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Not long ago I had the same attitude. Then I changed my own brake pads when the guy at Just Brakes recommended $47,000 worth of additional service. I went to O'Reilly's and bought a set of big allen wrench attachments for my ratchet (these were needed to remove the caliper), a 6" C-clamp and asked the attendant for the premium grade pads for my make and model. Total came to about $60, most of that being the pads.
It's actually simpler than changing the oil. If you can operate a jack and a tire iron, you can change your own brakes. Disc brakes are simple. The caliper, the rotor and the pads. If you have any mechanical inclination you can probably figure it out just by looking at it with the wheel off. People are scared to touch the brakes because they are kind of a big deal, but changing pads is really ridiculously easy.
Oh, I did wind up taking the rotors to a local garage for turning the next weekend (meaning I took the rotors off the car and brought them to the shop in my wife's car). Had a bit of a wobble on the highway that was puckering. He didn't even charge me (probably thought I was nuts for not just bringing them in on the car).
Cheap Brakes inc. quoted you an additional $47,000 in repairs? Did you need a new car?
So you did the job incorrectly, had to do it over again and now you are going to tell somebody how easy it is? Oh yeah, the "ridiculously easy" brake job took you two weekends to accomplish hahahaha
In retrospect I see the value. If you did indeed need 47K in additional services, I calculate you saved about $46,000 by doing it yourself.
Had my wife's Town & Country in for an oil change and inspection yesterday.
The guy calls me up and says the "the front pads are about 1 mil away from the red zone" and that he recommended replace. OK I've got no problem with that. Brakes wear out and need to be replaced and we've had it for nearly 35000 miles so that seems to be a reasonable life for a set of brake pads (to me anyway). And the price was $170. OK I'm not a brake guy but that certainly seems high for a set of pads. So I passed for the time being until I could research the topic a bit. Would somebody elaborate on this for me? Why so much? I thought brake pads were about $40/set. So is it $40 for the pads and $120 for the labor?
$170.00 is too much, unless he's also replacing both front rotors. Even then it's pretty high.
Your brake pads will cost anywhere from $25.00 - $50.00, depending on what kind you want (I always avoid both the cheapest, and most expensive). Each rotor will cost about $50.00.
If your vehicle isn't jerking when you brake, and your pads are not grinding on the rotors, the rotors don't need to be replaced.
I'd go to a different shop. Or, better yet, change them yourself if you're able.
Location: Visitation between Wal-Mart & Home Depot
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Quote:
Originally Posted by allydriver
Cheap Brakes inc. quoted you an additional $47,000 in repairs? Did you need a new car?
So you did the job incorrectly, had to do it over again and now you are going to tell somebody how easy it is? Oh yeah, the "ridiculously easy" brake job took you two weekends to accomplish hahahaha
In retrospect I see the value. If you did indeed need 47K in additional services, I calculate you saved about $46,000 by doing it yourself.
I'm not sure that ad hominem is the appropriate response to an attempt at levity. I guess some people are just born @ssholes.
Changing out brake pads is ridiculously easy. The biggest clue should be that the prerequisite for working at a brake shop is "a pulse." It isn't surgery.
As for "doing it wrong" and requiring "two weekends to accomplish," there is a learning curve, albeit an entirely surmountable one. The work was spread out over two weekends, but represented an actual time investment of about 3 hours.
Although I have redone my own disc brakes without turning the rotors, I doubt that any reputable shop would place new pads on the old rotors without turning them down. Normally the old pads will wear grooves in the rotors so to have the new pads ride over a smooth rotor surface, the rotors are placed on a lathe and the surfaces cut down smooth. This is undoubtedly some of the price you see.
$170.00 is too much, unless he's also replacing both front rotors. Even then it's pretty high.
Your brake pads will cost anywhere from $25.00 - $50.00, depending on what kind you want (I always avoid both the cheapest, and most expensive). Each rotor will cost about $50.00.
If your vehicle isn't jerking when you brake, and your pads are not grinding on the rotors, the rotors don't need to be replaced.
I'd go to a different shop. Or, better yet, change them yourself if you're able.
You're forgetting the labor. Not everyone can do their own brakes, so naturally you're going to have to pay a technician to do them.
I can tell you this much though, STAY AWAY from a place like Just Brakes. They must be using the cheapest pads and shoes on the planet to be advertizing pad and shoes and all 4 wheels, with rotors and drums machined for $99.99.
Their labor rate must be $25 an hour and probably paying the moron who does them $7 an hour, just so they can make a profit. You can't put a price on your saftey.
And on the subject of pad material, I think it should be illegal to put a brake pad on your vehicle that doesn't even meet the same specs as what it came with. For example, A Corvette comes factory with carbon ceramic brake pads, yet almost every brake manufactuter makes a lesser organic pad as a replacement. They shouldn't even be allowed by law to do that.
Yet the NHTSA could care less.
Like I said before, if you're at a good reputable shop, who doesn't hire idiots off the street, and considering the price markup (hey the shop has to make money) $170 isn't a bad price at all.
I'm having a brake issue also. Had the car inspected and was told all brakes and rotors need replacing, this coming from a trusted mechanic. The price was $350 front and $350 back, total $700. I thought this to be high and ask why the rotors can't be turned, why replace? The response was that newer rotors are too thin to turn and need to be replaced instead. I priced the brake job at Sears at a total of $650 and PepBoys at $700, Cadillac dealer at $800. My car is a heavy car, Cadillac Deville, and this being the second set of brakes, not rotors at 80k. I thought maybe the price is high because of the car but I put my Isuzu Rodeo through inspection and was told the exact same thing--brakes for the back at $350.
Do not have a newer car but can understand the rotors being thinner. How else are they going to cut down on the car weight. They cut corners on the MFG end and at the same time increase sales on replacement parts. Rotors cannot be turned past a certain thickness by LAW...and with a slight scoring or wear...you need new rotors. Also some new brake drums made in Brazil are already over standard so there is less wear material...saw this at a machine shop once. Welcome to the new world of ripoffs.
I just had pads only put on front of my 94 Ford Crown Vic. I bought pads at O'reilly parts, these were heavy duty police grade pads, for 24.00 and had local mechanic install for 40.00. He did not turn rotors cause needed new ones but would last another 10,000 miles.
We only drive car local in town 8,000/yr. Car has 110,000 miles on it. New rotors are 35/each and 40/per axle to install plus pads. Ford dealer wanted 450.00 for new pads and rotors turned. Midas wanted 239.00 for pads and rotors turned. I will have my mechanic do it when I'm ready to do it all. That would be 268.00 including new rotors.
I'm having a brake issue also. Had the car inspected and was told all brakes and rotors need replacing, this coming from a trusted mechanic. The price was $350 front and $350 back, total $700. I thought this to be high and ask why the rotors can't be turned, why replace? The response was that newer rotors are too thin to turn and need to be replaced instead. I priced the brake job at Sears at a total of $650 and PepBoys at $700, Cadillac dealer at $800. My car is a heavy car, Cadillac Deville, and this being the second set of brakes, not rotors at 80k. I thought maybe the price is high because of the car but I put my Isuzu Rodeo through inspection and was told the exact same thing--brakes for the back at $350.
Sounds like a big ripoff in terms of price. Could very well be true about needing new rotors. But new rotors are pretty cheap too. Go to Autozone.com or NAPA® Online and price pads and rotors for your cars.
You're forgetting the labor. Not everyone can do their own brakes, so naturally you're going to have to pay a technician to do them.
I can tell you this much though, STAY AWAY from a place like Just Brakes. They must be using the cheapest pads and shoes on the planet to be advertizing pad and shoes and all 4 wheels, with rotors and drums machined for $99.99.
Their labor rate must be $25 an hour and probably paying the moron who does them $7 an hour, just so they can make a profit. You can't put a price on your saftey.
And on the subject of pad material, I think it should be illegal to put a brake pad on your vehicle that doesn't even meet the same specs as what it came with. For example, A Corvette comes factory with carbon ceramic brake pads, yet almost every brake manufactuter makes a lesser organic pad as a replacement. They shouldn't even be allowed by law to do that.
Yet the NHTSA could care less.
Like I said before, if you're at a good reputable shop, who doesn't hire idiots off the street, and considering the price markup (hey the shop has to make money) $170 isn't a bad price at all.
Well, I've replaced brakes on (literally) dozens and dozens of vehicles - both mine and all manner of family. I've pretty much seen it all, both in do-it-yourself debacles and professional screw-jobs.
Apart from extenuating circumstances, front brake pads should last about 40,000 miles and the rotors should last at least 80,000. Of course, we all know that some people ride their brakes all the time, some stop harshly, and others keep driving even when the pads are gone and they're grinding metal to metal.
Regarding the Chrylser T&C mentioned in the OP, I can get brake pads for that van for anywhere from $19.99 to $69.99. Oddly, the cheaper pads have a lifetime warranty, while the top-end ones only carry a 2-year warranty. Rotors will run $36.00 - $42.00 each. In addition, I could replace the front brakes on that van, with or without replacing the rotors, in half an hour.
That said, mechanic shops always buy their parts wholesale, then charge their customer list price. So if they bought those top-end pads for $69.99, they'd charge the customer $115.00 for them. I'm not saying that's right or wrong. It's just the way it's done - and is why you do not want to take your own parts to a shop and ask them to install them for you.
You've expressed some very good and important concerns about quality. My fear is that there might be some fly-by-night joint paying a high school drop-out $7.00 per hour to throw a set of $19.99 pads, then charging the customer $170.00.
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So is it $40 for the pads and $120 for the labor?
