Pickering Honda

TL:DR Full $1500 brake service performed, technician bent brake pad clip/ear and pad was crooked. This wasn’t noticed by the shop after 4 visits and multiple warped rotors. They accused me of taking the car to the race track, then said my “proportioning valve” failed and my entire front calipers were seized and needed replaced for $1300. The photos you see attached show the bent clip/ear, as well as the slant on the pad from crooked application to the rotor. April 7th, 2025: Full brake service was performed, this took 3 days for them to do because they struggled to find the right brake pads. After about 2 months the front rotors warped and the car shook while braking. This is when I believe the shop had the clip/ear on the drivers side inner pad bent out and caused the pad to apply crooked. July 14th, 2025: The shop backed up their claims of covering their work under warranty, but they made sure to accuse me a few times of racing the car on a track and overheating the brakes. They replaced all 4 rotors, but did not replace the pads. Looking back, the pads should have been replaced too. At this point I believe they missed the bent clip/ear again. This took 2.5 days. Sep 24th, 2025: The rotors warped AGAIN. I drove to the shop without an appointment so that they could do a quick assessment. They mentioned I raced the car again. I waited in the lobby while they test drove it. They mentioned it’s possible the proportioning valve wasn’t working right and the front rotors were doing most of the braking. My car doesn’t have a proportioning valve, it’s all controlled by the ABS system. They said they will cover it under warranty again but they would have to identify and fix the problem 1st. At this point it seemed suspicious, so I inspected the brakes myself and without even needing to take off the wheel, I could see the clip/ear is bent out on 1 of the front pads. I could see the whole pad was applying pressure at an angle to the rotor. Oct 20th, 2025: At this point I knew there was installation error by the technician. I did not want to mention inspecting my brakes myself as I expected them to turn it on me and void the warranty. So I brought the car back to them for inspection and warranty coverage. It took them 2 days to inspect the car and they still did not see the bent clip/ear on the pad. Without notification, I was sent an invoice of $1300 for front caliper replacement. Oct 22nd, 2025: They still had my car. I called 3 times to speak to the service manager about it. The front office kept repeating that he would reach out to me. By 2pm I was tired of waiting for a call back, so I went to get my car back. They wanted to replace the front calipers. They doubled down on the proportioning valve, also mentioned the brake lines were bad and the caliper was seized. All false. I took my keys and left. Oct 24th, 2025: I got my car up on a lift and personally took apart the front calipers and pads. I inspected the caliper piston on each side and both were clean, smooth and corrosion free, not seized at all. They retracted fine as well. I replaced the front pads and rotors and now everything works well all around. I guess I should have done it myself from the beginning. Lesson learned. The photos you see attached show the bent clip/ear, as well as the slant on the pad from crooked application to the rotor.

I cannot say enough great things about Pickering Auto Labs. After being involved in a car accident a few months ago, I was understandably stressed and unsure about the entire repair process. From the moment I walked in, their team went above and beyond to make me feel reassured and supported. They took the time to explain every step clearly, answered all my questions patiently, and made sure I understood exactly what was happening with my vehicle. What really stood out was how organized, proactive, and communicative they were throughout the entire process. I never felt left in the dark — everything was handled efficiently and professionally, which made what could have been a very overwhelming situation feel completely manageable and stress-free. A special shout-out to Linden, the foreman/manager, who truly sets the standard for exceptional customer service. He was on top of everything from start to finish and kept me consistently updated with progress and timelines. His attention to detail, transparency, and genuine care made a huge difference and gave me total confidence that my car was in the best hands. Pickering Auto Labs clearly knows how to treat their clients with respect, honesty, and care. If you’re looking for a shop that combines expert workmanship with outstanding customer service, this is the place to go. Highly recommended — five stars without hesitation.

Bought brakes for my vehicle from here and got the best quality parts from them. highly recommend going to them! gave me a 2 year, 40k kilometre warranty with the parts even though I'm installing them myself. The service was efficient and very helpful!