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Pet peeve Posted by Ari [Email]  (#2847) [Profile/Gallery]
(more from Ari) on Tue, 18 May 2004 14:00:47
In Reply to: brake price, Fritz, Sat, 15 May 2004 12:05:59 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
I've never understood how a routine brake servicing can cost $500. For some reason, many shops insist on turning or replacing rotors. This quickly drives up the price of the job.
Unless the rotors are badly gouged, have warped, or have somehow been worn below the minimum thickness, they don't need replacement or turning. Gouging comes from running the pads down to the rivets. Warping comes from overheating. Wearing down comes, from, well, wear. So far, I've never replaced a rotor on any of my Saabs, and I've had a few of them well north of 150K miles.
Many places like to turn the rotors, because they look nice and shiny. This lasts for a few days. Of course, turning the rotors not only costs money, it removes material, making the time to replace them that much sooner.
The cost for a routine brake job should be the cost of pads and about 45 minutes labor. Even that is robbery, as with a lift and an air gun I can do a pad set in about a half-hour.
I'm a great believer in DIY brake pad replacement. It's really quite easy. Yes, brakes are very important, but it's hard to screw up. This ain't rocket science. It also gets you familiar with doing your own maintenance, and gets you under the car, so you can see if anything is amiss. It gets you familiar with the bits under there, so you can start to notice things before they go too far wrong. If they do, you can bring it to a pro, but you'll be informed.
If you want the shop to do the work, ask them very specifically why the rotors need replacement. If you don't feel any wobble when you apply the brakes, the rotors aren't warped. If they say that the rotor is below minimum thickness, ask how that could have happened in just 30K miles. Ask them to show you that they're below thickness, and to show you the specification (which is stamped on the rotor). Actually, you'll want them to be about 2 mm above minimum, because they will wear. If they say that it's just 'shop policy', say you'll find another shop.
Does this seem like a lot of work and bother? A brake pad replacement for a 9-5 should run about $100-$150 from a shop. How long does it take you to earn $400? ($550-$150) Are you willing to go through a little hassle to potentially save $400?
posted by 192.249....
, Tue, 18 May 2004 14:00:47 <-- Viewing This Message
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