Just Brakes

Just poor poor time management and hidden fees. First off I had an appointment and was told it was going to take about a half hour to get an oil change, fine. I was there for an hour after my ‘appointment time’ before my car was even in a bay and ultimately the entire process took 2 hours and 6 minutes. I had a coupon we had gotten in the mail. It stated a price. My final bill was 14 dollars more expensive. Once again simple oil change and they somehow used an additional 4 bucks in shop supplies and ‘got me’ for another quart of oil at 6 bucks, then the taxes. All and all when the advertising says 19.99 for oil change you think ‘sure’, then the total is 35 bucks? I mean, just advertise as 35 bucks. It makes the company aware of their lies. The guy was nice, so I can see why only ladies have positive things to say. Good hire for Scott, bad business. Scott get out of there.

I wish I could give these guys 0 stars. I’ve never experienced such an awful experience in my entire life. I had work done there (originally went in for front brakes) and knew I could have used a little more, so I went with it. The manager kept giving me a price and didn’t break down cost or what is was for until I asked about 20 times. They were busy and they were rushing me. The manager sold me the finance package at 0% interest for 12 months, only to find out it’s truly 6 months and there’s nothing they can do. I called the store about 40 times now and call goes through as if my number is blocked. I finally called the store on William Cannon and was able to confirm that the work I was told was done, was not done. On top of all of this, they stripped two studs on my tires and never told me. DO NOT GO HERE.
Also, it’s funny that all the good reviews are from females. I think that equation is easy to figure out.

I feel so foolish. My son was in town for a short time for his birthday (2 days before Christmas) and needed to get his car inspected. We ended up taking it to a Jiffy Lube (another terrible experience) and they said we would need to get the brakes fixed before it passed. We took it straight here and explained the situation and the guy said the brake line most likely had air in it and they would try that and call. Later he called and said the cylinder had to be replaced and it would be over $ 600. I explained that my 22 year old son could not afford $ 600. so he let us leave it overnight until we could pick it up the next day. The guy was super nice (and seemed trustworthy) in every interaction we had so it did not occur to me that what he said might not be legitimate. When we picked up the car the brakes were MUCH worse than when we dropped it off, such that his dad & I refused to allow him to drive it back to Houston.
His dad came in a few weeks later and drained the line (it had air in it), then took it to Yost Auto (a VERY reputable repair place apparently) and it passed inspection. He said it cost less than $ 100 total, including the inspection. I even brought the guy a box of chocolates the next day for having been so nice and not charging us anything.

I don’t understand how this pathetic company is still operating. Their reviews are terrible across the board for nearly all locations. My experience was no exception as they did the bait and switch with their $ 99 deal and I ended up with a $ 450 bill. Do NOT give these scumbags your money. There are definitely better options, but don’t just take my word for it. This video sums up their bs perfectly:
(NBC dateline Just Brakes)

Personable, knowledgable, professional and friendly, the team here are eager to show you what they’re talking about during the repair or maintenance process. I had a really great experience here, and will return!

My breaks were in desperate need of immediate attention. They were metal on metal. I was referred to them by a grocer at Whole Foods that had a great experience. Their service was very personable. They didn’t try to pull any tricks (which would have been easy to do with a 24 year old female with zero car knowledge). He walked me the extent of the damage to my car, what needed immediate attention, what could wait a couple months, and what didn’t need to be worked on (I plan on releasing my car into the wild in six months. Be free Volkswagen). The prices were fixed and on a print out on the desk (no tricks). He didn’t try to sell me on the most expensive package, just what would get me to and from work for a couple months. Betsey the Beetle had new brakes within two hours.
TL;DR. Quick friendly service. Fixed pricing.

I’ve come here two times despite negative reviews, mainly because it’s very close to my house. Both experiences were quite pleasant. They even invited me out to look at my break pads and what they were doing. They’re fast, and called me before they did anything extra. The second visit I made here was to top off all my fluids before a very long road trip, they didn’t charge me at all. Overall I’d rate them 5 stars!!!

Terrible place! They will quote you prices and then turn around and tell you that other things are wrong and add more to the cost. Very slow service. When I told them I only wanted the brake pads changed they said that was what they would do, but then after they had the car up on the lift they told me that they would have to replace the whole rotor and that it would not be possible to do without this. It really put me in a bind and added more than $ 100 to the cost. They also told me that I needed an oil change, but based on both mileage and time according to the sticker on my windshield I have 2,000 miles before that is needed. Total liars! When I called them on it they said that the oil might be related to the brakes?!? Avoid!

Unfortunately I had a terrible experience with Just Brakes. They provided me with a quote for an oil change over the phone and recommended additional work that was expensive and unnecessary. To make things worse, when I went to pay for my oil change, they didn’t honor the original quote they gave me, and charged me more! My advice is to stay away.

Went in to have my brake pads replaced because they were worn out. They were really honest, and told me «hey, your strut needs to be replaced» (it really did, that thing was really going to give out), and showed me that one of my back brakes was misaligned, and yes, it was. I’m only giving three stars because even after I went to get my front brakes fixed, they still squeal and don’t work like they did when I bought the car. No reason on earth why brakes should squeal like that when they’re brand new, and yes, I drove a few hundred miles and they still did it.
Really nice people, and they’re honest too. But I’m not trying to go into a shop because my brakes squeal, fork over money, and leave with the same issue. Oddly enough, I still recommend them, they told me more than any mechanic ever has.

I was hesitant to go here based on reviews but it is the closest place to my house… So I gave it a try. We spoke with the mechanic on the phone for about half an hour today, and met him yesterday. He walked me through everything, seems honest,
There was a small hole/​leak in the radiator. Which we knew it was leaking but hoped it was a hose, which it wasn’t, this was caused by the thermostat being stuck, which at almost 100K miles isn’t a huge shock.
The price breakdown is $ 500 for new radiator, parts & labor, $ 130 for thermostat parts & labor $ 50 oil change total with tax a little under $ 750
I felt it was fair and they did a good job. I will go back

RUN!!! RUN FAR, RUN FAST!!! Just Brakes are a bunch of manipulating liars and thieves. Even as a last resort for brake repair I would not recommend Just Brakes!!! The brakes on my two year old minivan were feeling a little spongy so I took my vehicle in for a brake inspection. The next thing I knew they had my vehicle jacked up and my rear brakes completely disassembled. The Just Brakes technician (and I use the word «technician» loosely) was telling me that the vehicle manufacturer had a flaw in their brakes system using cheap material that had worn out. To make a long story short that visit cost me $ 835. Six months later I had the same problem so I took the vehicle back to that same Just Brakes. That visit cost me a little over $ 400. You guessed it. six months later same problem but this time I took the vehicle to Meineke. The Meineke visit cost me $ 430 and my vehicle has had no brake problem since and that was almost three years ago.

They told me I needed to replace the calipers after I had my brakes replaced. Would have cost over $ 1000. Luckily I know the brake system to my car and brought it too a trusted mechanic, yeah… It was the e-​brake line that had to be replaced. $ 30 vs $ 1000. So much for them being brake experts. Total rip off!

Unfortunately I can’t give them zero stars. We had a coupon for a great deal on new pads and machining rotors if needed. I normally just do it myself, but it was cheap enough that it was worth saving my own time and have them do it.
Against better judgement I allowed my wife to visit without me present. Our truck had only 30,000 miles on it at the time, most were highway miles. I got a phone call at my office from her receiving an estimate for around $ 2700 for new shocks as well as a full rebuild of the front and rear calipers. This was supposed to cost around $ 100 total.
When I went down to try and clear up the issue, I was first greeted by a manager with what I would consider to be an interrogation of my employment and automotive experience, of which I deliberately played dumb on both. Clearly they size up their customer as to what they think they can get away with. Being an engineer and car enthusiast and even amature racer, I have a pretty solid understanding of auto everything even though I often prefer not to do all of the maintenance myself.
I next got a nasty hard sale about how I need to replace all of the shocks any time I replace tires. I can’t even make this stuff up, that was their explanation for the $ 1800 in suspension work. We had to replace 2 of the tires early a few months before due to a nasty sidewall puncture which they clearly noticed and jumped on it. They then explained that all the calipers needed to be completely rebuilt because there was more than about a millimeter of wear difference between the front and rear of the brake pads. Again, this is just ridiculous scare tactics.
After refusing any of these services, I got an even harder sell about how I am putting the safety of my family at risk by not getting the aforementioned services. They pretty much refused to take the truck off the lift at this point. It was very difficult to walk out of this place without paying at least $ 400, I’d be surprised if many do.
These guys are probably the most unethical garage I’ve ever been to. They know exactly what they are doing and I’m not talking about auto repair. If you value your own money, find somewhere else.

In general, brake places are a bad idea. They will tell you that you need new brakes anytime there is a squeak. But sometimes brakes just squeak… I learned that when I started taking my brake issues to my mechanic (dons automotive).
My experience with just brakes was squeaky brakes. They said everything needed to be replaced, even though the car had only 40,000 miles. All in all, it was $ 800. And the squeak wasn’t fixed. I took it back, they didn’t fix it again, I finally went to another brake place and they found a loose part, which was likely where the original squeak came from. So if I had never gone to just brakes, it would have been a $ 60 repair instead of $ 800

Stopped in to have a brake noise checked out. Just wanted to make sure I was safe. Thought I might need some new brake pads.
They tried to charge me over 800 dollars to completely replace my back brake system and replace my brake pads on the front. Which… looked fine.
I managed to get out of there by telling them I had to move some money around and reschedule for the next week. They were not happy about it, but I managed to get out despite the pressure and scare tactics.
Took it to Don’s Automotive down the road. They charged me 22 dollars to clean my brakes, tell me everything looked fine, and let me know that my brakes had several good years left. Don has my business for life.
Avoid this place.

CUSTOMER BEWARE!!! If you go to Just Brake you will regret that you ever went. This was my experience. They are a scam and prey on the innocent. They charged me $ 600 for tightening my brakes. When I left the shop, the brakes were still as poor as when I left. So I took my car for a second opinion. I was told that Just Brake are scammers and that I should not trust them. So I went back to Just Brake and asked for a refund. Chills went down my body when they said no. So I talked to the manager on the phone and asked for a refund. He was not willing. He did promise to give me a little over $ 100 back. So he kept me on the phone to engage with me confrontationally. And confrontational he was. Eventually, I realized that his ploy was to turn the conversation sour so that he would not refund me nothing. So yep. I was not refunded nothing. Turns out the second shop fixed my brakes and charged me $ 135. Unbelievable!!! Do yourself a favor… STAY AWAY FROM JUST BRAKE!

I had my brakes fixed here a while back. Yes, I too had the coupon in the mail.
I was given a brief quote, which proved to be completely false. Before I knew it, they had my brakes taken apart and showcased all over the floor. At that point, my quote sky rocketed from the original price.
And my coupon? «Oh, no, that coupon doesn’t apply to the work we’re gonna have to do.»
What was I going to do? Have them put it back together and charge me for labor? So, against my better judgement, I gave them the go ahead. Bad decision.
As the mechanic checked the rest of my vehicle, he told me that I needed a new battery. Dumbfounded, because it had be less than a year since I had my battery replaced. I said, «No, I think I’ll manage with the battery I have.»
I bring up the battery, because as I continue to have my vehicle taken in for tune ups, (at OTHER repair shops, of course) well, it seems that every other repair man has told me that my battery is more than good, printed battery results receipt and all.
I admit I’m not a motorhead and my brakes are working, for now. But, without a doubt, I was taken advantage of.
Slow? Beyond slow. Super slow.
Don’t let the coupon in the mail fool you, it’s not even worth it. Support a locally-​owned business and not a repair chain like Just Brakes. Find a local Austin repair man who will do the job right.
Discard the coupon!

Too bad I can’t give 0 stars. Glad to hear Courtney B likes it there. She must be the only one.
Scam artists. Patronizing, over-​selling, sneaky, slow, and rude.
STAY AWAY! I went many months ago, and figured its high time I throw out my warning to the community. If you respect yourself, your time, and your car — go elsewhere.

Groupon participants beware:
Got a $ 12 oil change groupon, went in, and they tried to persuade me into $ 1200 worth of repairs. I was well aware of what my vehicle needed in terms of service in addition to the oil change before I went in, so some things were already known to me but were not an immediate issue. After reading a lot of Unilocal reviews, I took a step back to asses what I may have really needed vs what was BS.
Did not get a good vibe from here. Did not trust this this establishment. Go to Sam’s Auto Care up the road. Way better service.