The gobbomobile needs its brakes done and I am a total mechanic fish so I would appreciate a good recommendation for someone who isn't going to screw me to get some basic car stuff done. Anyone have someone they trust?

Funny was thinking about posting same question earlier.

Mechanic who someone trusts who won't screw me in long run. Total fish here

https://www.yelp.com/biz/professiona...ce-las-vegas-2

Got my brakes done there. Nice guys, good service/prices

This place is very busy which I thought was a good sign. It's from the awesome Yelp reviews. Craig, the guy working the desk, seems very chill and friendly but also very "I don't give a sh*t, it is what it is" type of attitude. Cocky, I guess because they have a ton of business (again b/c of Yelp).

Anyway, had my oil changed here and they overfilled it. I brought the car back and they remedied the situation no charge. I got attitude from the mechanic that did the actual work of taking some oil out when I came back. Also, both times I went, the mechanic was smoking inside the bay while my car was up. Just kinda of a pet peeve. Don't smoke around my car and then get in my car with your smokey clothes.

I came back here to get an estimate on brakes. They were about 15% more than the place I ended up going with...Mr. Brakes on Jones & Desert Inn.

Mr. Brakes might give off a used car salesman feel to some people but the shop just does brakes and they seem to be pretty honest. He explained everything to me, brought me into the bay to show me, told me exactly how long I had on the pads, and I saw him turn away 2 people saying they had 10K miles left on their pads and to come back later.

They did the work in under 30 minutes (2 guys and Mr. Brakes himself supervising and helping) and I SAW everything since I was in the bay by the window. He explained how he used to use Toyota dealer pads and now uses Hyundai dealer pads because they offer a return/warranty that is better. He's been in that shop for a LONG time and in Vegas for decades so it seems he must be doing something right and it seemed like he put his reputation behind his work and has been doing this for a long time. I asked for an "all around mechanic" recommendation asking if he could do it but he referred me to someone else saying he mainly does brakes, suspension, and stuff like that (seems honest).

He's the owner and he's very hands on which made me feel more comfortable and he's very transparent about everything while the other shop just takes your car and you can't see anything. The employees seem more professional (and they've been there for years too apparently) and if something happened with the brakes I could see him providing better customer service. They are busy on the weekends but it's easy to make an appointment. They turn work away (if brakes are still good) so you might just roll up midweek and get lucky without an appointment.

The other place mentioned in the previous post (on Silverado Ranch) doesn't do appointments and you have to leave your car in the morning and come back at the end of the day. Just seems annoying.

On Yelp, BOTH places have awesome reviews. I live way closer to the Professional Brakes Service place but drove out of the way to go to the Mr. Brakes place.

Can anyone recommend a general mechanic to look at a used car I'm about to buy?

Brade pad and rotor replacements are one of the easiest and cheapest car repairs to make. Google what pads (and/or rotors) you need and get them from an auto parts store. This will save you a 100-200% markup on them at the repair shop and will also lessen your wait time. Just pay for the labor, which should be roughly $100. Closer to $200 if you do rotors as well. Call a few places and they'll tell you the standard rate. Brake pad/rotor replacement is fairly uniform and difficult to **** up.

edit: Pro-tip - use low tier mechanics like NTB or similar tire places for jobs like this. You're going to pay a premium for labor if you use a higher tier place that does more complicated repairs (engine/transmissions etc work).

Most shops make money off the parts they sell. Bringing your own won't make you their favorite customer.

Be careful on just shopping price. If you have an ordinary grocery-getter, any brakes will probably do. But if you have a BMW or Porsche, putting Chinese pads on it will make your braking performance take a dump.

I hope if you have a BMW or Porsche that isn't a beater car by now that you aren't nitpicking on saving a few bucks on cheaper brakes. Although I've seen poker players nitpick over a $3 price difference between dishes on dinner break of a $10K tournament so I guess it's possible.

I used Tony s Auto Repair on Decatur and they were great - friendly, reasonably priced, and didn't even gouge me on any parts prices. Would definitely go back if I had car issues.

Plus, as I was waiting on my car, i saw multiple people come in with their issues and the mechanic was very thorough about exactly what the issues were and what options they had.

It might be out of your way but Dolar Automotive on Tropicana has always treated me right. They had a couple of chances to just throw parts at a problem but they took the time to diagnose the problem and only replace what needed replacing.

Johnson Automotive on Boulder Highway south of sunset. Former law enforcement who is honest and fair.

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This is a great thread with very USEFUL info for Vegas locals. Thanks everyone!

What kind of go Mobile J?
I do my own work...

Wanna "soup up" my car?

Watchagot?

I have a 2006 350z. Turns out a dealer at Bellagio is a mechanic in his spare time and is doing my brakes today for cheap! Will let y'all know how it turns out. I'm dropping the car off in an hour.

That's pretty straight forward job JF... if he somehow messes that up,it would be complete incompetence.

How did it turn out JF?

bellagio dealer fixed his breaks but stole the change in his cup holder

Car is solid. He fixed a bunch of other stuff that I didn't know also. Charged me barely above cost.

Hahahaha... go figure.

I'm looking for a good mechanic recommendation; hopefully someone thats good at AC systems (my friend has had the AC of their car repaired a few times, but it's still failing). Thanks ahead of time....

nice score. I've learned to have the rotors turned every other brake pad change to get rid of any warping. Hard to notice with in town driving but will definitely show up at highway speeds.

Warping is a myth... what actually happens is pad material begins to stick to the rotor surface creating an uneven rotor face. Taking off a couple thousandth is good... replacing rotor is better.

I brought my 2011 Toyota 4Runner to the folks at Japanese Auto Repair on Spring Mountain.

Straightforward, reasonably priced and did what they said they would. The person on phone had limited English, but we set-up time for drop-off, they had car for couple of hours, I was able to get lunch at Monta Ramen and then walk back to garage.

Japanese Auto Repair
5350 W Spring Mountain R
Las Vegas, NV 89146

They have a "sister" garage nearby called European Auto Repairs.