Expensive brake pads

My rear brake pads are running a little low. Had them checked at the toyota dealership two weeks ago and they were 2/32 left on them. Got a quote of $260 to change them there. Decided to go to one of the local chains having a $110 special. Just for a call from them. They are telling me I need front and rear brakes (they say the fronts are 2/32 when they were 5/32 two weeks ago), new brake fluid, and new rotors (new, not resurfaced) and tried to charge me $1370 for a brake job. How dumb do they think I am?

I officially miss being able to work on my car. Apartment living has its downsides.

Sounds like you need a friend with a house and garage.

Yes I do. I actually managed to find an honest independent shop not too far from me, but they are closed on weekends.

Plus, as an added benefit, they will install the cheapest E36 M3 pads they can find, just so you get lots of dust and squealing to remind you not to make poor life decisions.

take your tools and go work on it in a parking lot somewhere...

or get an apartment in a building where management doesn't care if you work on your junk in the parking lot... i used to do all sorts of stuff to my Nova that involved it sitting on jackstands for days at a time when i live in an apartment and the owner of the building would come out to shoot the E36 M3 while i was doing it...

If you lived near atlantic city, I would let you use my driveway

sanman wrote: Yes I do. I actually managed to find an honest independent shop not too far from me, but they are closed on weekends.

It's this kinda stuff that makes me want to rent out a shop area and a couple weekends a month do stuff like this to pay for the rent. Most of the mom and pop shops are always closed on the weekend,which is generally the only time some people have to get stuff worked on, I still don't understand that.

$1,300!!!! Just think, some people just say yes and pay the bill.

You can do brake pads real fast in an open parking lot.

Brake pads should be 15 minutes a corner, maximum. Using a decent floor jack, impact gun, pressure bleeder and plenty of practice, I can swap 4 wheels, brake pads and bleed in about 45 minutes on the M3.

Gahh...its driving me nuts. 2/32nds is 1/16th.

Appleseed wrote: Gahh...its driving me nuts. 2/32nds is 1/16th.

.0625

novaderrik wrote:

Appleseed wrote: Gahh...its driving me nuts. 2/32nds is 1/16th.

.0625

4/64ths

$1370, is what we like to pay for a somewhat decent miata, not a brake job. I'm curious as to why they'd recommend a brake flush due to pads being low unless they was a customer complaint about a soft or spongy pedal feel. I think it's time to out and shame the shop that recommended this absurdity.

A fellow car not locally picked up a used 2003 base golf from some non car type folks. They had spent 13 K at the lcoal VW dealer trying to keep this car on the road. This included $1300 for a water pump, and the car was still over heating, so they wanted another $1300 for another water pump. People finally decided to buy a new Golf. Guy changed the thermostat and thermostat gasket, car runs fine....

One of our work trucks had a O2 sensor replaced under warranty, without warranty it was going to be about $765 at the lcoal Chevrolet garage for an O2 sensro.

This stuff drives me nuts.

captdownshift wrote: $1370, is what we like to pay for a somewhat decent miata, not a brake job. I'm curious as to why they'd recommend a brake flush due to pads being low unless they was a customer complaint about a soft or spongy pedal feel. I think it's time to out and shame the shop that recommended this absurdity.

maybe by visual inspection … i.e. the fluid was black … very likely since the brakes themselves were in this bad a condition, one could assume that the PO was also as slack in the maintenance dept. with regard to the fluid ???

when was the last time the fluid was flushed? I do mine every two years. Brake fluid -loves- water and will absorb it right through the brake lines and lead to all sorts of nasty corrosion and lower boiling temps

Honda dealer wanted $600 from my gf for front and rear pads. I showed her how to do them (and new fluid) for under $100. $1370 is ridonkulous.

Most of the shops use a test strip in the fluid to test for copper content, which is industry standard for determining life of brake fluid. Whether yours was tested or not, I dont know but that could explain why it was recommended.

Also most manufacturers recommend changing it every few years, on my performance cars I change it once a year on my DD I change it every 2 or 3 years.

Find a friend or a local shop that rents garage time and pull the wheels get some good pads, measure the rotors and if they have some meat left on them take them to a local shop that will turn them for you.

I always just change rotors, on my DD I use white box rotors because they are about the same price as having them cut plus I can get it done quicker, on my toy my rotors are generally trashed by the time I wear some pads out..\

DuctTape&Bondo wrote: Honda dealer wanted $600 from my gf for front and rear pads. I showed her how to do them (and new fluid) for under $100. $1370 is ridonkulous.

and she did the work ?

man, that is a KEEPER

I believe that most vehicles are highly recommended to change brake fluid every 5 years. Or is that coolant? I can't remember right now!!

Welcome to the local chain store running a special.