charm Posted December 13, 2005 Share Posted December 13, 2005 I have a choice, I can drop $195 at Les Schwab whom I'm sure would do a fine job on my brakes. Or, $250 at Smart Service whom I'm sure would do an even better job. Les Schwab is much more convenient (can walk to and from my office) then Smart Service, but they just aren't Smart Service. I didn't even call the dealer because every other dealing I've had with the dealership has either cost 2x as much (literally) or has required additional cash flow to finally just have Smart Service fix it right. Opinions? Is that $50- well spent? I will still be loyal to Smart Service and give them my business and my referals whether I have somebody else do my brakes or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starkiller Posted December 13, 2005 Share Posted December 13, 2005 no brainer...do smart service Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subie94 Posted December 13, 2005 Share Posted December 13, 2005 of course myself i'd .......do it myself in your case.if it's just a matter of $50. bucks,i'd go with the place that'll do the job correctly. (of course i've never dealt with either one,so i don't know their way of doing things) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subie Gal Posted December 13, 2005 Share Posted December 13, 2005 i too, would do it myself but if i had to choose between les suckage and smart service? total no brainer. smart-service all the way! Jamie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swc7916 Posted December 13, 2005 Share Posted December 13, 2005 I would not go to anyone who doesn't install factory pads. I I didn't even call the dealer because every other dealing I've had with the dealership has either cost 2x as much (literally) or has required additional cash flow to finally just have Smart Service fix it right. Which dealer are you referring to? The dealers are more expensive, but I've never had one foul up my car - which is more than I can say about the independents that I dealt with. This pervasive dealer prejudice is getting pretty annoying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edrach Posted December 13, 2005 Share Posted December 13, 2005 No Brainer, Smart Service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charm Posted December 13, 2005 Author Share Posted December 13, 2005 All right all right, I'll go to Smart Service. I can't think of the name of the dealership here in Kirkland, but I had an issue with them replacing the alt and AC belts (not sure how you screw that up, but they did), and I've had them screw up a wheel bearing replacement. Basically, 2 things I should have done myself that don't take all that long. Additionally, they charged double what Smart Service wanted for the same repair but, the dealership is walking distance from work. I replaced those belts this past weekend myself (with OEM belts of course) and Smart Service did the wheel bearing. I'd do the brake job myself but I don't have the tools to rebuild the calipers or resurface the rotors...the tools to do the job right, so I'll leave it to those that do. What's wrong with Les Schwab doing it? I have seldom experienced better customer service then I do at Les Schwab and the work they've done for me in the past, I've been very pleased with. One of the few places that rivals Les Schwab's customer service does happen to be Smart Service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zyewdall Posted December 13, 2005 Share Posted December 13, 2005 Which dealer are you referring to? The dealers are more expensive, but I've never had one foul up my car - which is more than I can say about the independents that I dealt with. This pervasive dealer prejudice is getting pretty annoying. I haven't seen people trashing dealers without providing some sort of personal experience they've had to create their dislike of dealers. Asking them to talk well of the dealers after their experience would be like asking you to ignore you experiences with independents and start recommending them. It just happens that your experience has been the opposite way from other people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seattlelegacy Posted December 13, 2005 Share Posted December 13, 2005 All right all right, I'll go to Smart Service. I can't think of the name of the dealership here in Kirkland, but I had an issue with them replacing the alt and AC belts (not sure how you screw that up, but they did), and I've had them screw up a wheel bearing replacement. Basically, 2 things I should have done myself that don't take all that long. Additionally, they charged double what Smart Service wanted for the same repair but, the dealership is walking distance from work. I replaced those belts this past weekend myself (with OEM belts of course) and Smart Service did the wheel bearing. I'd do the brake job myself but I don't have the tools to rebuild the calipers or resurface the rotors...the tools to do the job right, so I'll leave it to those that do. What's wrong with Les Schwab doing it? I have seldom experienced better customer service then I do at Les Schwab and the work they've done for me in the past, I've been very pleased with. One of the few places that rivals Les Schwab's customer service does happen to be Smart Service. Ain't nothing wrong with Les Schwab... or Smart. I'm a big Les Schwab fan, and like you have always had a good experience. They also stand strong behind their work. Jordan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowman Posted December 14, 2005 Share Posted December 14, 2005 Both of those prices are pretty low for a "good" brake job. I don't know about Les Schwab, but Midas, etc are not to be trusted in my book. From what I hear, Smart Service really knows Subarus and is a good place to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swc7916 Posted December 14, 2005 Share Posted December 14, 2005 I can't think of the name of the dealership here in Kirkland, but I had an issue with them replacing the alt and AC belts (not sure how you screw that up, but they did), and I've had them screw up a wheel bearing replacement. Basically, 2 things I should have done myself that don't take all that long. Additionally, they charged double what Smart Service wanted for the same repair but, the dealership is walking distance from work. I replaced those belts this past weekend myself (with OEM belts of course) and Smart Service did the wheel bearing. The dealership in Kirkland is Eastside Subaru and I have had nothing but good service from that dealership. Once I brought my 2001 Outback in because I smelled coolant (headgasket problem.) It was after 3pm and I didn't have an appointment, but they took the car in and had the headgaskets replaced by 11am the next day. The have gone to bat for me with other warantee issues even though I didn't buy the car there. I have had nothing but good service from Chaplin's too (that's where I buy my cars.) I've never been to Carter's, but I had no reason to think I would have a problem with them either. Suburb Service in Lake City seems to be good too. The problems that I have had were with independent shops that didn't specialize in Subaru, like Greg's Japanese Auto. They might be OK for a Toyota, but I wouldn't trust them with my Subaru, no matter what they promise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesbaru Posted December 14, 2005 Share Posted December 14, 2005 I had Carter work on my Legacy, it was a legendary disaster (a couple disasters. I'm a slow learner). I had Brake Doctors in Lynnwood work on my Legacy. It was a disaster. I had a "Subaru Specialist" work on my Legacy, disaster. The only folks I truly trusted with it were Williams Subaru Dealership in Lansing MI and Smart Service. And Smart Service was not afraid to tell me it was time to say "good bye" to my old car. So far I'm pretty happy with Skagit Subaru and my new Imp. Can't say I'm very pleased with the drive-by-wire throttle reving the engine to 2,500 rpm when my foot is OFF the gas and scaring the crap outta me, but that is supposed to be taken care of by Skagit on Saturday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edrach Posted December 14, 2005 Share Posted December 14, 2005 Suburb Service in Lake City seems to be good too. I guess you were fortunate, but I wouldn't take my car there if my life depended on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swc7916 Posted December 14, 2005 Share Posted December 14, 2005 I guess you were fortunate, but I wouldn't take my car there if my life depended on it. I took my 1987 GL there several years ago (I believe they were called All-Subaru then) to have a clutch replaced. It went fine and was cheaper than the dealer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
syphon Posted December 14, 2005 Share Posted December 14, 2005 Smart service is great for big jobs... and it seems like you got a good quote from them, but I wouldn't take a car in to them for anything I can do myself. I mean, I've got a friend that works there, so I hate talking smack about them, but everytime I get a quote from them, it's more than double what I expected it to be. My front left caliper seized once and needed to be replaced (it was partially seized for a while... very limited damage to the rotor). They insisted on replacing every piece of my front brakes, over $700, IIRC. I bought the $80 caliper and replaced it myself, and brakes have been working great for the last few months. My friend was quoted $550 or something to do the clutch on her Legacy. She walked out the door paying almost $800 all said and done. (once it was apart they insisted on replacing some other part... I forget what. I don't know where the other charges came from) I wouldn't hesitate to question the quality of their work, but I find them to usually be very guilty on the "over-estimate the amount of work needed to make the most money possible" schtick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnuman Posted December 14, 2005 Share Posted December 14, 2005 Ain't nothing wrong with Les Schwab... or Smart. I'm a big Les Schwab fan, and like you have always had a good experience. They also stand strong behind their work. Jordan If someone is doing my brakes, I want them to be willing to stand in front of thier work!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seattlelegacy Posted December 14, 2005 Share Posted December 14, 2005 If someone is doing my brakes, I want them to be willing to stand in front of thier work!! er.... good point. That will be my test from now on. "Yes sir, I'll pay 300 for brake pads. I want you to stand in the street, and I'll come around that corner at about 60. Don't move, I want you to just stand there, and we'll see how well it worked." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charm Posted December 15, 2005 Author Share Posted December 15, 2005 Smart Service was crazy busy so, instead of bruning through a rotor, I asked them who they would take it to. They refered me to the dealership so back into Eastside Subaru I went. Their quoted price was identical to Smart Service. I've put about 60 miles on the car so far and the brakes feel mushy to me. The receipt says I ok'd up to $275, wrong, I ok'd up to $250. After tax the total was about $275. How long should I wait for the OEM pads to seat before I take the car back in and complain about my newly mushy brakes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smartservice Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 Smart service is great for big jobs... and it seems like you got a good quote from them, but I wouldn't take a car in to them for anything I can do myself. Dear J.S., I appreciate the compliment you pay us leading into your comments but I feel you've been a bit unfair in your comments about our shop regarding your vehicle and your friends clutch job. We run an honest company with very high standards and I would like to clarify some of the items below that may give a false impression about our company. Please feel free to contact me at any time if you feel you or your friend has been treated unfairly and I will be happy to discuss it with you. Mike Corbin Owner, Smart Service My front left caliper seized once and needed to be replaced (it was partially seized for a while... very limited damage to the rotor). They insisted on replacing every piece of my front brakes, over $700, IIRC. I bought the $80 caliper and replaced it myself, and brakes have been working great for the last few months. I would like to point out that that we diagnosed your vehicle (FOR FREE)including disassembling the LF brake assembly and inspecting the rotor, caliper and brake pads.The piston in the caliper was indeed seized up. We quoted you $621 which included replacing both front calipers, resurfacing both front rotors and replacing the front brake pads. The $621 included the price of the core ($35ea) which is refunded at the time of completion bringing the quote to $551. When we deal with a brake system we have to make safety our highest priority and as a business we don't have the luxury of part and piecing a job together and hoping it gets someone by. I do respect that everyone has a different budget to work with and I applaud anyone that is able to save money by repairing their own car since that's exactly how I started in the car business. I don't necessarily agree with just replacing just one caliper but if it has taken care of the problem for just $80 then I'm glad it worked. Keep in mind our quote also reflected Genuine Subaru part pricing. My friend was quoted $550 or something to do the clutch on her Legacy. She walked out the door paying almost $800 all said and done. (once it was apart they insisted on replacing some other part... I forget what. I don't know where the other charges came from) Our initial quote was $635 which included Labor, Clutch, pressure plate, throwout bearing and pilot bearing flywheel resurface and 2 exhaust gaskets. The additional items found during the repair were added with no additional labor: Clutch pedal pad $8.95, Clutch release arm V spring $9.17 and a release fork bellows (rubber boot where release arm extrudes through transmission) $23.95. Total before tax $670.47. We then at the customers request due to finances being tight, discounted the job by 5% which brought it down to $636.95 and once tax was added on was $707.59 out the door. We never insisted on replacing some other part....The transmission had significant wear on the aluminum snout where the throwout bearing slides and can prevent the throwout bearing from engaging parallel to the pressure plate release arms. It can also in extreme cases cause the clutch to hang up or bind when depressing or releasing the pedal. We offered to install a machined sleeve repair kit for the price of the part only while the transmission was out but it was declined at that time. (The Trans snout repair kit was $142). I wouldn't hesitate to question the quality of their work, but I find them to usually be very guilty on the "over-estimate the amount of work needed to make the most money possible" schtick. I feel this statement is completely false. I appreciate the compliment on the quality of our work but to I don't see where your experiences with us would be able to support your comment above. You yourself have only been in 3 times since we've been in business. 1. 12/03 Repaired stripped spark plug threads on 85 GL -$106.52 2. 1/04 Repair broken bolt/damaged threads on thermostat housing including drilling repairing threads etc. using customer supplied parts, filling/purging cooling system verify operation of thermostat,cooling fans etc.-$163.93 3. 5/05 Inspect and estimate front brake problem -FREE I do appreciate all of the positive comments everyone has made about us and in no means claim to be perfect but we do try hard to run a fair, honest business and I really felt in this case I needed to present you with all the facts and let you decide. Sincerely, Mike Corbin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charm Posted January 22, 2007 Author Share Posted January 22, 2007 While doing a search in support of my views on Smart Service to present to my company who wants to use Lee Johnson Chevy/Mazda as our Subaru mechanic I came across the above. I just wanted to add my 2 cents about Smart Service. They just did my timing belt service and while that service wasn't cheap, it was less expensive than the dealership and I believe more thorough. Although they mentioned things that need fixing, a leaking boot on my steering rack and a corroded contact on my distributor, they didn't push fixing either one. They pushed a tranny flush, but I had been concerned about torque bind and my tranny fluid was apparently pretty nasty, instead of just a fluid change. They pushed for crank and cam seals, a new waterpump, and a new tensioner pulley...all items that, with 120k on the car needed to be replaced. While the repair cost more than I had anticipated, I have even more faith in my car than I did before...I know it has many many more reliable miles in it because the basic maintenance was done and done correctly. Plus, I didn't spend the weekend doing it myself, which was a consideration. I'm sorry some people have issues with Smart Service but I don't want anybody to get the wrong impression of them. I am pleased enough to write a compliment, and that doesn't happen often. I'll bad mouth negative experiences up and down, especially my brake job at Eastside Subaru, but the compliments don't come readily. Now, if I can just convince my company that choosing a mechanic because we have an account already set up is not a good way to choose a mechanic, all will be at peace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ever Victorious Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 Now, if I can just convince my company that choosing a mechanic because we have an account already set up is not a good way to choose a mechanic, all will be at peace. When Lee Johnson asks where the rotors are in the engine, or points out that cylinders should not be 180 degrees from each other, would be a good time to point this out. This thread is probably long since "resolved", but I of course have to put in MY two cents. I've been using Smart Service off and on since they started business (since, of course, I've only had Subarus off and on since then). I have always found them to be more than fair and thorough, and they always warn me of upcoming needs of the car BEFORE they fail, which is an improvement over every other mechanic, including dealerships. I'm looking at a listing on my latest invoice for upcoming brake work needed for my Legacy. Which is actually cheaper than my quote from MIDAS... and I know the Smart Service job will be a far better job done. As for Les Schwab + brakes.. well, it's a good thing they put such a long warranty on the brakes, as they are needed. My old '90 Legacy got a Les Schwab brake job and, like clockwork, every 4,000 miles I had to take the car back in and get either rotors or pads replaced, because they kept getting eaten up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xoomer Posted January 27, 2007 Share Posted January 27, 2007 I could do em if you havn't gotten them done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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