Shop Review

[bradboyd80]

For those of you living in the Brandon/Riverview/Tampa area, just thought I'd let you know how my visit with the shop went. Yesterday I had my brakes installed by Midas of Brandon; near Kings and Brandon Blvd. They were extremely polite, courteous, and respectful. Not sure if its the normal price, or if he cut me a deal, but they only charged me $50 incl/taxes to install my own rotors and pads. I didn't think it was too bad at all. They took their time and did it right, as well as checking all the other components; and then took it for a quick test drive to make sure it was good to go.

On the flip side, I took it to Just Brakes looking for a quote. Yeah......they were awful. Manager didn't even let me finish my sentence. All I managed to get out was, "I have my own pads and rotors". He merely pointed next door and said "go two doors down". Then as I walk out the door, I hear "see ya" in a smart ass tone. I was pissed at first, but then figured I'd just tell everyone I knew to stay away from that place. Then I was told by the Midas tech that when they (Just Brakes) first opened, they hired a Clinical Psychologist to come in and train each employee prior to being hired, on how to handle customers (i.e. they take apart the entire brake system and show the customer all the components because it confuses them, making it easier to possibly swindle them into buying stuff they don't need. IMO, that bad practices.

Just thought I'd let everyone here know what's up. So in summary, stay away from Just Brakes; and go to Midas!!

 

[BillTheCat]

I used to work at the Exxon (Now Citgo) @ Kings & 60 when there were service bays there, and we occasionally contracted extra work out to the Midas shop there on Robertson. They were always pretty reliable & easy to deal with back then. Good to hear they haven't changed.

Ace Tire & Auto is a good alignment shop next door to Midas, too. They were always excellent to work with- quick, cheap, and quality work, whether it was Exxon as the customer or me going in directly with my own vehicle. I haven't needed an alignment in a few years, but I still go to them when I do. Although Cars & Concepts has gained a reputation as the go-to alignment shop in Tampa for sportscars & performance suspension setups, etc.

So anyhow... what pads & rotors did you bring them? OEM, or aftermarket? Any thoughts on the before & after performance?

 

[bradboyd80]

I used to work at the Exxon (Now Citgo) @ Kings & 60 when there were service bays there, and we occasionally contracted extra work out to the Midas shop there on Robertson. They were always pretty reliable & easy to deal with back then. Good to hear they haven't changed.

Ace Tire & Auto is a good alignment shop next door to Midas, too. They were always excellent to work with- quick, cheap, and quality work, whether it was Exxon as the customer or me going in directly with my own vehicle. I haven't needed an alignment in a few years, but I still go to them when I do. Although Cars & Concepts has gained a reputation as the go-to alignment shop in Tampa for sportscars & performance suspension setups, etc.

So anyhow... what pads & rotors did you bring them? OEM, or aftermarket? Any thoughts on the before & after performance?

Yeah, its good to hear they haven't changed, and have been a reliable shop for some time now.

I went with CENTRIC premium OEM rotors from Rock Auto, and Hawk HPS pads. Its much softer than the stock pads; but they're starting to wear in. I've noticed less noice, and braking is more firm (I guess). Its kinda hard to explain. It just feels better, even though they're still a bit soft (which I actually like).