Brake checks and repairs · Cooks Hill, Newcastle

Brakes feel different?Book a check.

We test your brakes on our Safe-T-Stop brake tester, tell you what’s worn and what can wait, and agree the price with you before we start. All on Darby St, Cooks Hill.

4.7 from 187 Google reviews 2024 AAAA award winner Afterpay, Humm and Zip
A Radical Mechanical mechanic checking under a car with a torch in the Cooks Hill workshop

4.7187 Google reviews
BrakesPrice firstagreed before we start
What you can count on

Straight answers about your brakes.

Brakes are where plenty of people feel pushed into spending more than they planned. Here’s how we handle it.

01

We tell you what can wait.

Some brake jobs can wait a few weeks and some can’t. We’ll say which, so you can plan for it.

02

The price is agreed first.

We check, tell you what it needs and what it costs, and nothing happens until you say yes.

03

Second opinions welcome.

Been quoted a lot somewhere else? Book a check and we’ll tell you what needs doing now and what can wait. Sometimes the answer is that you’re fine for now.

Brakes

Signs your brakes need a look.

You don’t need to know the lingo. If any of these sound like your car, get it checked.

Cody and the team at Radical Mechanical are super friendly, knowledgeable and trustworthy. I constantly felt like other mechanics were just doing a cash grab at service time with all the extra things ‘needed’, but I know Cody has my best interest in mind.
Mandy H. · Google review
More from our Google reviews

What locals say.

4.7
From 187 Google reviews
…They provide clear, honest advice, do good work, have never upsold me on products, and they patiently answer my questions or explain things to me…
Taylar R. · Google review
…The guys explain the stuff I cannot understand and provide a full run down of what is wrong/ what they have done (including pictures). Very trustworthy and helpful - will not go anywhere else. Pricing is always fair and transparent.
Eden J. · Google review
I’ve always been well taken care of by Cody and the team. Outstanding service. Top notch work and always willing to go above and beyond. They are the best.
Stephen G. · Google review
The team at Radical are amazing! Always so friendly, with efficient and reliable service.
Amy B. · Google review
A Radical Mechanical mechanic talking a customer through what he found under the bonnet in the Cooks Hill workshop
Second opinions

Been quoted a lot somewhere else?

Book a check and get a second opinion. We’ll tell you what needs doing now and what can wait.

Measured, not guessedOur Safe-T-Stop brake tester shows how your brakes are actually performing. Then we check them on the hoist and explain what we found in plain English.

Now, soon or laterYou’ll know what needs doing now, what’s coming up and what can wait.

Ask anythingAsk as many questions as you like. We explain what we found, why it matters and what it costs.

Spread the costAfterpay, Humm and Zip are all welcome at the counter.

How it works

Book it, drop it, forget about it.

  1. Book online, any time

    Pick a day and tick Repairs/diagnose. Say it’s your brakes in the details box.

  2. Drop it in at 8am

    Hand over the keys, then grab a coffee on Darby St or head off to work.

  3. We check, then call

    What’s worn, what it costs and whether it can wait. Nothing happens without your yes.

  4. Pick it up

    With the work done and a plain English run-down of what we did.

Who you’re booking with

Not your average mechanics.

It’s on our shopfront for a reason. Radical started in 2016 with Cody McKay, a toolbox and the back of his Holden Crewman, going to people who couldn’t get to a mechanic during work hours.

Ten years on it’s a four-hoist workshop on Darby St, and the idea hasn’t changed: fair prices, straight answers, and someone who’ll come out of the workshop to explain it.

We look after cars from right across Newcastle and Lake Macquarie, including Merewether, The Junction, Hamilton, Adamstown, Lambton and Charlestown.

2024 AAAA award winnerNewcastle ownedFemale and LGBTIQ friendly
“We aren’t here to up-sell you on products you don’t really need or make you feel like we’re speaking a different language.”
The Radical Mechanical shopfront on Darby St, Cooks Hill, with the sign Not your average mechanics
Questions

Good questions, straight answers.

Is it safe to keep driving?

We’ll tell you once we’ve looked. Some brake jobs can wait a few weeks and some can’t, and we’ll say which. If the pedal goes to the floor or the car won’t stop properly, don’t drive it. Get it towed in.

How do you check my brakes?

We test them on our Safe-T-Stop brake tester, which measures how well your car stops and whether one side brakes harder than the other. Then we check them on the hoist and explain what we found in plain English.

I’ve been quoted a lot somewhere else.

Book a check and get a second opinion. We’ll tell you what needs doing now and what can wait. Sometimes the answer is that you’re fine for now.

I don’t understand what they’re telling me.

Ask as many questions as you like. We explain what we found, why it matters and what it costs.

How much will it cost?

It depends on your car and what’s worn, so we check first and agree the price with you before any work starts.

Can I get my service done at the same time?

Yes. Tick Service and Repairs/diagnose on the booking form and our manager will book them in together.

Can I pay it off?

Yes. We take Afterpay, Humm and Zip.

Brakes feel different? Book a check.

Pick a day online and our manager will confirm it. We’ll check first and call you with the price.

Book a brake check

Find us

286 Darby St, Cooks Hill

On the Darby St cafe strip. Open in Google Maps

Hours

Weekdays 8am to 5pm

Drop-off at 8am. Closed weekends.

Pay your way

Afterpay, Humm and Zip

Spread the cost of a service or a bigger job.

Radical Mechanical
Radical Mechanical · 286 Darby St, Cooks Hill NSW 2300 · (02) 4606 2929
Newcastle owned and operated. Female friendly. LGBTIQ friendly.
Brake checksPrice agreed before we start.
Book now