car Starts Shaking and I’m Swerving, They Were Installed Wrong, I Paid Another $500 To the MB Dealer To Fix It Right

A cheap brake job turns out to be expensive. 

Rona Cardwell says her Mercedes-Benz wasn't braking correctly after going to Brake Check in New Braunfels, Texas, where they installed new brake pads and rotors and flushed her brake fluid. It cost her $391, which she thought was a good price. 

A report from KENS 5 News in San Antonio says that Rona had noticed something was wrong when she drove her Mercedes-Benz home.

"As I was driving, I noticed the car started shaking while pressing the brakes. I knew that wasn't right, she says" 

The report says she returned to Brake Check two days later and told them her car was shaking when she pressed the brakes. Rona said the employees told her they didn't think anything else needed to be done. She didn't understand this but drove back home anyway. 

Rona didn't drive her Mercedes for two weeks because she was traveling out of town. KENS 5 News says the brakes got progressively worse when she returned and continued to drive the car. 

"I'm noticing I can't brake properly," Rona said, her voice tinged with frustration. "I'm swerving when I brake. I have to go off the road and into a ditch to avoid hitting someone. I'm feeling stressed, about to cry, because I had no control when it came time to try to stop." 

She took her car to the Mercedes-Benz dealer.

Rona took her car to Mercedes-Benz of Boerne, where she purchased the luxury car. She took it slow on the drive to the dealer as the car still wasn't braking correctly. 

The Mercedes-Benz dealer had their technician look at the car and sent Rona a video showing what they found. She was shocked.

The MB tech said in the video, "What I found here is that the front brake pads were installed wrong. They were swapped. This brake pad, which should sit on this side, actually should have a tab, and it's broken off."

The dealership's report said, "AFTER MARKET PADS INSTALLED WRONG...FOUND VEHICLE PULLING HARD RIGHT WHEN BRAKING." 

The Mercedes-Benz dealer said they could install new brakes and fix the problem. The cost? The repair cost more than $500.

The technician replaced the brake pads with factory OEM pads, and the vehicle no longer pulled to the right when braking. The report said Rona was thankful to Mercedes-Benz of Boerne for fixing the issue but she was furious with Brake Check. 

"Had (the Brake Check employee) he checked when I asked him to, none of this would have happened. This would have been taken care of back then!" Rona said. 

She returned to Brake Check in person and asked the store manager for a refund. She also showed KENS 5 texts showing that she sent Brake Check information from the dealership so they could verify the mistake they made.

After a month after Brake Check representatives said they would handle it, there was still no refund. Rona then called KENS 5 News and asked them to get involved. 

"I'm making phone calls, sending text messages, sending invoices, and I still feel like I'm just getting dragged along," Rona said. "Maybe it's time I do something different." 

It takes a news station to get involved in getting a resolution. 

KENS 5 News contacted the Brake Check corporate office, sent them a copy of the dealership invoices documenting the problem, and informed the company that a story would be aired. 

Vice President of People and Culture at Brake Check, Janelle Plummer, contacted Rona Cardwell the next day. 

"She said, 'We are going to overnight that (refund) to you. We will take care of it first thing Monday,'" Rona said. 

The report says the refund came in the mail four days later, and Brake Check reimbursed Rona for their initial job ($391) and the $500 for repairing the brakes at the Mercedes-Benz dealership. 

Plummer sent KENS 5 the following statement from Brake Check CEO David Peveto: 

"First and foremost, we sincerely apologize to Ms. Cardwell for not living up to our motto "we do it right". We had a service mistake that, unfortunately, was compounded by our miscommunication internally. Before we were contacted by KENS 5, Ms. Cardwell's refund was approved and in process. We have stayed in business for 56 years by prioritizing our customers' safety and satisfaction. This was an unfortunate incident, which we do not take lightly, and we are using this experience to better our internal processes." 

Rona was thankful she finally got paid back. She also said Brake Check never verified her address to send her that check until after she called KENS 5. 

"KENS 5 helped. Without you, this would not have happened." Rona said, her voice filled with relief. "You saved the day for me." 

Conclusion:

It shouldn't take getting a TV news station involved for a company to fix an obvious botched brake job. Brake Check in Texas finally did the right thing, but only when they discovered they would be exposed on the nightly news. 

What should you do if you paid for a repair on your car and work was not done correctly?

A report from Capital One says that consumers have various options when dealing with auto shops when car repairs go wrong.

"If you don't feel like the mechanic did the repair right, take it to another auto shop so they can properly evaluate the repair and re-diagnose the issue. You may have to pay a diagnostic fee. But I have found that an experienced mechanic, especially if they're a specialist in that particular brand or model, will offer a level of expertise that can go way beyond your hunches."

Rona Cardwell did exactly the right thing. She took it to her Mercedes-Benz dealer, and they diagnosed the problem and repaired the botched brake job. 

Have you paid for a repair that didn't fix your car? If so, click the red Add New Comment link below and let us know.

I am Denis Flierl, a Senior Torque News Reporter since 2012. My 30+ year tenure in the automotive industry, initially in a consulting role with every major car brand and later as a freelance journalist test-driving new vehicles, has equipped me with a wealth of knowledge. I specialize in reporting the latest automotive news and providing expert analysis on Subaru, which you'll find here, ensuring that you, as a reader, are always well-informed and up-to-date. Follow me on my X SubaruReport, All Subaru, WRXSTI, @DenisFlierl, Facebook, and Instagram.

Photo credit: Denis Flierl via Mercedes-Benz of South Orlando Service Center