11.13.02
Every single time I take my car into to get the oil changed, the mechanics tell me that my brakes are 'X%' worn, and that I really need to have them fixed. They started pestering me around 40%, and the last visit got me a startling '70% + signs of rusting.'
I decided that they were just trying to hustle me, and ignored their recommendations. My brakes weren't squealing or making any other sort of noises, and there was no noticeable degradation of my braking abilities. As I had been instructed by many people, these were the signs I should be worried about.
About a month ago, the little brake light started sporadically coming on, but jiggling the emergency brake release made it stop. Operantly conditioned, I started driving with my right hand resting on the lever, just in case.
The next time I saw my friend Mike, a mechanic, I told him that the Toyota mechanics were trying to pressure me into a brake job again, and he reinforced the noise-as-signal thing. But I also asked him it he thought it was a short when the brake light came on, or if there was something wrong with the emergency brake.
He politely informed me that the light coming on is the third, and lesser-seen sign of an impending need for brake repair, and that I probably needed to hustle myself on over to the Toyota dealership's garage very soon.
So, Gracie spent much of the day at the auto shop, getting her brakes done and her tires rotated, which is, surprisingly, a free service -- since the labor alone for the brake job was $208, and I still can't tell a difference, except the brake light only comes on when my foot is on that pedal.
What's in your head?