>Find a mechanic you trust, the car dealership will rip you off time and time again.

Car dealerships are mechanics, nothing special about them, and I've had incidents with small paces as well.

>I had to bring my car in for a recall previously, and they said right away that the brakes also needed replacing immediately.

So what? Say no if you don't want the work. Done. Do you get mad at every salesman who pushes their product on you?

>Ended up replacing the back after a year and a half

You can ride bad brakes pretty much forever if you want, nothing stopping you (pun). As he says, depends on "how you drive".

I'm still trying to wrap my head around why you're so upset about your dealer suggesting you get your brakes done...