Squeaky Drum Brakes & A Terrible Mechanic.

[Spool]

Hey Guys.
73 C20 here.

I'll try to keep this short and unemotional despite my frustration.
I've had a mechanic tell me I needed new shoes on my drum brakes on the back end in Dec- I took his word for it and he hasn't gotten it right to this day.
I'm seeking your professional opinion and any personal advice on how to proceed with this guy.


Here's the story.
My truck sat idle for a year while I was overseas.
In that time, my mechanic of years sold his shop to new management.
When I returned in late Dec of 2020, I figured I'd give him a shot- I needed a transmission service as my truck wasn't engaging into first when cold and also wanted my fluids replaced.
He calls, and says hey, you need new shoes and few other things... I green light it, as well as asking him to replace the bearings on the axels while he's down there.
This cost me $1,600 and an unreasonable 10 days of service.

I get the truck back and I'm burning oil on my headers- the valve cover gaskets he replaced we're done poorly.
I bring it in- he fixes it.

A week later, my brakes are squeaking.
He says put fifty miles on it, break them in.

I come back after fifty miles (7 weeks? I don't drive far.) He takes a look and now tells me the shoes he put in are defective and now I need new drums and shoes.
I get a little upset and he ends up covering the new drums on the house.

I get the truck back 3 days ago with new shoes and new drums and the truck is great for about 10 miles across two days of driving.
The brakes are now squeaking again and they're extremely hot (I washed the truck and steam was coming off the drums.)
Not only that, but now the truck is driving differently- wobbly almost. I turned home today because I felt I might not make it to the store.
Furthermore, when I go to use my brakes, they're not consistent- the truck stutters to a stop...

At this point, I'm fairly furious. I texted him and told him I'm coming first thing tomorrow morning.

So, with all of this, I ask you, have you ever heard of such a problem with drum brakes?
I never had a problem with my brakes until he told me I did and attempted to fix them 2 times, tomorrow being the third.
Is he incompetent? Do I take legal action if he doesn't get it right a third time?

Thanks for reading.
Any advice is always appreciated.

[Mike81K10]

If I were you and relied on someone to work on my truck. At this point I would take it to a ASE certified mechanic (not a mom and pop shop) and have them inspect everything that the other shop touched. If you find the first shop ripped you off, take them to small claims court with all your documents. Save everything to include receipts. I have known shops to charge people for work that was never accomplished. That is one reason I prefer to work on my own vehicle.

If the shoes he put on were defective, they would be under warranty by the way. Most likely, never changed them. He may have improperly installed the new ones or you have some other issues such as needing a brake bleed, brake proportioner, master cylinder, or brake booster. Would not let that person touch my ride again in your case.

[Spool]

I’d imagine he is certified to run the shop- but I’ll ask him tomorrow/check his walls.

My issue is, I’m right on cash right now and can’t be doubling down money wise to have someone different look at it.

Your advice is solid and small claims might be the result.

At this point, I go in tomorrow, slightly aggressive but still respectful hear what he has to say- at the end of the day, I just need it done.

Any idea of what would cause the brakes to stutter or heat the way they are?
He told me had had to press the housing into the new drums as it wasn’t a direct fit?


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[Mike81K10]

It sounds to me like he does not know what he is doing! A new drum should not have a problem fitting over the brake shoes and axle.

I would find out what it would cost and pay (if affordable) to have a reputable shop inspect your truck to see if anything is visibly wrong where the other shop worked on it. You do not have to get them to do repairs if money is the issue. If you do take it back to the same person, have him show you what he is talking about on your truck and take many pictures.

There should be no cost for a problem you already paid for.

[Spool]

Thanks Mike.
Appreciate your time.


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[Mr Diesel]

Doing new brakes is stupid simple. If this guy can't even get that right he is no mechanic. Abandon him and cut your losses now before he messes up more of your truck

[bigben5054]

I agree with others that it sounds like he doesn't know what he is doing.  Based on the brakes getting hot, it sounds like they are dragging, which could also cause the truck to stutter as it stops.  Add to it the fact that he had to "press" the drums on, suggests he maybe did not back off the wheel cylinder to accommodate for the new shoes.  I agree with others that you should take it elsewhere to get it done correctly.

As for legal action, that's up to you.  Just filing the case will cost you a few hundred more $ and take a couple days of your time to prepare and actually go to court.  Small claims court would be the best avenue, but you might have a tough time convincing a judge that knows nothing about auto repair that the first guy messed up without another mechanic coming in to testify how/what the first guy did wrong.

Sorry for your troubles.  Good luck. 

[Spool]

Thanks guys.
Unfortunately, I’m strapped for cash at the moment and can’t afford another mechanic.

I intend to take it back today and speak with the owner instead of the manager I’ve been dealing with.

I do keep paperwork on all things for the truck- including a receipt for the new drums that were covered on their end.

If he fails this time- I’m S-O-L and will have to find the time/money to go to a different mechanic.


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[JohnnyPopper]

Spooler my friend,

Rear brakes are simple stupid as earlier described. Get a pic of the assembly before you attempt to confront this guy. Compare notes.

As noted, the fact he said he had to press on the drums clearly makes the case he is incompetent. There is a shoe separator  that allows you to get the perfect clearance between new shoes and drums.

If he had to press on the drums, the shoes were incorrectly spaced, resulting your high temps due to lack of clearance between the shoes and drums.

With the abundance of DIY videos, you can probably fix it yourself. Man up, YOU can do it!

[VileZambonie]

Do you have a picture of your rear brake drums (wheel off) so we can see what axle you have? You have to understand that today's mechanics don't generally work on these systems. If you do not do the work yourself, you need to find someone who is qualified, that has a proven track record, and has many referrals for the type of work you are looking for. He may be a decent mechanic but may have never worked on one of these trucks let alone floating axles, drum brakes and so on. Remember we're talking almost 50 year old truck here. Where are you located? Maybe someone here can refer you to a better shop.

[Spool]

Hey Vile.

I'm in LA (for now...)

Current status is I met him yesterday and explained how ridiculous this is over a brake job, and that although I appreciated him covering the drums for business loyalty on the last run, I expect him to resolve this now.
He said he's got the drums at the machine shop now, and he's still uncertain over what the issue is. He's guessing maybe my axel is worn down.

I told him my axel isn't worn down, and if it is, his mechanics should have noticed in Dec. when they replaced the bearings.

Tomorrow I'll get the truck back fixed and done, or broken w/ a refund on the brake job...
So far, he went from it's the shoes, to the shoes I put in were defective, it's the drum, and now it's the axel...
All the while I keep going back to, 'I never had a problem until you tried to fix one.'

I don't have a jack for my truck - thus no pictures with the wheel off.

[Spool]

Update.

I picked the truck up today.
Tells me (insecurely/lacking confidence/tired of dealing with me) that he replaced the drums he just replaced
and had them machined to be slightly thinner. Also told me they arched the shoes a bit.
Sends me video of him driving my truck on the freeway at 70mph as some sort of proof.

I asked him to provide an invoice describing the work done - he was reluctant, but finally did.
He goes on to say the leaf springs are bad, the shock absorber needs to be replaced, the axel housing may be warped...
I stopped him from talking and explained I understand the truck is old, but I never had a problem before this. Regardless, what do we do if they squeak again?
He says we're prepared to refund the cost of labor on the brakes if the issue isn't resolved.

I drove it home, down a hill, come to a stop, and sure enough they start to squeak again...
I'll drive the to the store in a bit and see how she feels.

But odds are, I'll be back tomorrow to collect my refund...

[VileZambonie]

Sounds like getting a refund is your best bet.

[Mike81K10]

VZ is right on! As I said from the beginning, the person is incompetent. You may want to report him the Better Business Bureau. Makes no sense for him to have ground new brake drums and I hope he did not grind your drums down to the point they need to be replaced.  Get as much of your money back as you can and never go back to him. Start doing your own work, will be less expensive even if you have to buy some tools.

Would not let that person touch my ride again in your case.

[Spool]

Yeah. You are all correct.
At best, he made it squeak far less - stopping on hills seems to be the trigger now.
I'll drive it for a few days because of work and bring this to end on Monday.