[ccharin]

2014 BMW 328i xDrive needed new brakes. My service brake light was on for replacement of the rear brakes and brake fluid. The last service I had was at the BMW dealer 5 months ago and they said I would need to get my brakes replaced both front and back. The dealer quoted $1800 for all new OEM BMW brake pads and rotors. My car has 69K miles on it and I have always had my car serviced at the dealer since I purchased the certified BMW from the dealer with 35K miles on it 17 months ago. I needed to save money and I started my research. I am an Amazon Prime member and purchased a Power Stop K6852-26 Z26 brake kit for my rear axle that included the drilled and slotted rotors, carbon-fiber ceramic brake pads, and the electronic brake sensor for $190 with free shipping. Power Stop website recommended Pep Boys for the installation and I found my local Pep Boys in Lombard. I also called the manufacture Power Stop to verify the part number since I did not want to show up at the mechanic with the wrong parts. The labor for the power stop install was $125. So a total of $315 took care of the rear axle (rear axle on my car requires a smaller brake kit). Power Stop did not sell an entire brake kit for the front of my car so I signed up for the Performance Akebono brake install at Pep Boys. Akebono offers a lifetime replacement warranty at Pep Boys and Pep Boys guarantees the labor for 18 months. Akebono brake pads were $155.97 with $60 online rebate (visa gift card) with a lifetime replacement at Pep Boys. Yes I did the research and I could have gotten the brake pads for under $110 from online vendors or even cheaper on places like Ebay. $35 for the electronic brake line sensor is what Pep Boys charged for misc parts. I was not able to use my old front rotors since they cannot be shaved down due to the OEM material from BMW so I was offered the Prostop Brake Rotor for the front at $173.98 for the pair (these are much larger than the rears and were not drilled and slotted). Total from Amazon with tax for the Z26 Brake Kit was $206 and the total from Pep Boys was $694.52 with tax. Total $900.52 and this included replacing the brake fluid which was due (Pep Boys does this for $50 with a brake service or $69.99 all by itself. I scheduled service on a Saturday morning at 10AM (SAME DAY) from using Pep Boys online 3/16/19 for 1PM. I figured it would be a good day since I did not have to take off for work and everyone was doing St Patricks day stuff so the show was not as busy as a typical Saturday. I brought the car in at 12:50pm. I waited 15 minutes for the shop to put the car up and do a complimentary brake inspection. They said the rotors could not be re-used since they cannot grind BMW OEM rotors. They were old and I was not expecting to be able to re-use the front rotors. I got a written estimate of what everything would cost and then I left to get a bite to eat in the city. I came back at 5pm to pick up my car. They had some trouble re-setting the brake service light and Mo was the main mechanic working on my car. He tried everything and even had another buddy of his from another shop help him troubleshoot the issue. He spent 2 hours trying to reset the light and I really appreciated him going the extra mile to help. I paid for my service and tried myself to reset the brake service light myself by following the instructions I found on Youtube. I was able to reset the light and it has not come back on. This is awesome because I thought I would have to take my car to the dealer and have them reset the light which they would have charged me for. I drove the car following the Pad bedding procedure required for the Powerstop Z26 rear brake kit. My BMW now stops on a dime and I am very satisfied. I was able to spend half the money and get an upgraded brake system. This was my very first experience with Pep Boys and I look forward to taking my BMW to the shop for any future service. I filled out the $60 online rebate form on the Pep Boys website today and it only took 5 minutes using the info from my receipt. I should get my $60 VISA gift card in about 4-6 weeks. I also signed up for Pep Boys award card and I have a $30 in store credit to use for next time I need something auto related in the store. Joshua H was the front desk person that checked me in and "Mo" Muhammed Akhter was the service manager who completed my brake job with help from other mechanics in the shop. Everyone who worked at Pep Boys that I spoke with were very nice and they all seemed to get along with each other. Everyone had a good attitude and I look forward to my next visit.

[cfm56d7b]

Thanks for sharing. What a rare and satisfying experience.