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Thread: Time for Brakes: Les Schwab wants to replace entire caliper

  1. #26
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    Take it somewhere else. Steering wheel shuddering when you brake hard = Replace or repair calipers. (edit to say Maybe. Mine shuddered but calipers were OK.)


    Your first DIY brake job is easy if you:
    Have a complete set of socket wrenches. Amer and metric and you have a brake job experienced friend to help.

    Or

    If you have another car to drive while you figure out how to get "that damn last nut!" off and/or get it back together so it works right.

    I've done many myself but opted to pay a guy $100 + parts to fix them at my house while I handed him the tools and oversaw. 92 Outback and I've had the brakes done 3 times without needing calipers. New rotors over resurface for me at the small price differential.
    A few people feel the rain. Most people just get wet.

  2. #27
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    Quote Originally Posted by wooley12 View Post
    Take it somewhere else. Steering wheel shuddering when you brake hard = Replace or repair calipers.
    ^ more'n likely to just be warped rotors....

    Seems to happen far more often than it ever used to? Bigger more powerful brakes? We drive faster? More stop and start? Shittyierer stock rotors with built in obsolescence? Over zealous rotor skimming? Vented rotors?

    Something has changed.
    Quote Originally Posted by Downbound Train View Post
    And there will come a day when our ancestors look back...........

  3. #28
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    No shudder. Just to the point they are starting to make noise.

    Thats what prompted the whole question... why the hell would I replace the calipers if there is nothing wrong with them.

    I'm set up with a full tool box, torque wrenches etc. Do my own maintenance on other auto/bike items, but I have never tackled brakes before. First time for everything.
    "These are crazy times Mr Hatter, crazy times. Crazy like Buddha! Muwahaha!"

  4. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by PNWbrit View Post
    ^ more'n likely to just be warped rotors....

    Seems to happen far more often than it ever used to? Bigger more powerful brakes? We drive faster? More stop and start? Shittyierer stock rotors with built in obsolescence? Over zealous rotor skimming? Vented rotors?

    Something has changed.
    I think more auto transmissions (and associated less use of the gearing for hills, etc) & open wheel styles, in addition to higher driving speeds. Rotors are heated higher & more often, and open spoke wheel designs allowing more rapid cooling, especially on wet pavement, resulting in an increased chance of warping.

    Purely anecdotal data, however

  5. #30
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    Everything is on YouTube.
    A few people feel the rain. Most people just get wet.

  6. #31
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    Yup, already found a 30 min video on how to replace rotors and pads. Wish I had a lift.
    "These are crazy times Mr Hatter, crazy times. Crazy like Buddha! Muwahaha!"

  7. #32
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    Oh, and you'll need a big "C" clamp, a chunk of wood and a propane torch for that last m *&#*ing nut!!.
    A few people feel the rain. Most people just get wet.

  8. #33
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    Quote Originally Posted by jamal View Post
    Yeah, brakes are actually pretty simple to work on. When you change pads, take a look at the old ones. If the wear is pretty much between them, the calipers are fine. If the inner pad is worn down significantly more, the slide pins are sticking. All you have to do is pull to get them out of the bracket. Then clean them, coat them in some thick brake grease, get some new boots if the old ones are torn, and put them back together.



    Slide pins and caliper guide clips can be replaced/serviced, but I guess a re-man is cheap enough that it's not a big deal. The pistons themselves do stick sometimes too.
    Good points. Pistons were stuck on the 4 runner. On my Outback I pounded the sliding pins with a sledge hammer and they still wouldn't budge so replacement seemed prudent especially considering the age of the vehicle and the fact that the little corroded to hell slider brackets that the pads sit on seem hard/impossible to find without buying calipers. My old Taurus SHO had such crap rear calipers with mind bending screw in pistons that you could buy them for 80 dollars with pads already installed so sometimes replacing calipers is almost as cheap as doing pads.
    Last edited by uglymoney; 04-05-2013 at 06:10 PM.

  9. #34
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    Quote Originally Posted by char View Post
    No shudder. Just to the point they are starting to make noise.

    Thats what prompted the whole question... why the hell would I replace the calipers if there is nothing wrong with them.

    I'm set up with a full tool box, torque wrenches etc. Do my own maintenance on other auto/bike items, but I have never tackled brakes before. First time for everything.
    Don't replace the rotors then. If you don't have them already buy a nice hydraulic floor jack and a couple jacks stands. The only potential hang up with this job is the caliper bracket bolts should you actually need to replace the caliper bracket which has the sliding pins on the Subaru setup. Removing these bracket to hub bolts should be done with care to avoid snapping them and you want the car 100 percent secure on the stands. If you just need pads you won't have to touch these bolts.
    Last edited by uglymoney; 04-05-2013 at 09:03 PM.

  10. #35
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    If you drop a part while working this equation may make it easier to find.

    D= Rc + (PSd x IQT) + B


    D = Distance in inches a dropped part can possibly travel
    Rc = Replacement cost
    PSd= Distance to the parts store in miles
    ICT= The inverse of the # of hours until the store closes. Use 100 if it is already closed.
    B = number of beers consumed.

    My algebra might be off as I found all I needed in geometry class.
    A few people feel the rain. Most people just get wet.

  11. #36
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    Quote Originally Posted by BCMountainHound View Post
    I think more auto transmissions
    Maybe that. I certainly noticed it more when I moved to states and started driving automatics rather than European manuals. Foot (more firmly, more often) on brakes at a stand still with hot rotors and pads perhaps also factors in?
    Quote Originally Posted by Downbound Train View Post
    And there will come a day when our ancestors look back...........

  12. #37
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    took my outback to les schwab. gave me an $850 estimate including new master cylinder, caliper, etc. with 260,000 miles i wasn't gonna throw down that wad.
    took it to adam young, at high sierra automotive, and he took all of two minutes to tell me they just needed a real good bleed. i had already tried to bleed them w/o success. he spent an hour and a half doing that and voila.

    having said that, when it comes to tires, les schwab has been the shit.
    powdork.com - new and improved, with 20% more dork.

  13. #38
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    Don't forget to soak the hell out of the caliper bolts with penetrating oil...soak, soak, soak. Then wrench.

  14. #39
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    I don't know what Les Schwab is but is sounds like a chain. Better off at an independent, or look on your local Craigslist , there are plenty of competent wrenches who work on the side cheaply - http://portland.craigslist.org/searc...kes&srchType=A







  15. #40
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    Quote Originally Posted by char View Post
    I need a brake job done on my Outback, Les Schwab wants to replace the calipers. I'm under the impression that Les Schwab just takes the perfectly good OEM caliper off, puts a re manufactured caliper on and then sells my OEM calipers for a profit?

    What actually needs to be done assuming I only need pads and rotor resurfacing?
    Led Schwab are fucking criminal. They tried to pull the exact shit on me. I had just had the wheels and pads off and knew there was nothing wrong with calipers. They quoted me over a grand on my WRX. I changed my own for under $150.

    They have also lost lugnuts, broke pressure sensors and returned the wrong tires to my family.

    I'd avoid them at all costs.

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  16. #41
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    For entertainment value, have chick drive your car into LS or any similar chain monkey. The amount of work and estimate will increase substantially.

    If you got a second opinion, and your calipers are fine, report them to your state auto board. Nothing will come of it, but if the get enough complaints they could get into trouble. Like Hugh said, this is a class action lawsuit in the making.

    I agree it is a constitutional right for Americans to be assholes...its just too bad that so many take the opportunity...
    iscariot

  17. #42
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    i should also mention they wanted $250 for the master cylinder. i went to O'reilly and Napa (where they get them) and their most expensive was $65.
    powdork.com - new and improved, with 20% more dork.

  18. #43
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    Quote Originally Posted by powdork View Post
    i should also mention they wanted $250 for the master cylinder. i went to O'reilly and Napa (where they get them) and their most expensive was $65.
    Exactly why everyone that has to be careful with their cash flow needs to do their own brakes. First they sell you parts you don't need and then defend themselves by saying that if they don't replace the calipers and they freeze up later the customer will come back and complain about their work, they turn perfectly true rotors which actually makes them thinner and more likely to warp, then they mark up the pads, rotors, calipers at least 100% and then they charge you labor on top of that. If you do your own brakes and the calipers or rotors give you trouble sometime before the pads wear out you simply pull the wheel off and do the job and enjoy a few garage or driveway beers.

    BTW after soaking my caliper bracket to knuckle bolts as recommended above I always use huge amounts of anti-sieze on my caliper bracket to knuckle bolts before reinstalling for future jobs - with anti-seize on these you don't really have to worry about these bolts freezing down the road. If you snap these bolts you have to pull the knuckle off and have a machine shop remove the remnants for an hours labor or buy a new knuckle. Pain in the ass especially on a Subaru where you probably have to buy a new lower balljoint and outer tie rod end since they are sometimes extremely difficult to separate without damaging them because of a setup that makes using a pickle fork the only way to get them apart which tears the rubber boots. The bolts on the Subaru are pretty tough to break though at least. I had these snap on our 4-Runner but godamn that whole front end comes apart and goes back together like artwork - especially with a pitman arm puller.

  19. #44
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    The best solution is simply to find a good, honest local mechanic. I have desire to wrench on my own cars these days, I'd rather be skiing.

    Brakes and oil changes are like shots for your dog. Sure you can do it cheaper yourself, but that is the best time to build a relationship. When the shut hits the fan and you have a major problem it is good to know the person you are dealing with is honest and fair.

    I agree it is a constitutional right for Americans to be assholes...its just too bad that so many take the opportunity...
    iscariot

  20. #45
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    There is only one occasion where it is acceptable to go to Les Schwab, and that is if you are a student and you have a flat, as they will change it for free.

    Any other time you deserve what you get. I've heard about this "replace the calipers every time" bullshit before. You should have walked out of there with one boot missing and a shop mgr who couldn't walk right.
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  21. #46
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    Screw any shop that says caliper replacement is standard procedure!! I wouldn't even buy 'tires from those pirates.


    Its actually not a hard job to do your own brake job. Plenty of books on it and some great YouTube how-to videos!

    Take the rotors to a shop to get them resurfaced and order new pads from the dealer. I would actually stay away from the cheaper Chinese pads you'll find on the internet....the savings isn't that great and the pads are shit.


    To make the job a WHOLE lot easier, go to your local parts store and get a set of Speed Nipples...one-way valve bleed mipples for bleeding the brakes. They make bleeding the brakes after you're done SO much easier!! A one man job. Still helps to have someone make sure your fluid reservoir doesn't run empty as you're pumping the brakes!!!


    I can't remember the exact product name ...just ask for the one-way valve bleed nipples at the counter. I don't do brakes without the anymore...and you just leave them on, as they replace your factory nipples and are ready for the next time.
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  22. #47
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    /\ speed bleeders

    but yea, diy

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