for those DIY folks...Second opinions! (insurance, vehicle, brakes, ABS)

[Nov3]

GOt two quotes from shops. (my responses in blue text)

Here is what the car needs: Both front calipers replaced (with ceramic brake pads) .

Although only one caliper could be confirmed as having a damaged piston. They stated its best to replace in sets. (questionable on my part but hey, I'm a diy'r)

Needs front suspension/struts. SO both shops said: Get the Quick Struts. Saves on labor time and you still get the performance. ( I agreed) But:

Shop 1 says..ohh it will take us 2 hours and 30 minutes to do. Verses four hours.

SHop 2 says. It will take about an hour to get them both switched out.

Shop 1 says: Ohh to do your front calipers we will only bleed the front brakes . No need to do all four

Shop 2 says: Bleeding off brakes after caliper replacement should include all four lines. So yes a full brake bleed is highly recommended.

Shop 1 says: Since you want us to add the brake pads, we'll have to change out the rotors too! Rotors are changed out when NEW brake pads are installed. ( More money for them perhaps?

Shop 2 says: Adding the pads to the calipers is not going to be a problem. We see no reason to put on new rotors at this time. They were just replaced last year and are at best can be machined down, but we really don't see them to be of concern. ( Hmmm....curious which is true? )

I realize both shops have there own techniques and reasonings. I am just seeing each shop as being far off on the spectrum on some processes....

So given the above....( and yes price/labor is a factor since Shop 1 seems to want to add more and shop 2 seems to be somewhat fair in its assessment, but maybe shop 1 is actually taking their time to do it right and not overlook any safety issues?.)

SO for those who have graciously followed along...Which shop is more in line for safety and fairness in performing the tasks listed? (Yes I know you'd have to see the vehicle to technically give a fair opinion.)
Due to a wrist injury I am stuck relying on a shop to attend to these tasks.

[YourWakeUpCall]

There is no reason to replace calipers in sets - just replace the damaged one.

The advantage of quick struts is that you're getting new springs and saving the labor to remove the springs on the old struts and install them on the new struts. Any mechanic worth his/her salt should be able to swap out a complete strut assembly (aka, Quick Strut) in 1/2 hour. Swapping the spring takes about 1/2 hour or less per strut.

You don't need to bleed all 4 brakes when swapping a caliper unless you let the master cylinder run dry while bleeding.

Installing new rotors at the same time you install new pads isn't a bad idea, but not necessary if the rotors are in good condition. I've done this many, many times with good results.

I vote for Shop 2. Shop 1 isn't up to anything nefarious, they're just being extra cautious.

[ukrkoz]

1. Yes on Quick struts. I had excellent result. Took me 20 min per side to swap them out on my Camry. I bit longer on my Highlander as cowl has to be removed. Hour is about right.
2. No to ceramic pads. Semi mets. No, rotors do not have to be changed when pads are changed, unless they clearly show grooves and such.
3. You have only two lines anyway. One line runs front drive/?rear passenger, another one front passenger/rear diver. Proper bleeding always starts from passenger rear>driver rear>passenger front?driver front. Longest to shortest. ABS module needs to be bled same time.
4. Don't fix if it ain't brok. Why replace good caliper? Broken claiper? What's wrong with DIY refurbish kit? They are easy do. Only need compressed air.

[TrapperL]

Uh, no....to all of the above. If you want ceramic pads you need to know that the brakes work by taking forward energy and turning it into heat- that's how brakes work. Ceramic pads forces ALL of the heat into the rotor. Standard rotors will NOT take the heat. You desperately need drilled and slotted rotors or expect to replace the rotors often. Otherwise, one of these times when you hit the brakes, the rotors will pretty much explode leaving you zero brakes. You need to research this before you really screw something up. Frankly, no street legal car needs ceramic pads. Ceramic are great for racing as there is little to no fade but at the cost of damaged rotors. Here's a pic of a street legal car with ceramic pads and drilled only rotors.

[Nov3]

so appreciate the varying feedback Each posters responses have good reasonings with them. (and experience too boot!)

Shop 2 seemed to be the more balanced/reasonable way to go. But appreciate folks clarifying some of the information that I was being told. Shop1 may have been hyper cautionary.

Will say that ceramic brakes haven't left me down yet. Yes I have the correct rotor styles to accomodate the ceramic pads. I don't replace them near as much as I did with the standard brake pads....

So to be clear its okay then to tell Shop 2 that just bleed the front brakes then?

[Electrician4you]

I would go with shop 2.

I’ve never purchased ceramic pads. I get the OEM or Wagner OEM equivalent

When I replace struts I buy the complete strut assembly. I can diy then take it to alignment shop;

[wellshii]

Like E4y says,I would stick with OEM pads. But since you have experience with them,stick with what you know. Since the brake system is going to be opened changing the caliper,honestly I would do all 4. When was the last time the system was flushed and bled?

Rotors if replaced last year should be good,they need to be checked with a gauge(shop should have this).
Struts with the whole assembly are a little more but at least you'll get a new springs .Most assemblies do not come with mounts,those I do recommend changing .Do you hear a slight thump going over bumps/squeak.Those are the mounts.
Always replace those with struts.
Shop 2.

[Coldjensens]

Many shops simply always replace rotors with pads. Whether you need that depends on lots of different things. Wear, warping, surface condition. As mentioned ceramic pads will typically wipe out your rotors in one go. With semi metallic, your rotors might last through three or even four brake pad changes.

Part of the overall condition depends on how you drive. IF you tailgate, or charge up on people and then jam on the brakes, your rotors will wear faster because of the heat, especially with ceramics. It you hang back leave yourself some space, and cost up to stopped cars before braking, your rotors have a better chance of survival.

Remember shops cannot take risks that you can take like re-using rotors. If your brakes fail and you ram into a car full of children and kill everyone, the shop can be liable if they did anything other than the absolute best option. Also they have to factor in some money for hefty liability insurance costs.

Rebuilding the caliper or replacing it also depends on the condition. If the piston has burrs grooving or corrosion that is making it stick, you really need to replace the piston. Sometimes the costs gets to be enough it is cheaper to just replace the calipers, depends on the cost of caliper and how much work it is to replace.

Personally I would only replace the damaged caliper, but you might get uneven stopping if one is working better than the other, so at least check the other side. Calipers generally work or not, but if the other one is leaking a little, it may not work as well. With uneven braking, conceptually a panic stop can cause your car to turn to the side or even spin. You may want to rebuild both. but for DIY replacing them is usually the lazy way to do it, depending on their condition. For you to rebuild a caliper the labor cost is $0 per hour. For the mechanic it is $100 plus per hour. They cannot work on it very long before it becomes more practical to just replace it.

Remember your brakes are almost your only means of avoiding killing yourself or others. Don't skimp here. OTOH brake work is about the easiest work to do on most cars. On my truck, it is easier to replace the brake pads and rotors than to replace headlight bulbs.

[himain]

Unless your rotors are hot spotted or below resurfacing spec then no need to replace them. You need to do both calipers to not have brake imbalance and also a brake flush as well. Brake fluid should be replaced every 30k.


Quick struts are easiest and have it aligned after.


Do not skimp our on your brakes.

[gunslinger256]

shop2, but since you're a self proclaimed diyer, why wouldn't you just rebuild both brake calipers yourself? if the kit is available, a new piston is easy to remove/replace with some compressed air. A good cleaning and some time will get you most of the way there. if the kit is not available 2 rebuilt with a core charge shouldn't be too bad either.

I would bleed all 4 lines since the fluid is more than likely overdue for a change out. Since you've saved money on the replacement calipers, go ahead and splurge on new pads and rotors.