Reminds me of the last time I flew, actually. All those self check in kiosks at the airport, and the one next to me just froze up completely. This guy and I ended up just staring at the error screen together, then he made a joke about the machine needing a vacation more than we did. We talked for ten minutes while waiting for a real person to come fix it. So maybe the robot thing is just there to give us all a common problem to complain about.

Wade is right about cheap brakes saving money until they don't. I bought cheap ones once and they almost made me hit a car when stopping on a hill. bettyramirez says most folks don't push brakes hard, but why risk it? Even daily driving can throw a surprise stop your way. If your brakes don't work then, the money saved means nothing. Better to spend a bit more and know your car will stop when you need it.