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Old 04-27-2018, 04:34 PM
 
Location: New Britain, CT
898 posts, read 591,343 times
Reputation: 1428

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Some people just don't have the space, tools, or experience to do a brake job.....I don't know the last time I paid for one actually..... I've done them in January when it was 23 degrees out, sitting on the frozen pavement...EASY for caliper brakes, drums, not that much more difficult....

Like others have said, "what are you buying for $80?"....Go to www.napaonline.com or autozone, or Advance Auto....Look up the cost for pads for your car.... Pads come in good, better, best, better than best. You will probably see that the best pads, might cost $80 for just the pads....do you care about brake dust, that black, hard to clean off residue, off of your wheels? That's what you get with the "good" pads. The best and better than best don't do that as much. When I buy my parts, I buy the pads, and new rotors...I just do it....I could rip the car apart, drive the rotors down to the parts store (most I think still resurface rotors), wait a few hours, then go back and pick up my resurfaced rotors.....if they are still within specification (still thick enough).

Instead of letting the shop tell you what you want, you need to go into the shop and tell them what YOU want....which if I were on the customer side of the counter and depending on the car, say "I want the "better" dust free pads.... What is the cost to re-surface? If the rotors are shot, how much are new rotors.....(also a good, better, then PERFORMANCE discussion for almost every car). So, if the cheap price is the junk pads (good), and that's it....you want to spend more if you can afford it....Better dust free pads, and new better rotors.... I bet the cost between resurface, and new better rotors, is $50...spend the 50..... Labor for an experienced guy using a lift is probably only an hour if he's slow.... So labor is $100. You have $80 for pads, then maybe another hundred for rotors...So $280.... Dealer price ain't so bad, if they use the good parts.....Stay away from Firestone unless you talk cars....had one try to sell me two brake cylinders that I could buy at Napa for $30 each, and install, and extra charge for antilock brake bleeding, for like $700....Last fall I went to a different Firestone because I had a nail in the tire and they were bought there by my dad before I got the truck from him...Last fall, like October....."your battery is bad".... I just put the battery in last March....now we are past the next March....cranks every time....
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Old 04-27-2018, 09:31 PM
 
23,177 posts, read 12,041,604 times
Reputation: 29347
Quote:
Originally Posted by Electrician4you View Post
That $80 special won’t be $80 by the time they’re done.
And the $300 won't be $300 by the time the dealer is done. It's all relative.
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Old 04-27-2018, 09:52 PM
 
8,272 posts, read 10,865,897 times
Reputation: 8903
Quote:
Originally Posted by JanND View Post
Do the special, especially if they guarantee their work.
I went to the "special" advertised in Sunday newspaper - 30 years ago.

Advertised price for pads and turning $29.95. (30 years ago). The estimate: $359.00 for the $29.95 "special".

Went to an independent in same major city. $79.95 parts and labor. New brakes turned rotors.

Today, almost no shop turns rotors anymore (the can) but the price of new rotors is nearly the same or less.

All rotors are now made in China. Or at least none (except race cars) are made in USA.
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Old 04-28-2018, 12:20 AM
 
Location: Riverside Ca
22,146 posts, read 33,197,505 times
Reputation: 35433
Quote:
Originally Posted by oceangaia View Post
And the $300 won't be $300 by the time the dealer is done. It's all relative.
So what’s your point? This is why I diy 99% of my car maintenance. Brakes are literally cake jobs. It’s nothing but padding for the service guy and easy money for the mechanic. I have done full brake jobs on two axles in less than a hour. New pads and rotors, lubed calipers and if needed bleed the brakes. After I got my one man brake bleeding kit it was easy. There is no way I’m gonna pay 7-800 bucks to do brakes. Screw that.

I had a dealer tell my wife she needs new brakes and rotors when there was still (easily) 40/45% left on her original brakes. I asked the guy how they came tothat conclusion and he just said the mechanic recommended it. I bet. For a easy 600 bucks.... I did the first brake job on her car at 55,000 miles. S9 th3 brakes lasted another 20,000 miles. At my wife’s driving style that was 4 years of driving. I bought Eagner ceramic pads and rotors for 200 shipped to my house. It took me a hour to do the job start to finish on both axles. They said she needed brakes at 35,000 which was a flat out lie. I had a friend who actually left the dealer service career because he was disgusted with it. He said a lot of dealers push brake, shock and front end work. Because it’s easy money and the buying public is too stupid to argue.
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Old 04-28-2018, 03:35 AM
 
11,025 posts, read 7,750,925 times
Reputation: 23695
Used Mavis in the past for a 2001 Jeep and a 2005 Hyundai - I think the brake job was $59.95 at the time and the pads were warranteed for life. Went back a few times for new pads and only had to pay the labor. A couple of times small parts were necessary, like springs and I think I paid for rotors once. Just let them know you're not going for the extras unless they can prove they're necessary. Got some decent deals on tires there too without a hard upsell.
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Old 04-28-2018, 08:57 AM
 
Location: Saint John, IN
11,583 posts, read 6,664,706 times
Reputation: 14786
The only time I ever go to the dealer for service work is when there’s a recall or a warranty problem! We get most things done at Firestone. Never had a problem with them and way cheaper than the dealer!’
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Old 04-28-2018, 09:12 AM
 
8,272 posts, read 10,865,897 times
Reputation: 8903
Quote:
Originally Posted by CGab View Post
The only time I ever go to the dealer for service work is when there’s a recall or a warranty problem! We get most things done at Firestone. Never had a problem with them and way cheaper than the dealer!’
Not sure if Firestone shops are company owned or a franchise privately owned.

As quality of repairs and service vary from shop to shop.
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