Are these prices reasonable for a full front brake job?

[Schfifty Five]

Went to get an alignment done to my car and at the same time had firestone guys check out some high pitched squealing noise I got near the driver side when I brake during slow speeds or turn during slow speeds. My car is a 1999 Honda Accord 2 door V6

They came back saying my front brakes were really worn down and gave me a few estimates on what front brake jobs they could do.

1. Lifetime Front Brakes - Caliper Set - $543.95
- Calipers ($262.99 list price)
- Disc pads
- Adjust/clean brakes
- Bleed system
- Brake fluid flush/disposal
- Brake rotors
- Lifetime warranty on everything except rotors

2. Standard Front Brakes - $340.22
- Basic brake job
- Disc pads
- Brake rotors
- Hardware kit


The standard package does not come with a brake system flush/disposal which is $80 by itself. So the lifetime package is a better overall value as it comes w/ calipers/brake flush/lifetime warranty for about $200 more.

Now I realize I could probably get a full brake job cheaper at a mom/pop shop but I want to get my brake fixed up ASAP so my question is, are these reasonable prices for a brake job from firestone? And the price for the calipers, $262.99, is that really expensive or not too bad?

Thread closed due to necro bump.

Zenmervolt - AnandTech Moderator

 

[MixMasterTang]

Why exactly would you need new calipers? If they're not needed I don't see how you can qualify that as a better deal because it comes with a free $80 flush/disposal.

I've never priced out getting my brakes down at a service place, but $340 seems a bit high. Should be $100 or less for parts and it should be a 30 min - 1 hour job at most.

Edit: AutoZone has pads starting at 12.99 for the pair, and Rotors at 24.99 a piece. So it could be as cheap as 63 for parts.

 

[KentState]

Calipers generally do not go back so I don't see why you would pay to have those replaced. Like stated above, the hardware is cheap so you are paying for labor. Even at 2 hours, that should be about $140 for labor and another $100 for parts. I would ask for an itemized summary of the parts and labor price associated with the second option.

 

[ViviTheMage]

shit, installing one caliper at the stealership on my old jetta was 550$...never going to do that again...damn tow truck hit a huge curb and it fell off...granted it was dangling there in the first place, because we didn't have the right tool to get the caliper pressed back in.

I do not see why you need new calipers....I would get that 'standard' even though that seems really over priced....

rotors are 10-20$ a pop, brakes are 40-60$ a set....

 

[Schfifty Five]

Originally posted by: MixMasterTang
Why exactly would you need new calipers? If they're not needed I don't see how you can qualify that as a better deal because it comes with a free $80 flush/disposal.

I've never priced out getting my brakes down at a service place, but $340 seems a bit high. Should be $100 or less for parts and it should be a 30 min - 1 hour job at most.

Edit: AutoZone has pads starting at 12.99 for the pair, and Rotors at 24.99 a piece. So it could be as cheap as 63 for parts.

They said the calipers were bad. But who knows, they could be just trying to sell me extra.

 

[ViviTheMage]

Originally posted by: Schfifty Five

Originally posted by: MixMasterTang
Why exactly would you need new calipers? If they're not needed I don't see how you can qualify that as a better deal because it comes with a free $80 flush/disposal.

I've never priced out getting my brakes down at a service place, but $340 seems a bit high. Should be $100 or less for parts and it should be a 30 min - 1 hour job at most.

Edit: AutoZone has pads starting at 12.99 for the pair, and Rotors at 24.99 a piece. So it could be as cheap as 63 for parts.

They said the calipers were bad. But who knows, they could be just trying to sell me extra.

wouldn't be the first time....if your car is braking right now, you do not need calipers^_^...unless they are assuming the tech is going to f*ck your calipers up, haha.

 

[Schfifty Five]

Originally posted by: ViviTheMage

Originally posted by: Schfifty Five

Originally posted by: MixMasterTang
Why exactly would you need new calipers? If they're not needed I don't see how you can qualify that as a better deal because it comes with a free $80 flush/disposal.

I've never priced out getting my brakes down at a service place, but $340 seems a bit high. Should be $100 or less for parts and it should be a 30 min - 1 hour job at most.

Edit: AutoZone has pads starting at 12.99 for the pair, and Rotors at 24.99 a piece. So it could be as cheap as 63 for parts.

They said the calipers were bad. But who knows, they could be just trying to sell me extra.

wouldn't be the first time....if your car is braking right now, you do not need calipers^_^...unless they are assuming the tech is going to f*ck your calipers up, haha.

They were giving me some thickness measurements I'm assuming and they said I was getting close to grinding metal on metal. I don't remember if this was part of the caliper or not, but they still said the calipers did need replacing now vs later.

 

[joutlaw]

It sounds like they are trying to rip you off.

Rotors can be turned aka milled down to a certain thickness. If you have let the pads get so bad that there was metal on medal contact then you would need to have them turned.

I don't always turn the rotors and some people will advise against that. My wife's Accord has 260K miles so I figure it's not worth the trouble. I did the brakes on her car in about 30 minutes for $20 in pads and anti-sieze lubrication.

 

[ViviTheMage]

the caliper just presses the brake pad onto the rotor, so the brake pad + rotor make a grinding sound, not the caliper....consider the caliper as just another moving part, not a ware down part like brake pads, rotors, and tires are.

 

[lupohki]

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/...-types/disc-brake1.htm

The squeeling noise is from the wear indicator on the brake pad coming into contact with your rotors. In that case, you normally just replace the brake pads. When you brake, the piston inside the caliper pushes the brake pads against the rotor to create friction for you to slow down. The brake pad material is made to wear out "more", so as to protect the life of the rotor, but a rotor that has seen a lot of use will "wear out" too.

You normally don't have to replace your calipers.

 

[MixMasterTang]

Originally posted by: Schfifty Five
They were giving me some thickness measurements I'm assuming and they said I was getting close to grinding metal on metal. I don't remember if this was part of the caliper or not, but they still said the calipers did need replacing now vs later.

The thickness measurements would have been from the rotors, rotors will usually have a minimum thickness rating which will determine if they can be turned/machined or needed to be replaced, but shouldn't have anything to do with the calipers. And rotor replacements from AutoZone look to be 24.99 a piece for your car.

 

[Schfifty Five]

Originally posted by: MixMasterTang

Originally posted by: Schfifty Five
They were giving me some thickness measurements I'm assuming and they said I was getting close to grinding metal on metal. I don't remember if this was part of the caliper or not, but they still said the calipers did need replacing now vs later.

The thickness measurements would have been from the rotors, rotors will usually have a minimum thickness rating which will determine if they can be turned/machined or needed to be replaced, but shouldn't have anything to do with the calipers. And rotor replacements from AutoZone look to be 24.99 a piece for your car.

Looks like they are asking for $68.99 for both, so about $10 more than auto zone.

 

[bruceb]

On average a good set of front pads, runs $50 to $80 depending on brand and compostion.
As to rotors, I personally do not use the very cheapest and prefer Brembo vented rotors which run about $60 each or so
Hardware kits, should be about $10 to $20 for both sides and will include new bolts, slide pins, rubber boots, etc.
So add in about 1 to 2 hours of labor at most, on average anywhere from $50 to $90 per hour depending on your area.

So $340 is not a bad deal. I would not bother with the new calipers, unless there is a definite problem. However, a brake fluid flush would not be a bad idea. As stated above, rotors may or may not need replacement. Depends on how bad they are and if there is enough left to turn them. You generally change them on the 2nd set of pads being put in. (that is 1 set when it left the factory and you are changing pads for the 2nd time)

 

[Mister4x4]

They're hosing you.

First of all, disc brakes are 'self-adjusting,' so that's a BS fee. Only old-school drum brakes require periodic 'adjustment.' And Honda Accords never came with drums on the front.

As lupohki said, the high pitch whine is only the pads letting you know they need to be changed. Realistically, you could get out of there for less than $100 - if all you need is pads (don't get the cheap $12.99 pads either). If your rotors are too thin, then yeah, get new rotors. But changing the rotors is a 10-second process that's done while you have the calipers pulled aside to change the pads anyway - they slip off, and right back on. If they're not grooved or you don't feel any pulsing in the brake pedal, I wouldn't worry about new rotors - or even 'turning' them for that matter (the pulsing pedal indicates high and low spots from wear, otherwise known as 'warpage' or 'out of round', usually caused by heating and super-cooling - like heavy braking then going through a water puddle).

Unless you've noticed a lot of brake fade (where they require 'pumping up' before use, or require more pedal after you've used them), you don't need a bleed, or a flush for that matter. Bleeding the lines involves removing any air bubbles from the brake lines. So if they're going to flush your brake system, they should already be bleeding the lines as part of that process (so 'bleeding' would be another BS charge since they're already flushing the old fluid).

Check the fluid in the master cylinder - if it's still pretty much clear - you're fine. If it's brown or a really icky color and/or has floaties, then yeah - flush 'em. Otherwise, let it go.

Also, instead of going with the cheapest brake pads and rotors they have to offer, consider upgrading to the 'better' or 'best' grade they offer. I put the 'good stuff' from O'Reilly Auto Parts on both my Ram and my Honda and I enjoy life free of brake dust - no more darker front wheels for me. If you really must have rotors from Brembo, Wilwood, AEM, or something like or something like that, then buy 'em - you won't stop any better or less than the OEM replacements - since all of those high-performance braking companies specialize in high-performance braking systems... but you usually only notice performance gains when you actually buy an entire braking system. A new 'hot-rod' set of rotors or pads aren't going to make a huge difference on a stock-performance car. (although you might get off the line a little better thanks to a lighter wallet).

Rule of thumb: never take anything you need done to your car outside of tires to a tire shop. If you need brakes, go to a brake specialist (Brake Masters, Brake King, Midas, Meineke, even Pep Boys, etc.). FYI - both of the Firestone and the Goodyear tire shops in San Angelo are absolute scheisters when it comes to soaking their customers for 'extra' things you don't need. The other places I've been are similar (SLC, UT, El Paso, TX, and Alamogordo, NM)

 

[Vetterin]

FWIW, I still have the original calipers on my 1985 Vette and have no problems with them. However, you can get a pair of front "loaded" (complete with pads and mounting hardware) for your car from Autozone for $138 with core exchange so keep that in mind.

 

[StageLeft]

You probably do not need new calipers and I'd ask to get the brakes done without new ones. If never had a bleed it's not a bad idea, but I'd not personally bother paying $80 for it, so that leaves you with rotors/pads. If paying for another to do the work, I'd get new rotors. Don't bother reusing or turning existing ones. So in the end, the price for the just the rotors/pads isn't bad, but I'd shop around to see if you can get it a bit cheaper (just call a shop on the phone; they can quote you fairly easily).

Some people when they answer these questions incorrectly think "Well, I can do that in 30 min and at a typical labor rate of $70/hour that means $35 in labor", but in truth shops generally charge more than that per hour and more importantly they use a book with rates specific to a job and these invariably build in more time than a person could do best-case, to cover situations that require extra work (like a seized bolt) and paper work, moving the car in their garage, etc.

I'd expect labor of 1-2 hours. Nowhere in the world will quote a labor rate of 30 minutes for replacing even just the front pads.

 

[Mister4x4]

Replacing pads and rotors IS a 30-minute job... with the right tools. Having a lift, air tools, and all of the right parts on-hand can have the car up, brakes changed, and the car back on its wheels in 30 minutes. Turning the rotors adds another 15 minutes, depending on how badly out-of-round or how deep the grooves on the old ones are. I know - I've done it many times (I work for the Air Force, have better-than-average mechanical skills, and have access to a fully-equipped automotive 'hobby' shop as a 'bennie.')

But you're right in the thought that there's more involved when dealing with a mechanic to do the job. It's going to be a minimum of 1 hour charge... whether it takes them that long or not. Mechanics are also paid in such a way as to make them want to crank out as many jobs as they can during the day, charging at least an hour for each. If they only take 30 minutes to do your brakes, then they can begin on the next job and as a result get paid more than an hourly rate in an hour's time. They're not ripping anybody off by doing this, but rather just making the best use of their time. I don't have a problem with them charging an hour for even ten minutes of work - there has to be a minimum charge, after all.

Line mechanics also rarely do their own paperwork - that's what Service Managers are for.

 

[amansingh]

I would like to add some useful stats in this post (Since I took the hit after reading it and would want others to know the facts beforehand)....below are the exact details as of Sept 14th 2013 at Firestone in NJ.

When You Go in they offer a courtesy check(Brake Inspection) which is waived off if you get the service done - $16.99(Waived off later)

Standard Brake Service - Front
QC503 Ceramic Disc Brake Pads - Front $59.99 (This is 30 something on Amazon)
Basic Brake Job Fee - $115
Front rotor 2*75.99=151.98
Brake Fluid Exchange - 12.99
Brake Fluid waste disposal - 2.60
Brake Fluid Exchange labor - 74.40

Standard Brake Service - Rear
QC537 Ceramic Disc Brake Pads PD537 - 59.99
Basic brake job rear - 132.00
R Disc Brake Rotor - 2*105.00 = 210.00(Seriously - check prices online anywhere and anyone will be shocked)

So hopefully everyone here has a Idea now. Ask a local mechanic for the price and order parts online. Even though firestone gives the lifetime warranty on the parts. Its the service which will kill the deal.
Never ever going back again.

Let me know if anyone wants more details.