Woman Takes Volkswagen To Mr. Lube For Brakes. Then She Hears Noise, Realizes It Was A Rip Off: 'Why I Have A Female Mechanic'

“So, does Mr. Lube rip everybody off, or do they just do that to women?”

Photo by: Unsplash.com

Braden Bjella

By: Braden Bjella

Aug 12, at 6:00am ET

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A Volkswagen driver is calling out auto chain Mr. Lube after alleging that they ripped her off.

In a video with over 68,000 views, Canadian TikTok user Alexis (@alexisnicoleofficial) issues what she says is a “warning for women who know nothing about mechanics and vehicles.”

According to Alexis, she is a frequent visitor to a chain called Mr. Lube. Typically, she visits the chain for an oil change, always making sure to pay extra for an 8-point inspection, she says.

“I specifically asked for brakes because … I'm at an amount of kilometers in my Tiguan now that I need to make sure that my brakes are okay,” she notes.

She says that approximately one month ago, she visited Mr. Lube and asked for a brake inspection. She reports that they informed her that her brakes were “fine,” but that she needed to get her “transmission fluid done.” Alexis says she was quoted $700 for this job. She did not accept the offer.

She says that a couple of weeks later, she was driving when she noticed that her Volkswagen was making a noise. She assumed it was her rotors, while ChatGPT told her that it could be a rock caught in her tires.

“I was like, ‘Mr. Lube said my brakes are fine. It's probably just a rock,’” she recalls.

Soon, however, the noise from the wheels became too loud to ignore.

“I'm wondering, can your brakes go from being perfect to going to that in a month?” she asks.

Mr. Lube VS. Minute Tune Brake Job: The Startling Truth

Concerned, Alexis made an appointment with Minute Tune. She says that after a technician looked over her car, he announced something that shocked her.

“The guy calls me. He goes, ‘There was rust … and dust that came out when we took your tire off. That means nobody took your tires off to check your brakes a month and a half ago. It didn't happen,’” Alexis says.

After looking at the brakes, the location offered to change her transmission fluid. For all of this work, Alexis says she paid just $235.77.

“That's a huge spread from 700,” the TikToker states. “So, does Mr. Lube rip everybody off, or do they just do that to women?”

She ends her video by advising that people do not visit Mr. Lube.

Gallery: 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan

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Source: Volkswagen

Mr. Lube Ripoff: Is This Common?

There are other, similar claims made against Mr. Lube.

One user on the Better Business Bureau website alleged that they took their car in for an oil change, only to be told that they needed an urgent transmission fluid change. Later, their car broke down due to transmission issues. The new shop repairing their vehicle allegedly informed them that their transmission fluid had not, in fact, been replaced.

Reddit is also filled with complaints against the company. One user alleged that Mr. Lube told them their car had just 3/32” of tread; a later measurement from a different company put them at a safe 7/32”. They also stated that the tires Mr. Lube offered to sell them were too big for their car.

Others have alleged that customers—specifically women—are routinely upcharged or upsold.

How To Tell If Your Brakes Have Actually Been Checked

As a car owner, you should have a mechanic whom you trust to get a job done without independent verification. But, if that is not possible, there are a few steps you can take to ensure you’re actually getting your brakes checked.

To start, you can ask a shop if they are just doing a quick visual check or a comprehensive inspection. Some shops will say they check brakes and then just look at them through the wheel to make an assessment. While this may be able to diagnose large issues, it can miss many of the nuances of brake wear.

Instead, make sure that the location does a comprehensive, wheels-off inspection. During this process, wheels should be removed, and pads, rotors, calipers, and related components should be examined and measured.

When this process is complete, the shop should be able to provide a detailed report about your brakes, including pad thickness across all wheels and both inner and outer pads. They may also provide photographs or additional notes about your brakes.

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By following this advice, you can ensure your brakes have actually been, at the very least, looked at. Whether you trust that same shop to actually make any needed repairs is up to you.

Motor1 reached out to Mr. Lube via email and Alexis via email and TikTok direct message. We will update this story if they respond.