An Inland Empire, California based mechanic was left at an impasse after a Honda driver requested he change her brakes.<\/p>\n
Upon seeing the condition of her brakes<\/a> and the type she wanted them replaced with, the auto tech, Rick (@rowdy.rick3) didn\u2019t want to complete the job. He explained why he opted to not take the payday<\/a> in a video he recorded while on the service call in question.<\/p>\n The Honda Duralast Brake Swap That Wasn’t<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s up, guys? So, I\u2019m at a location now. This lady hit me up, said she needed brakes, right?\u201d Rick says, kneeling on the ground and speaking into the camera.<\/p>\n \u201cI get here; I\u2019m looking at the brakes; the brakes are like brand new. So, I took the wheels off just to check. This is the pad: look,\u201d he says, holding it up to the lens. While doing so, he begins pointing out aspects of the pad that indicate it\u2019s in perfectly good condition.<\/p>\n \u201cLot of life left on the pad. Look at the wear indicator. Original, Honda OEM, right?\u201d he says. Following this, he flips his camera around to display the condition of the rotor<\/a>. According to him, there\u2019s no indication there\u2019s anything mechanically wrong with this component either.<\/p>\n \u201cNow, the rotor has a little divot, a little ring\u2014nothing too crazy. Honda genuine as well. They\u2019re not making any noise. They\u2019re not vibrating, nothing crazy,” he says.<\/p>\n Aftermarket VS. OEM Parts<\/p>\n Following this, he then reveals that the Honda driver wants to swap out her OEM brakes with Duralast ones from AutoZone<\/a>. However, Rick maintains that he doesn\u2019t think the car\u2019s OEM brakes are the problem and that they could be used for another seven months without issue.<\/p>\n Moreover, he says that he prefers not to replace OEM parts with aftermarket ones unless absolutely necessary. He adds that he thinks the Honda owner would be better off keeping the brakes she has on instead of installing the Duralast ones.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, here\u2019s the dilemma: I don\u2019t want to switch them out for her ’cause she doesn\u2019t need them. So, what I\u2019m probably gonna do is grease everything back up, … give them all the visual inspection until she doesn\u2019t need no brakes, and go from there. Yeah, we\u2019re not gonna get paid for a full brake job, but at this point I don\u2019t think she needs it,\u201d he tells his followers before his video comes to a close.<\/p>\n ‘Your Honesty Will Be Blessed’<\/p>\n Several folks who replied to his clip commended Rick for his candor and willingness to act in the customer\u2019s best interest, including the client who originally contacted him. She thanked him again for being honest.<\/p>\n Someone else replied that they believed Rick should\u2019ve inquired further as to what she believed could\u2019ve been wrong with the vehicle. Since the client thought she needed new brakes but that wasn\u2019t the case, there could\u2019ve been another reason as to why she thought swapping them out was necessary.<\/p>\n The conversation among folks in the comments section of Rick\u2019s video resonates with analytical data pertaining to trust in mechanic services.<\/p>\n According to a 2023 study conducted by Consumer Affairs<\/a>, 1,000 drivers were asked about their perception of automotive techs. The overwhelming majority, 78%, stated they aren\u2019t confident their auto shops aren\u2019t spinning yarns about the work on their vehicles.<\/p>\n Only 17% of people who replied to the survey said they felt they were being charged fairly for the work on their rides. What\u2019s more is that every 5 out of 6 people who participated in the query said they double-checked mechanic recommendations. I.e., if a repair was recommended to them, most folks sought a second opinion.<\/p>\n Are Duralast Brakes Good?<\/p>\n Duralast products are available exclusively at AutoZone<\/a>, effectively making them an in-house brand for the retailer. Opinions vary on their competency and quality, however. According to this EV4x4 blog post<\/a>, there\u2019s a marked difference between the tier levels of their Duralast and Duralast Gold<\/a> lines.<\/p>\n For a higher premium, those who purchase Gold brake pads can expect a 60,000+ mile lifespan. Additionally, drivers who routinely engage in stop-and-go traffic and harder braking patterns will appreciate Gold brakes. Not to mention they have lower dust and noise levels thanks to their 3-layer noise-dampening shim.<\/p>\n Another key difference between Gold and standard Duralast brake pads is that the former product line is produced by Bosch, which is said to maintain tighter quality control standards in its Mexican and Chinese factories.<\/p>\n In a 2015 Reddit post<\/a>, one commenter stated that they work at AutoZone and cautioned folks against getting standard Duralast pads. Instead, they suggested they go for the Golds and stated these were the pads they used on their own rides.<\/p>\n And they weren\u2019t the only person to express this opinion online either. Folks on this Bob is the Oil Guy<\/a> forum made similar comments regarding Duralast and Duralast Gold.<\/p>\n Motor1 has reached out to Rick via TikTok direct message and Honda via email for further comment.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \n \t\tWe want your opinion!\n\t<\/p>\n What would you like to see on Motor1.com?<\/p>\n