Brake Masters

I’m a young woman who know VERY little about cars and everywhere I take my car, I feel like I could potentially get screwed over with pricing etc… BUT here, I didn’t have to worry about that at all! This place had extremely great customer service and Jesse will definitely explain to you anything you might be confused about. He was so helpful and wanted to make sure I felt educated on every decision to be made on my car. Bottom line, you can’t go wrong by coming here! :)
Also, they ended up fixing a broken part of my trunk and not even telling me about it/​charging me for it. I noticed the next day and gave them a call to thank them; I couldn’t believe they went out of their way to fix it, it had been giving me such a hassle until then!

Just stopped in at brake masters today and had such an amazing experience. Jesse at the front desk was so helpful and the service was very fast, high quality and cheap! The waiting room was great as well. Highly recommend this location!

Stopped in at brake masters today, had my car towed to this location. Alex the owner was helping me and was so polite and helpful. They offered me a ride to my work and took car of my car very quickly. This is my second time at this location and the service has been nothing short of amazing. Best repair shop I’ve been to in the valley. Highly recommend it

Thank you so much Jesse for your help from showing me exactly what was wrong with my car to lending me your car just so I can get to work on time and pick up my son from day care I was truly amazed at how accommodating this place is they really do care about there customers I also noticed that Jesse the manager is basically doing the job of 3 people but still try’s his best to help out in any way I totally trust this place and recommend everyone to try it out thank you for reading my review :)

These guys are bunch of swindlers, don’t ever go there!!! I took my 650i BMW for break inspection. After 2 hours they called me and said that my (original) BMW rotors were worn out (I had around 45k miles on the car in total) and needed to be replaced, along with front and back break pads. Unfortunately I believed them and have not stopped having issues with my breaks ever since!

I went here with brake and rotor trouble. The service was excellent. They got the job done fairly quickly and their store manger, I think his name is Jesse, was very helpful with my questions and gave me informative answers. Their customer service is what makes them such a great shop and I will gladly come back for any other repairs I have. Since I was here a month ago my car hasn’t had any of the problems which have been so prevalent the time before and this was the only shop that truly got rid of the squeaking my car makes which in the past would go away for a week after being fixed and then the problem would arise a week later. I love this shop and I would say it’s the best in the area.

WORST PLACE EVER!!! I went here to change my oil. The workers were just chilling around and no one was at the front desk… Mind you, I was there at 9am while their site said that they open at 7:30am and no-​one was around at the front desk… smh…
as the guy was doing my oil change i asked him to check my brakes… worst idea ever… First he didn’t have the right nut that fits my screw so he decide to get anyone that fits and starts hammering it, stripping my nuts and now they’re all scratched up. Then about 10am, the owner, who i found to be the one who should be working at the front desk, strolls in and told me the fix for the brakes was going to be $ 800.I told him that i had a coupon and he said that the coupon won’t work since their brakes doesn’t qualify under that coupon and they would have to order a different set… I declined and only took care of my oil change.
After, about a few minutes, his financial adviser comes into work, and he starts cursing at her in front of customers. WORST BOSS EVER!!! NEVER COMING BACK HERE.

Other Brake Masters (like the ones in Northridge, Balboa Lake, & Tarzana) are much much better.
Here, they charge a lot more for labor, & all the while act like they don’t have the time to answer any of your questions. Horrible customer service! And in all honesty, when they do answer a question, there is a 50 – 50 chance they will give you inaccurate information, so maybe that is why they don’t want to say anything.
Going here makes a person want to never own a car ever again! If you drive it, you better know how to do all this crap, bc places like this are totally out to rip you off. I’ll be dropping my car off at a small mechanic, & calling a Lyft to/​from work next time.

I’ve been coming to this place for a few YEARS now and finally decided to write a review. Work was mediocre, but prices were high (hence why I use coupons). So after 3 – 4 years of coming here the cholo manager told me «you’ve been coming here and you keep using coupons. My manager said this is going to be the last time cuz we’re not making money from you!» I told him okaay… How can they not be making money off me when I go to them all the FREAKIN time for an oil change! He was sooo rude, didn’t even approach me in a nice way, he didn’t even look at me while saying it, annnd there is no print ANYWHERE in their old shop or on the coupons itself that clearly stated «maximum limit of using coupons is such and such…». I didn’t want to argue. I just came from the church across the street so I was still feeling holy. Lol. I simply paid, turned around, and in my head cussed out the idiot cholo manager, and decided I will never come back here again! Now they can really say they’re not making money off me!

As bad as the Thousand Oaks location is, the Topanga Canyon location is great! Earlier I posted about the experience of asking the Thousand Oaks location to inspect my brakes because of a noise (with Brake Master receipts in hand from prior service). Thousand Oaks would not perform the inspection.
So off to Topanga I drove. The staff their were extremely apologetic about the negative experience at Thousand Oaks, calling the 1000 Oaks location to involve the owner. After inspecting the brakes, advised there was no need to replace/​repair them. They offered advise of what future work may be needed but no ‘up sell’.
Good job, Topanga Canyon Brake Master

i drive from simi valley, to go here! jesse has always give me a fair quote and never ripped me off… i have my breaks and struts done here. they are trustworthy. however they are very busy so you either have to be there when they open or make an appointment.

Went to ask about brakes and the guy behind the desk acted like I was wasting his time. Poor customer service.

I just had an oil change done here and since I went in around 8:45 on a weekday, the work was done pretty quickly. I used a valpak coupon so w/​taxes, I paid around $ 19. They did recommend bunch of other stuff to do, which I didn’t do.

I called on a Friday morning to ask how long it would take to have a tail-​light checked out. Then, when I came in the afternoon they told me they were too busy to look at it and asked me to drive back in tomorrow and ask again. So, I called a few weeks later to complain to Jesse Aguirre the Store Manager and explained that I felt I was treated unimportantly by the staff when I came in and have reason to feel I may have been discriminated against. So, Jesse was nice and offered a free Basic Oil Change next time I come in. So, today I went in for the oil change but Jesse wasn’t there, but the Owner Alex was there. I told him that I was offered a free oil change and he started complaining and getting upset. Then, he verified with Jesse regarding the offer hoping to stall so he could come up with a reason to deny me the offer. Then, after confirming with Jesse the offer was in fact TRUE, he asked me what was the complaint about and when I explained to Alex he discredited my story about feeling discriminated against and supported the guy’s unproffesionalism in asking me to come back when they were too busy. You don’t tell customers to, «Come back tomorrow because we’re too busy!» after you suggest them to come in on the SAME day. The owner has serious problems and when I told him he was being rude, he took offense to it and ordered me to get out of his store! As I was walking out he yells at me,“Learn how to talk!” I believed I was talking just fine, just not talking the kind of language maybe he was expecting to hear, but hey-I’m not his salesman. I’m his customer, and if I as a customer don’t mean anything to him, what does that say about anyone else he shows his fake-​smile at?
You can’t throw a customer out of your store for feeling discriminated against. That’s some 3^rd world mentality treatment towards customers that just expect to be treated fairly. Is it too hard to treat customers with respect? Obviously, when it’s a person like me I guess.
But, if he TRULY was NOT being rude though, why else would he get so angry and offended when called out on it? After I walked out of the store I mentioned to his employee that the owner was really rude to me, and he just stood there and smiled at me like he was trying not to laugh. So much for anyone caring. It’s funny until it happens to you and you feel like you’re in the twilight zone. First, I get invited to come in for a FREE oil change only to be told off by the owner for complaining about his staff out on there unproffesionalism. This set up of quality control this owner Alex is running is designed to intimidate customers that complain. What a way of dealing with issues and showing concern.

DO NOT GO HERE! I took my husbands ford explorer in for an oil change and brake check. They told me that I needed new front brakes and roters. When i asked how much they said over 550… which i could not afford. I decided to take the care to my regular mechanic for a second opinion. When i told them i was not going to do the work the manager Jesse was very rude. and then when my husband was driving the car home from work that night he said that it was bouncing and not driving properly… the car ran perfectly and drove very smoothly before this! Needless to say they did something to the car. I will update when i hear from my mechanic. ****If I could give them negative stars I would.*********

I was very surprised this place only got 2 stars… :’(Jesse the manager has always helped me out! From my Nissan /​4 runner/​my corolla! AND he even gave me a discount! Thanks Jesse! I dunno about other workers but like I told my mom this morning…“if Jesse isn’t there I’m coming home and going another day” :-)…thanks Jesse

Saved!
Jessie, and the mechanics at Brake Masters, saved my bum. Pep Boys told me I needed a rebuilt engine, which I didn’t believe, so I towed the car to Brake Masters for a second option. Best. Idea. Ever.
At first, they agreed with Pep Boys, but that diagnosis didn’t sit well with Jessie, so he insisted on pursuing a hunch. How many mechanics do you know who’d do that?
Spoiler alert, his hunch was right on.
Pep Boys told me my engine had seized because I had neglected to put oil in the tank (in spite of the fact that there was perfectly good oil in the engine — but who gives a fuck about facts?). Turns out, I didn’t need a rebuilt engine at all. I needed a new clutch. A different of only a few thousand dollars. You know, chump change for a music teacher like me.
So, hands down, from oil changes to engine rebuilds, Brake Masters is my jam. I don’t even care that it’s 20 miles from my apartment in North Hollywood. It’s worth it not to get screwed by a garage I don’t trust.

I should have read the reviews on Unilocal before going here. But, when I went and got tires at the tire shop down the street I asked if they could recommend a brake shop for my squeaky brakes and they recommended Brake Masters! Like I said I should of UnilocalED it before I dealt it! After a whole day and $ 1200 later I felt ripped off and uncomfortable. I sucked it up and drove off not ever looking back!
Read the reviews and you decide for yourself. There are many other shops worthy of your time and money. UGH, so frustrated!

Over the years, I’ve spent hundreds, if not, thousands of dollars at different Brake Masters locations in the San Fernando Valley. I’ve always trusted the brand and they never have steered me wrong or into the ‘extras’ that I didn’t need.
With that said, this location is terrible (not Brake Masters in general). It just seems highly unorganized all around, as well as lacking in customer service.
I tried for a second service at this location today, after using them for a full rotor and pad replacement. My breaks are already squealing again (5,000 miles later) plus, mainly, I needed an oil change.
They are literally 10 – 15 minutes from my house. As I was leaving, I called ahead to make sure they were free enough to do an oil change as I would be bringing my infant daughter with me, whom I can only ‘entertain’ in one location for so long. The guy on the phone (I believe the manager) said, «Yeah, there are a couple cars we’re finishing up but come on down, we’ll get you RIGHT in.» Okay, great!
I had the car packed with the baby diaper bag, toys, etc… hung up the phone and I literally got there within 15 minutes of hanging up (maybe 10 minutes) and every single bay (four or five) was taken while other cars were waiting to be driven in and others parked in the lot, waiting. It was a madhouse.
I was dumbfounded, NO WAY did all of these car suddenly show up in 15 minutes… they were there when I called and he lied, or at the very least, ‘downplayed’ it.
The guy came out and I said I called about the oil change. He said it would be «over an hour» before he could start on it (which, like last time, means about two hours). Frustrated, I reminded him that he JUST told me to bring it in because he could get me «right in.» «Sorry man, first come first serve.» OBVIOUSLY… WHICH IS WHY I CALLED TO MAKE SURE IT WAS OPEN! I would have simply come another time or day! Having my daughter with me, I didn’t want to set a ‘bad example’ so I calmly left. He didn’t seem to care one bit… maybe because it was ‘just’ an oil change.
I never expected to cut in line, no matter the service, but what irritates me is the utter disregard for my time. I didn’t just show up… I called for this very reason. I wasted a good chunk of time getting there and back and having to pack and unpack the car, dealing with a young child. All the guy had to do was be honest — and he wasn’t.
I know for SURE that I’ll never go to this location again. I’ll just take it to the dealership where service is paramount — you pay a premium for it, but I know my time is appreciated, I get in when I’m told and they don’t dick me around (pardon the language).
BTW… Just got off the phone with the Keyes Honda Dealership a couple blocks down the road. $ 32 for oil change PLUS car wash… $ 3 difference, not bad for a good car wash AND a set appointment time.
)
*** Also, a 30K service here is $ 399… at the Honda dealership, it’s $ 359, lol… gee, where would you go? Plus you can have an appointment and a car wash.

As persuaded by the BBB complaint I made last week, the owner of this business finally decided to contact me to resolve the issue. It is very sad it took a complaint to the BBB to get resolution (some what), but it is what it is.
I returned Alex’s ¹²⁄₃₀₂ 009 10:05 AM phone call message at 1:30 PM that same day. I returned his call promptly where he agreed that I did have a policy in place at the time of the last service and that I was over charged for a second lifetime plan.
I asked Alex to just charge-​back the overage to my credit card. Alex said that since he paid taxes on the charges, he could only provide me store credit. Not what I asked for, nor customary for this type of business (transaction over 90 days old), I mulled the offer and agreed to the resolution.
Would I use Brake Masters in Canoga Park again, well that’s a stupid question since they are holding hundreds of my dollars on store credit only. I can tell you that if they had credited back the charges as I originally asked for — no.
Good for them, eh?
They have some serious trust issues to resolve with me first, then we will see and reevaluate the star process.