TA
tony anderson
Mar 20, 2026
I want to share our full experience with Bucky’s Auto so others can make an informed decision.
In April 2025, my daughter brought her vehicle in for brake work with an approved budget of approximately $1,300 to repair all four brakes. The shop initially quoted work for the full brake system. However, without getting approval from my daughter or the funding party (DSHS), they chose to only repair the front brakes and used essentially the entire approved budget.
The rear brakes were not serviced.
We were later told the rear brakes were “fine” and that the vehicle was safe to drive. Based on that assurance, the vehicle was put back on the road.
Fast forward roughly 1,600 miles over several months — the rear brakes failed completely, going metal-on-metal, which directly contributed to an accident. That accident caused additional damage to the vehicle, including the radiator, water pump, rear bearings, etc per picture of new bid.
After the fact, during a phone call, the district sales manager Brian admitted that the technician who worked on the vehicle in April 2025 knew the rear brakes were already near failure or close to metal-on-metal at the time of service. Despite that knowledge:
• No additional approval was requested
• No warning was properly escalated
• The vehicle was released in an unsafe condition
At that point, they had options:
They could have used the remaining funds appropriately, adjusted the scope of work, or even held the vehicle under a mechanic’s lien if necessary to prevent it from leaving unsafe.
Instead, they chose to repair only part of a critical safety system, take the full approved funds, and send the vehicle out.
Now, after the accident, we were presented with a new estimate that is significantly inflated and includes additional repairs that stem from the failure of the rear brakes — a failure that should have been addressed in April.
On top of that, we have now paid an additional $300 out of pocket in towing costs just to get the vehicle to and from their shop.
Their resolution offer?
A few free oil changes and free inspections “if we buy another car.”
That does not come close to addressing:
• The original incomplete and unauthorized repair decisions
• The admitted knowledge of unsafe brake conditions
• The resulting accident and additional damage
• The inflated follow-up estimate
• The out-of-pocket towing expenses
This situation raises serious concerns about:
• Safety practices
• Authorization of repairs
• Transparency in billing
• Accountability when mistakes are made
We trusted this shop to ensure a safe vehicle, especially when working on something as critical as brakes. That trust was not upheld.
This experience also closely mirrors many of the other negative reviews reported by customers, particularly regarding incomplete repairs, lack of approval, inflated costs, and vehicles being returned in unsafe condition.
I would strongly advise anyone to get everything in writing, verify what work is actually being performed, and question any partial repairs on critical safety components.
Unfortunately, this experience has been costly, stressful, and could have been avoided.