Mark: Hi, it's Mark from TLR. I'm here with Bernie Pawlik, Pawlik Automotive in Vancouver. Vancouver's best auto service experience. 24 time winners, 24 time winners of best auto repair in Vancouver as voted by their customers. And we're talking cars. How are you doing Bernie?
Bernie: Doing well.
Mark: Today's victim is a newer one, a 2018 Subaru Crosstrek that had a brake issue. What was going on with this vehicle?
Bernie: So the vehicle came in for a maintenance service and a brake inspection, and we found the rear brakes are worn out and needed to be replaced. So nothing out of the ordinary you might expect on a fairly newish vehicle.
Mark: 2018. So how many kilometres were on this vehicle?
Bernie: It had 57,000. So I guess we average it out. That's about 20 a year. It's sort of an average amount of driving.
Mark: And I guess this would be their first brake job?
Bernie: Yeah, it was. You know, 60,000 Ks is kind of average for most vehicles with an automatic transmission. You get some vehicles with standards, the brakes last an awful lot longer. And of course, if it's an EV, they usually last way, way, way, way longer. But yeah, that's kind of average for a gasoline powered, automatic transmission vehicle.
Mark: And what type of parts do you use for your brake replacements?
Bernie: Well, we use a variety depending on car, but for this particular vehicle, we used a Napa, they're called the Adaptive One Line, which is their top line brake pads and rotors. And we use those for this particular vehicle. We find those work really well, good warranty. They're formulated right for the car. So yeah, that's what we use for this vehicle.
Mark: So wouldn't the original Subaru brake parts be better?
Bernie: No. Sometimes, I mean, there's nothing wrong with the original equipment because they're designed for the vehicle. And in some cases, in some cars, that's what we use. But we find a lot of times the aftermarket parts have better warranty. They last longer, I've had number of cars over the years where I've done cars with original brakes and they lasted for say 60,000 Ks.
And then 60,000 Ks later, the brakes still have lots of material left on. So a lot of times after market materials will actually last longer. So not always the case, but if you use the good stuff, it usually is the case. We'll have a look at some pictures here for a sec.
These are the old brakes pads. I mean, everything, kind of rusty and crusty that you kind of get after a few years of usage. And obviously this thing's been probably through some salty roads. I think of a 2018 is not really that old, but it's obviously seen a bit of salty roads. So the pads again, pretty near worn out. Not completely, but you never really want to let them get to that point.
Here's a picture of our new brakes with the Napa adaptive one rotors. The pads installed. Part of our service, we clean the caliper. So we take the caliper slider pins out. We clean, we lubricate them. We sand blast the caliper where the slider points are on the calipers. And then the good quality brake pads come with new mounting hardware as well. So we put that in. We lubricate the sliding points and make sure it all works good.
Mark: And for anyone who's interested, there's an in-depth ancient video that we produced, I think, close to 10 years ago, or that you produced about 10 years ago, that shows in detail every step of the process of doing the kind of brake repairs that you've done for over a decade. So what kind of warranty do you put on your brake repairs?
Bernie: Yeah, so everything has a two year, 40,000 kilometre warranty. And you know, which is a really good warranty for brakes. I mean, unless it's a commercial vehicle. So I mean, usually, it's rare that we have to do any warranty work, but sometimes rotors will warp. I mean, that's probably the most common problem we get. Sometimes at least some noises or squeaks.
We kind of offer a no nonsense warranty. If they're squeaks and squeals and things, we fix it and replace it. So it's not like, well, you know, squealing is normal, which it can be. You know, we fix it, we replace it. Our brake jobs, I'll say they're not the cheapest around especially when I drive by and I see a sign saying, a few miles from my shop, brakes $89.95. I'm going, what are they doing for 89.95? I mean, half the time, you can't even get a set of brake pads for that money. So I don't know what they're giving, you know, they should probably take that sign down. But you know we charge a fair amount for them and we back it up.
Mark: And how Subaru Crosstreks for reliability?
Bernie: They're good. I think they're a great car. You know, we've run into really no issues with them whatsoever, so far. They've been out for a while now. Probably maybe a decade, maybe not quite that, but yeah, they're good cars.
Mark: If you're looking for service for your brakes or for your Subaru in Vancouver, the guys to see are Pawlik Automotive. You can book on the website pawlikautomotive.com or who knew you could actually call them. Use ancient technology and phone them 604-327-7112 to book your appointment. You have to call or book online ahead. They are busy. If you want more information, like you want to look up that brake video checkout, pawlikautomotive.com. There's a search function there. There's over a thousand videos on all makes and models and types of repairs. Or the YouTube channel. Pawlik Auto Repair. Same story. We've been doing this for over 10 years. And of course we really appreciate you watching and listening. Thanks Bernie.
Bernie: Thank you, Mark. Thanks for watching.
