Car Brake System

I took the car in last year to get the brakes repaired on it. Full bumper to bumper rebuild. Was told something just shy of $600 and assured that when I left the entire brake system would be tweaked, repaired and replaced and that everything would work great on the brakes. When I went out to get in the car I did a fast check and noticed there was some kind of fluid under the car on the driver's side. Bad sign. I checked it, was not water, so I went back into the tire shop and reported it, and they sent a mechanic out that said not to worry, they had spilled brake fluid filling the reservoir and that was just drips from that. He sent me on along my way.

Two blocks from the tire shop the brake light came on. Crud. Tire shop was closed, so I called my brother who said it sounded like they had not properly bled the system and to just pump the brakes some and it should be better. I did, they were, I headed home.

Now, one of the issues they had fixed for me had been the rear lines had been leaking. So, when over the next few days the brakes acted up again, a few times, and I seemed to be using a lot of brake fluid, I took the car back to them.

Their mechanic determined the master cylinder was leaking where it connected to the booster (they didn't use that language, they just said it was leaking, but that is what they showed me when they took me back to show me the issue. They could fix it, for $400. I complained that they had said they had fixed everything before, they said the master cylinder wasn't included in that. The guy that worked behind the counter wanted to refuse to let me take the car, but the mechanic told me what to do and I was let take the car (really ticked off the guy behind the counter).

Anyway, I've been doing fine, but am tired of the brake fluid consumption, and more tired of any effort to ask family for help being met with either a load of crap or with being yelled at because I had not asked for help in the past.

So, next week, I am going to get a gasket for the master cylinder and a case of brake fluid. Remove the master cylinder and do a quick cleaning on it and then reinstall it and bleed the brake system.