Car Repairs Can Be A Total Ripoff

My vehicle has 42,000 miles on it. I bought it when it had 25,000 miles on it. I went for an oil change on the day before I went to New Hampshire and while I was waiting, I was told it was URGENT that I have my brake pads replaced immediatly. They said "You need them right away, it should be done today or by the end of the week at the latest, we can do them now if you would like" I hesitated, but asked how much. $450.00 they told me for front and rear brake pads.

I declined, but made an appointment for when I returned from vacation. In the meantime my daughters grandfather, (we call him pa), said he would do them for me and all I had to do was order the parts from the local autoparts store.

Long story short, the brake pads were a bit worn, but I had at LEAST 3-5 months left on them minimum. Plenty of pad left, and certainly no where near the urgency that they told me. I probably could have waited until spring time, not to mention the high cost of the quote to begin with.

is this a normal occurance for car repairs? Who do you beleive? Are they all out to get your money? I hope you have had better expiereinces.

I thank "Pa" for his great work, and am trying to encourage him to open up "Pa's Garage" so he can help poor people like me.