How Much is this Gonna Cost Me?

[PassTheDutchie]

So driving into work this A.M. my brakes start making a spine chilling, heebie jeebie inducing metal-on-metal grinding noise. Down to the rotors?? Only 35K and the pads were ostensibly ok earlier this summer. I must drive (or at least decelerate) like an asshole. Just dropped it off at the local shop. Woot!

(end blog?)

[Tuckerman]

I just got some pads for $50 I need to through them in this weekend should take about 20 -30 mins.

[bmg97]

That depends. Make, model, year ? Depending on the condition of the rotors and the honesty of the shop I would say $ 150.00 to $ 450.00 assuming its not a Porsche or Maybach

[emtnate]

Last time I needed to work on my brakes it was about $100 for pads and rotors. Did the work myself.

[counterfeitfake]

Brake pads do that when they get really worn down, so you might just need new ones. I don't know how much a shop will rip you off for, but the pads themselves are probably 50-100 a pair. They'll probably charge you $500 for all four corners.

The next step up in severity is if the rotors are screwed up. Rotors are probably a little more than pads. Depends on your car though.

There is definitely other shit that could have gone catastrophically wrong, but those are the prime suspects.

One of the first things I learned to do on a car beyond an oil change was brakes. It's easy, so easy that once I knew how I was stunned at how much shops charge.

[TNKen]

If you went to Free Service Tire Store, by the time you get told everything on the car is broken, about to break, or in desparate need of service, about $1,200. Might be cheaper for you to trade cars.

[refried]

You'll have to cut the rotors just to make sure they're straight (unless you check them with a dial indicator). on newer cars the rotors are so thin they warp from the heat. Most shops will cut them warped or not just to get a good surface.
Chinese made rotors are so cheap now it's cheaper for me to replace rotors than to spend he time cutting them.

[Skidog]

You'll have to cut the rotors just to make sure they're straight (unless you check them with a dial indicator). on newer cars the rotors are so thin they warp from the heat. Most shops will cut them warped or not just to get a good surface.
Chinese made rotors are so cheap now it's cheaper for me to replace rotors than to spend he time cutting them.

Yeah it sucks that heat does that. I just recently replaced my rotors and now 4 months later...when its warm out i get that "shudder" when applying the brakes.

I think 4 months life is lame, im going to take it back and see what they'll do.

[counterfeitfake]

There's a really good solution to warped (and cracked) rotors-

http://frozenrotors.com/

My race car used to go through a pair of front rotors every third weekend. Put some of these on and it went 2 seasons. I have a pair on my WRX.

[TS Quint]

Similar thing happened to me...one day the brakes worked like a charm - the next they are grinding and screeching with no warning. Pads and rotors needed to be replaced. Lucky for me I had a friend who did all the work for a bottle of Makers Mark.

[hutash]

...and people complain about Audi's. I got 70,000 on OEM brakes, with many hard track days, and I now need to think about pads. They still have a little life left, but I will replace them soon. Rotors are still in excellent shape. So, when people bitch about the cost of repair an Audi I am content in knowing I only need to do it half as often

[refried]

So, when people bitch about the cost of repair an Audi I am content in knowing I only need to do it half as often

and pay three times as much

[counterfeitfake]

...and people complain about Audi's. I got 70,000 on OEM brakes, with many hard track days, and I now need to think about pads. They still have a little life left, but I will replace them soon. Rotors are still in excellent shape. So, when people bitch about the cost of repair an Audi I am content in knowing I only need to do it half as often

Uh, I don't know man. If you got 70,000 and and several track days out of those pads, I think they weren't hard track days. Or, the pads were hard as hell and bad for the street. Pads are trivial, you should just buy ones that are optimized for what you're doing.

[EZB]

Everybody I know does their own brakes.

Dishonest garages will use this opportunity to claim other things need fixing. With brakes, they'll often claim your struts are bad by wobbling them. Duh, there's no weight on them during that demo.

[PassTheDutchie]

[rant]Fuck me. $802. Four brakes/4 rotors/labor. Garage=honest but expensive.

I should learn how to do some of this shit myself[/rant]

Anybody wanna buy a gently-used kidney?

[Blurred]

[rant]Fuck me. $802. Four brakes/4 rotors/labor. Garage=honest but expensive.

I should learn how to do some of this shit myself[/rant]

Anybody wanna buy a gently-used kidney?

I'd suggest quit riding your brakes everywhere.

You must have a fairly nice car to have 4 disc brakes on it.

[counterfeitfake]

So when they quoted you $800, why didn't you just say no thanks, I'll learn myself? "Honest but expensive" is a weird concept to me.

I think cars with drum brakes are pretty rare these days.

[Brock Landers]

Wow at 35,000. Stop riding the brakes grandma.

Brakes and rotors really arent that difficult...even for someone with not so much car knowledge, you can do it. Though you need someone to show you how the first time

[gretch6364]

Just an aside...brake pads have indicators on them...when your brakes start to make a soft metal on metal sounds...check your fucking brakes. The indicator should touch the rotor before the brake pad is completely shot.

Chances are, if you change the brakes at the right time and your rotors are not warped, you should be able to have them turned and get at least two sets of pads per rotor.

And changing brakes is like grilling, driving a stick, or shooting a gun...every respectable man should know how to do it.

Did you not have a dad growing up to teach you these things? If not, sorry...but a good lesson, if you have a son, take the extra time and teach him these things during his youth...the most vivid childhood memories I have are working in the garage or woodshop with my old man and grandpa fixing and building things.

[PassTheDutchie]

So, I guess what you are trying to say is that I should hit my dad up for some of the cash due to his willful neglect in respect to teaching automotive matters when I was a child? We got as far as changing a flat/oil before he introduced me to the wonders of the U.S. service economy. Expensive lesson learned--next time I'll be more proactive.

As for break riding, I'm a city driver--traffic dictates that you drive like an idiot. Though it looks like I'm going to be about $800 worth of walking this month to balance the household budget...

[warthog]

Oh man, did they at least give you a reach around?

If you learned to do it yourself, you would kick yourself for ever paying for it. Aside from an oil change and filter change, brakes are the easiest fix. Even if rotors are warped, you just bring them down to a machine shop to be machined. $50 max for all 4 around here. Get yourself an aftermarket manual for your car and learn to do this stuff yourself. If it were timing belt or water pump, or other thing like that, pay for it always.

[warthog]

And changing breaks is like grilling, driving a stick, or shooting a gun LEARNING TO SPELL...every respectable man should know how to do it.

couldn't resist

[PassTheDutchie]

If you learned to do it yourself, you would kick yourself for ever paying for it.

Trust me: I'm already kicking myself.

[gretch6364]

couldn't resist

Yeah, I grew up in the generation...I just downloaded the spell checker for the forums.

Did you consider taking it to like Midas or even a store like Auto Zone...or Sears?

I would take it to Sears and see what they would charge.


Edit: I did just read that post...I can't believe I typed "breaks" instead of brake...like over and over....must of been typing too fast.

[liv2ski]

Yeah it sucks that heat does that. I just recently replaced my rotors and now 4 months later...when its warm out i get that "shudder" when applying the brakes.

I think 4 months life is lame, im going to take it back and see what they'll do.

Fuck, that is lame. My car is 3.5 years old with 60k miles on it. Just did my first set of pads front and year and the rotors were still in great shape. Brembo brakes rule.