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Wow, some nice lessons in here. Honestly, I wouldn't mind trying it myself, except for my lack of appropriate tools.
I'll bet you can buy the appropriate tools (a worthwhile investment -once you have them, you can reuse them over and over) along with the brake pads and rotors for less than any of the quotes you got.
Assuming you have NO tools whatsoever, you could buy the tools for less than $100, easy; possibly less than $50. You may even be able to borrow some of the tools you'd need from Autozone (they lend tools for free - you just leave a deposit till you return the tool).
It's your call - I think if you're even a little bit mechanically inclined, you can do this yourself pretty easily. It's only a step or two above changing a tire really.
You always have the option of paying to have them done. When I used to pay for them, I had good experiences with my local Sears in Paramus Park.
I deliver auto parts for a GM dealership and I can tell you the better shops buy more complete brake systems from us than the "little"guys. The more expensive shops just do a more extensive brake job that the economy shops. Typical the little shop will just buy pads and cut the rotors themselves. The more expensive shops will buy pads, rotors, seals,bearings and flexible brake lines.
Ask what the shop is going to do and what parts are being replaced.
Do not attempt to change brakes yourself. This is not like repainting your living room. People lives are at stake in your car and you don't want to take a chance on something failing on your do it yourself brake job.
I don't know what kind of work you do but do you think somebody can do it as well as you by just reading an instruction manual? I didn't think so.
This is very misleading and inaccurate...
Obviously if they are replacing bearings then it will cost more. Bearings aren't brakes and have nothing to do with the brakes. Dan never mentioned bearings.
If there were bearings problems he'd know from the sound and the feel of the ride.
As someone who does his own brakes, I never get rotors cut; by doing it all myself, it's cheap enough to buy a rotor for $40 (or less) rather than spend the time and the $20-25 to have the local parts shop machine them (off the car). So I always get new rotors and pads.
Seals? What seals? The only seals involved may be in the brake caliper, but a brake job never involves caliper servicing. Likewise for brake lines.
Getting brakes done means replacing pads and machining or replacing the rotor. That's what Dan is asking about (giving him the benefit of the doubt that he knows what he's talking about, because I'm sure he does).
Having a caliper serviced (they don't do this, anyway - they replace the caliper) or upgraded is an entirely different repair.
Doing the brakes on most cars is so easy that most people who know how to change a tire or do an oil and filter change would have no problem doing it. Get a service manual so you know the specifics for your own car, make sure you have the tools, buy the parts, and you're good to go.
You left the old brake fluid in the lines. I know you toped off the MC but you did not mention bleeding the brakes. The good shops always bleed the brake system after any pad replacement. At least they should.
You left the old brake fluid in the lines. I know you toped off the MC but you did not mention bleeding the brakes. The good shops always bleed the brake system after any pad replacement. At least they should.
It's only necessary if you take out enough fluid to allow air into the master cylinder which then gets into the lines. Bleeding brakes is absolutely not necessary and is a waste of time (and fluid) if there is no air in the lines. If the brakes are sponge-ey and travel too much then you need to bleed the lines.
I never bleed the lines and I never had to. When I've done the brakes the pedal is firm and barely travels before engaging.
If I ever encounter the sponginess that indicates there is air in the lines I will bleed them, but if you're careful, it won't be an issue. It can always be done after the fact, pretty easily, anyway.
It's only necessary if you take out enough fluid to allow air into the master cylinder which then gets into the lines. Bleeding brakes is absolutely not necessary and is a waste of time (and fluid) if there is no air in the lines. If the brakes are sponge-ey and travel too much then you need to bleed the lines.
I never bleed the lines and I never had to. When I've done the brakes the pedal is firm and barely travels before engaging.
If I ever encounter the sponginess that indicates there is air in the lines I will bleed them, but if you're careful, it won't be an issue. It can always be done after the fact, pretty easily, anyway.
Brake fluid absorbs water this can cause rust inside brake calipers and brake cylinders. The only way to get the water out is to bleed the brakes.
Brake fluid absorbs water this can cause rust inside brake calipers and brake cylinders. The only way to get the water out is to bleed the brakes.
OK - I disagree with this, because what you're talking about now is flushing the brake system and replacing the fluid, which involves bleeding... Bleeding is only to get rid of air. If the brake pedal is firm and not spongey or traveling too far, there is no air and no need for bleeding.
If Verado Dan or anyone else does his own brakes, and wants or needs the brakes bled, he can simply spend another 20 minutes or so bleeding them; it's not a big deal.
And no shop flushes and replaces brake fluid as part of a brake job; they will charge additionally for this job.
Last edited by BergenCountyJohnny; 09-20-2009 at 09:36 PM..
OK - I disagree with this, because what you're talking about now is flushing the brake system and replacing the fluid, which involves bleeding... Bleeding is only to get rid of air. If the brake pedal is firm and not spongey or traveling too far, there is no air and no need for bleeding.
If Verado Dan or anyone else does his own brakes, and wants or needs the brakes bled, he can simply spend another 20 minutes or so bleeding them; it's not a big deal.
And no shop flushes and replaces brake fluid as part of a brake job; they will charge additionally for this job.
Correct. This is not part of a routine brake pad replacement and will ONLY be done if there are other underlying issues with braking ability, spongy feel, or if the Manufacturers recommended interval for brake fluid change has come to pass (typically between 30-50k mileage or 3-4 years). It IS very important to flush the system routinely especially if you have an ABS braking system but not as often as you change brake pads.
Finally, Without the proper tools, it is NOT recommended that anyone attempt to flush the brakes system on their own. 2 person job minimum. You will more than likely introduce MORE air into the system if you are not extremely careful doing it on your own. Also, the 2 person method is time consuming. Probably 15 minutes per tire and all 4 have to be done (furthest from the master cilynder first).
All newish cars use sealed bearings so there is no need to regreas the bearing on a regular basis. It is only done if when there is a problem.
Hoses and brake lines only ever get replaced as needed. In my experience, these can last as long as 10 years without any problems.
OK - I disagree with this, because what you're talking about now is flushing the brake system and replacing the fluid, which involves bleeding... Bleeding is only to get rid of air. If the brake pedal is firm and not spongey or traveling too far, there is no air and no need for bleeding.
If Verado Dan or anyone else does his own brakes, and wants or needs the brakes bled, he can simply spend another 20 minutes or so bleeding them; it's not a big deal.
And no shop flushes and replaces brake fluid as part of a brake job; they will charge additionally for this job.
Brake fluid has been and still is the most neglected maintenance item.
Car makers have excluded brake fluid in the maintenance schedule in order to keep the costs of long term service to a minimum. This won't effect you if you have leased your car or don't plan on keeping it past the warranty period. However, if you plan on driving your car past 100,000 or 200,000 miles, changing the brake fluid every 2 years will have a significant impact on long term repair costs by preventing expensive brake or clutch hydraulic system repairs (clutches use brake fluid).
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