A New Jersey woman says a Mercedes-Benz dealership in Manhattan tried to charge her more than $12,000 for a full brake replacement on a car that was under two years old. Kayla Caputo, who posts under the username @kay_caputo on TikTok, shared her story in a video that has drawn 545,800 views, 55,600 likes and more than 2,700 comments.
Caputo said she bought her Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG brand new in May 2024. In February 2026, she said she brought the car to Mercedes-Benz of Manhattan because she had a nail in her tire and wanted her squeaky brakes checked.
According to Caputo, a service advisor named Jessica Mendez told her the brakes needed to be replaced. An on-screen service estimate shown in the video, from Mercedes-Benz of Manhattan, listed a total of $12,730.99 for replacing the front and rear brake rotors and pads.
Text messages show back-and-forth over brake estimate
Caputo shared text messages she says came from Mendez. One message read, “Hi Kayla, I was just about to reach out to you. The tech is recommending to replace your brakes. I am going to send you an estimate with tech notes. Please review and let me know how you would like to proceed.”
Caputo said she replied by questioning the estimate, writing, “Okay! The car is not even 2 years old with 12,000 miles. So just curious how to prevent having to replace my brakes every year and a half? Seems very soon. Not just brake pads?”
Mendez responded, according to messages shown in the video, “The tech says the car seems to sit often. This can cause the pads and rotors to fuse together. Also, it seems like something is scoring your rotors as well.” Caputo said the dealership offered to complete the repair the same day if she approved the work.
Caputo also said she has a Zurich tire protection package that was supposed to cover her tire repair. She said the Manhattan dealership told her they do not handle claims like that directly, and she ended up paying $806.23 out of pocket. A receipt shown in the video lists that amount for a “multi-point inspection performed no issues present” at Mercedes-Benz of Manhattan.
Caputo said she did not go through with the brake job. Instead, she said she had her boyfriend’s father, whom she described as a mechanic, inspect the car. She said he found nothing wrong with the brakes.
Months later, Caputo said she brought her car to Mercedes-Benz of Paramus in New Jersey for a scheduled Service B appointment, which covers maintenance beyond a standard oil change. She said staff there initially estimated the cost at around $900, but later told her the service was fully covered under a prepaid package and she would not owe anything.
She said the dealership sent Caputo a video inspection of her car. In the video, a technician can be heard saying, “Left rear tire is good. I didn’t see anything wrong with the left rear tire. Brakes are good. Right rear tire is good. Brakes are good. Right front tire is good. Brakes are good. Left front tire is good. Brakes are also good.”
The technician added, “I just finished up the service on your vehicle. I won’t be recommending anything, everything looks good.” The video inspection confirmed Caputo’s brakes were fine, a situation that contrasts with other dealership service complaints, such as a South Carolina woman’s car becoming unstable after service.
An on-screen inspection report in the video, titled “Everything checks out,” showed 38 items passed, with no repairs required, no items cautioned, and no items failed. The skepticism toward dealership service is widespread, as one report details a dealership allegedly trying to take advantage of an elderly car owner by claiming their barely driven Acura needed a new transmission.
In her video, Caputo said the report from Paramus confirmed what she had suspected about the Manhattan dealership’s brake recommendation. She said she became emotional during her visit and told the Paramus service representative about her experience in Manhattan. Describing her reaction to the team’s honesty, she said, “I am just so grateful.”
Mercedes-Benz of Manhattan responded to Caputo’s video in the comments section, writing, “Hi Kayla, we take this feedback very seriously. Our team has reached out to you directly to review your experience in full.”
The video’s comment section includes a mix of reactions from viewers. One commenter wrote, “$12,000 for BRAKES?!?? girl that’s like a $300 job lol.” Another wrote, “You need to report that dealership to the BBB and Mercedes. That’s wildddddddd.” A separate comment advised, “Make sure you fill out the survey on the Manhattan location. Mercedes takes those VERY seriously. If you give them a bad rating on the survey they are required to reach out to you personally.”
Other viewers offered general advice about dealership service. One wrote, “Never ever ever pay for extended warranties. If you can’t afford to self warranty it, you shouldn’t be buying it.” Another commented, “unless your car is under warranty.. you never go to the dealer to have anything done they will always overcharge you.”
Published: Aug 9, 2026 07:45 am