Had a customer yell at me about his brake job - changed how I check calipers forever

A guy in a Ford F-150 said I ripped him off after his brakes squealed 3 days later. Turns out I always just swapped pads and rotors but never cleaned the caliper slides good enough. Now I pull every single caliper bracket and wire brush the rust off. Any of you had a customer complaint that actually improved your work?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_piper15d ago

oh man, this is so true. i had a similar thing happen with a customer who complained about a soft pedal after a master cylinder swap i did on their old civic. i was so sure i had bled the system right, but turns out i was rushing the bench bleeding part. it was embarrassing having them come back but now i take way more time with that step and even leave the lines cracked overnight sometimes. its one of those things where you think you know what youre doing until someone calls you out on it. i mean, it stings in the moment but it really does make you a better tech in the long run.

julia_patel12d agoMost Upvoted

@the_piper that part about "you think you know what youre doing until someone calls you out on it" really hits. how do you handle that moment when the customer comes back and you gotta admit you messed up? i feel like that's almost harder than the fix itself. for me it's always a punch to the gut but i try to just own it and get it sorted without making excuses. do you find yourself second guessing your work more now after that happened?

josephl6715d ago

Man, leaving lines cracked overnight is a pro move right there.