Changing Brakes on a 2006 Mazda 3 2.3L

[Dacalo]

My car is due for a brake change (80k miles, mostly highway) and my mechanical quoted me $300 for brakes. I was like wtf and looked online and with the front and rear pads with brake tools will run me around $170. I am thinking of doing this on my own but how complicated is it? I change my own oil and changed the spark plugs but those are pretty straight forward. The rotors look ok so I think I will need to change just the pads.

Thanks in advance.

 

[jagec]

It's not too hard at all. Get car on jackstands, remove wheel, usually it's 2 bolts to remove caliper, use a C-clamp to push the piston back in, put new pads on and bolt it all back together.

Additional steps if you want to do it the right way include taking the rotors to a shop to be turned, bleeding the brakes afterwards to get the old fluid out, and bedding in the brakes properly in an empty parking lot.

 

[HarryLui]

How complicated is depended on what kind of tools you have.

 

[Howard]

Usually I do the rotors along with the pads. They are cheap enough and if they save me from doing a brake job twice as frequently I'll eat the extra dollars.

 

[someone16]

If they include rotors then $300 doesn't seem all that expensive?

 

[Paperlantern]

If they include rotors then $300 doesn't seem all that expensive?

I got a brake job for 300 that included hydraulic lines and crap on top of rotors and pads, normally I do I myself though... 300 is a rip for just rotors and pads. It'll take the shop minutes to do both sides and it's 60 bucks in parts tops per axle (with rotors, what kind of pads are you looking at for 170?). 120 plus about 80 an hour is 200... I hate how much shops mark stuff up. You'll def be better off doin it yourself.

 

[5150MyU]

Labor to change brake pads=1.0 hrs.
To change rotors add .2 hrs. per side.
So 1.4 hrs. labor.

 

[bigi]

If you have not done it yourself yet, take the time to learn it well at least in theory.
At 80K I'd buy new good rotors and pads. It'd be good to bleed the system with new fluid as it sounds you've not done it either.

You may want to get a knowledgeable helper for bleeding procedure for sure.

 

[Gunbuster]

I did my 2004 at the beginning of the year. Rotors and pads. Had to hammer off two of the rotors because corrosion in the inside lip was so bad. (thanks to michigan salt)

One of my calipers was seized up as well so I had to get a rebuilt one from O'reillys.

 

[njmodi]

I think the minimum time to do a brake job properly for a shade tree mechanic using hand-tools and jacks/jackstands is 2 hrs. It can go a little faster with air tools, but there is a minimum time involved to get the car off the ground, wheels off and if you work meticulously, cleaning the pad springs, wirebrushing the hub before installing the new/replaced/turn rotor, anti-seizing all the bolts and torquing them per specs, I think it can easily take 30 minutes a side. This doesn't include replacing calipers, fighting seized rotors and stuck caliper pins.

This also assumes you know what you are doing.

Having said that, even if it does take 2 hrs from start to finish (which it does for me including setup, clean-up, putting everything away, etc.), it's something I need to do once every 40-60k, and I am in no particular hurry to rush the job (save at most 20 mins) and end up with a squeal, or a sticking caliper or some other issue that requires redoing the job or dismantling things again.

To the OP - you need a simple socket set (for caliper bolts and rotor bracket), a breaker bar, jacks, jack stands, anti-seize, high-temp caliper grease, a c-clamp to help retract the caliper piston and a wirebrush to help cleanup some rust.

 

[Gibson486]

Does that include rotors? I mean, rotors for the front on that car will cost you $50 each for the front.

If you live in a non weather friendly area (like New England), you are gonna go nuts taking the rotors off too. They will likely be rusted and you will spend an hour hammering it out.

 

[Howard]

Does that include rotors? I mean, rotors for the front on that car will cost you $50 each for the front.

If you live in a non weather friendly area (like New England), you are gonna go nuts taking the rotors off too. They will likely be rusted and you will spend an hour hammering it out.

I've seen wheels rusted to rotors, but never rotors rusted to hubs. Lucky me, I guess.

By the way, remember to antiseize every thread you come across (but stay away from nut/bolt faces).

 

[Safeway]

I would pay the $300 to have a mechanic do the work proper and save me from getting grim and grit under my nails and on my clothing. Plus, they are liable if they fuck something up.

Then again, I have the dealer do my oil, too. I'd rather not waste hours out of my day performing maintenance on my vehicles. My dealer will give me a loaner while my car is in service. I lose a total of 10 minutes out of my day. Time is money and the hours that I will save is worth more to me than the $100.

 

[Paperlantern]

I would pay the $300 to have a mechanic do the work proper and save me from getting grim and grit under my nails and on my clothing. Plus, they are liable if they fuck something up.

The last mechanic I paid to do something properly cross threaded one of my lug nuts, just because you pay doesn't mean it will be done properly. Make sure the mechanic is trusted.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

I got a brake job for 300 that included hydraulic lines and crap on top of rotors and pads, normally I do I myself though... 300 is a rip for just rotors and pads. It'll take the shop minutes to do both sides and it's 60 bucks in parts tops per axle (with rotors, what kind of pads are you looking at for 170?). 120 plus about 80 an hour is 200... I hate how much shops mark stuff up. You'll def be better off doin it yourself.

$300 is completely fair for OEM rotors and pads. I just had a front brake job on my car, it was ~$700 in parts alone.

OEM parts are worth it. Your life depends on this stuff. Cheap out on sensors, filters, oil, whatever.. that's just money. Brakes and tires are your life.

 

[Paperlantern]

$300 is completely fair for OEM rotors and pads. I just had a front brake job on my car, it was ~$700 in parts alone.

OEM parts are worth it. Your life depends on this stuff. Cheap out on sensors, filters, oil, whatever.. that's just money. Brakes and tires are your life.

Paying twice as much for "OEM" is your perogative, I'll buy my parts at an autoparts store and stop m car just the same. Been buying brakes from autozone/oreilly's/advance for years.the stuff has to be up to a certain standard for safety anyway, you re kidding yourself if you think OEM two and a half times the cost better.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

Paying twice as much for "OEM" is your perogative, I'll buy my parts at an autoparts store and stop m car just the same. Been buying brakes from autozone/oreilly's/advance for years.the stuff has to be up to a certain standard for safety anyway, you re kidding yourself if you think OEM two and a half times the cost better.

Fine, at least buy decent quality store brand parts. There is a noticeable and definitive difference between cheap autozone brakes and premium napa parts.

If you, personally, want to risk your life with cheapo bargain bin brakes then so be it. But please don't recommend these discount parts to others.

 

[HarryLui]

I once bought cheap $10 pads, they wouldn't stop worth for crap. Spend the $40 and got some bendix pads, I'll never buy cheap pads again.

I'll buy my parts at an autoparts store and stop m car just the same.

You get what you paid for in brake performance. When it comes to brake performance, even 1 ft will matter.

 

[leper84]

$300 for brakes at a shop is pretty reasonable as long as they're using decent parts. Just looking at rock auto-

~$40 decent pads
~$50 rotor x2

So thats 150 right there without any markup. Around here labor is 80-100/hr and as mentioned most brake jobs end up being 1.5 per axle so there's your other 150. Even if they don't replace the rotors its pretty reasonable for the time it takes to turn them. Just make sure the shop is using decent parts, most try to, some really don't.

Edit- Read OP again, if he quoted you $300 for front and back thats a freaking steal. If you do it yourself and don't replace the rotors or get them turned you're shooting yourself in the foot.

 

[Raizinman]

use a C-clamp to push the piston back in

Using a C-clamp or large pliers to push the piston back in forces the dirtiest brake fluid back up into the antilock brake system and can cause expensive damage. This method is old school.

Most all dealerships technicians have been trained to clamp the brake hose at the wheel, open the caliper bleeder, push in caliper piston slowly allowing brake fluid to drain out, remove clamp, add new fluid to master cylinder. This prevents any dirty brake fluid from being pushed into valves and solenoids of your anti lock brakes and also gives you the brake fluid change that you also need.

 

[Gunbuster]

Oh I also forgot you need a special tool or a pair of needle nose pliers to twist and push the rear calipers pistons back in.

 

[foghorn67]

Using a C-clamp or large pliers to push the piston back in forces the dirtiest brake fluid back up into the antilock brake system and can cause expensive damage. This method is old school.

Most all dealerships technicians have been trained to clamp the brake hose at the wheel, open the caliper bleeder, push in caliper piston slowly allowing brake fluid to drain out, remove clamp, add new fluid to master cylinder. This prevents any dirty brake fluid from being pushed into valves and solenoids of your anti lock brakes and also gives you the brake fluid change that you also need.

This. Please heed this.
It's rare, but it can and does happen.