I brought my 1999 Dodge Caravan to Muffler Man in Standale to have an estimate because of a grinding noise I heard in the brakes. I only had the van for about a year and was unsure of the condition of the brakes. I had my 5 month old daughter with me and we walked through the neighborhood while they inspected my van. Holly called me back and told me that my vehicle needed a ton of work and was unsafe to drive. She said that my back brakes were not working at all, that I had a restricted hose, I needed cylinders rebuilt, and she just went on and on. She said the minimum repairs to make my van safe to drive would cost me $543.03. She had me convinced and I told her that I would walk back to their garage to sign a ""work authorization"" so they could get started. On my way I called my husband to tell him about the estimate because it was so much more expensive than we were anticipating for a routine brake job. He advised me that we should get a second opinion, and I explained that to Holly and another man that was behind the counter. That is when they really turned up the heat. The bullying and scare tactics they used were heinous and disgraceful. They should be ashamed of themselves. They told me that my vehicle is so bad off that there used to be a law that would have required it to be towed to get a second opinion. They said that a piston could blow at any time and that I would be without any brakes and could get into an accident. They told me that if I killed someone in that accident, the police would impound my car and when they saw how bad the brakes were that I could get charged with negligent homicide. I told them the garage I planned to drive it to was right around the corner and that I wouldn't have to go on any major streets and could drive at 10 mph. They also tried to use my daughter as leverage against me and told me I should at least have someone pick her up so that I am not putting her life at risk as well. They told me that the van was still up in the hoist and that all the parts were already ordered and the more they pushed me to not get a second opinion, the more I didn't trust them. They made me sign a waver saying that they advised me not to drive so they wouldn't be liable if I got into an accident. I ended up driving away with my daughter and felt like a criminal. I was embarrassed for them to see me buckle in her carseat and drive away. I drove about 2 miles to Leonard Heights Garage and his estimate was $129. He said the back brakes looked great and that they had been replaced fairly recently. He assured me that all I needed was routine brake pads and rotors. That's $414 less! As much as Muffler Man trying to take advantage of me financially bothers me, all of the harrassment torments me more. I was in tears and felt like such a terrible mother for driving away, because there is nothing I wouldn't do to assure my child's safety.
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