Budget buster vent - New brakes

[Juliegirl1]

I am so angry and upset right now. I took my car into a repair shop that came highly recommended three months ago for a complete brake job. They only did the front brakes, telling me that I didn't need rear brakes. It was $394 which included an oil change.

Fast forward to two and half months later - less than a week ago I started hearing the squealing of my rear brakes. I took it in today for another oil change and a rear brake job. They quoted me $760! They said that my brakes were metal to metal and I needed new rotors and calipers. I know I need a brake job but I guess I'm mostly mad that they didn't do it all when I asked them to. I sometimes feel that because I am a woman I get taken advantage of when I go to mechanics because I don't know all the lingo or exactly how things work.

I just got off the phone with the service manager and he is going to "assess the situation" and get back to me. I had budgeted $500 for this repair job and really was expecting it to be more along the lines of the first one - not nearly double!

I'm mostly frustrated and po'd that they didn't do what I asked the first time.

 

[JB2K]

I know I need a brake job but I guess I'm mostly mad that they didn't do it all when I asked them to. I sometimes feel that because I am a woman I get taken advantage of when I go to mechanics because I don't know all the lingo or exactly how things work.

That's going to happen - especially, if you're dealing with an independent mechanic.

Since taking the car to the dealer's shop is more expensive than nearly anything else, I normally recommend routine jobs (brakes, etc.) to nationally-known shops (think Midas, Meineke, Car-X). Such shops usually offer good, nationwide warranties and no B.S.

For the record, new brakes is always going to be a budget-buster (because by the the time you notice something is wrong, the damage has already been done to the rotors/calipers) - and for the record, I replaced both the front/rear brakes on my SUV last year (at Midas), and I paid a lot less than what you're having to shell-out.

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

I think I would be shopping around for someone else.

I know DH can do my brakes for less than $200. He had a problem one time with one of the bolts or something and took it to a local shop who used what he had bought and charged about $100 to change them out.

The only time I have ever had to have a brake job that was expensive is when our back brakes on our Buick wore all the way down and the caliper locked up, costing a little over $600.

Suzanne

 

[Purseval]

First off, unless you're a cab driver another oil change after 2 and a half months is overkill so you wasted your money there. Second, I would look on Craigslist for a mechanic who is looking for side work and have that person do your brakes. Brakes are a faily generic task, as in the brakes for a $2 million Bugatti are essentially the same as the ones for a Chevy Cavalier so you don't need any special training or certifications to do them. Any competent mechanic can do the job and so can most do-it-yourselfers with a few basic tools.

Go to your local auto parts store, give them the make and model of your car and get a price for rotors and pads. As an example my Mercedes, which is not exactly a cheap car to work on, costs $56 for a new rotor and $72 for a set of 4 rear brake pads. So $112+72=$184 in parts plus an hour of labor. We'll say $50 for a mechanic so $234 to do both rear wheels.

If you go on Youtube and search for rear brakes you will see videos that will show you how little work is actually involved. Who knows, you may even want to try doing it yourself.

Finally, when you think that you are being taken advantage of because you're a woman you assume that no men ever get taken advantage of at repair shops. Disreputable shops generally take advantage of ignorance, which is gender neutral.

 

[Juliegirl1]

They are a Gemini Automotive repair facility so they aren't some fly by night place. I don't usually replace my oil that often - but I have put about 6,000 miles on it in two and half months which is more than normal for me. We've taken several long driving trip and since it was going to be in the shop anyway I figured that I should go ahead and do it. Unfortunately it's a time issue. I just don't have any, lol.

They got the price down to $591 - but I don't know that I will use them again. My boyfriend replaced my brakes last time they needed to be done but his backyard shop/shed was broken into and all of his tools were stolen so he couldn't do it this time. I probably would have been better off buying him new tools and having him do it!

I was mostly just frustrated with the unexpected cost and the fact that they didn't do it all the first time I asked - I probably would have saved a few hundred bucks. Also I had planned on taking a short trip to Padre Island over Labor Day but I think we will just stick close to home now.

 

[Molliday]

I had to replace my front brakes (and my car only has 24k miles on it) not too long ago, and nobody could do it but the dealership (at least not the three national chains we took it to, before we gave up and went to the dealership), so I really had to pay out the nose.

Next are the tires, and I'm dreading that. Nobody told me when I purchased the car, that the 'high performance' brakes and tires would need replacement more often. Even my husband was surprised by that.

 

[hambirg]

My ex-husband used to do our brakes. It usually cost less than a hundred dollars for new pads. I think the new rotor and calipers line is bs. Break pads are meant to squeal when the pad gets low. This is the case with our work vans. Unless you have been driving with them squealing for sometime, it's very unlikely that you damaged the rotors or calipers. I think you are very correct about you being a single woman. Several years ago I had my clutch go out. The shop said I would need a new fly wheel etc. . .est $900. Well, my ex went down there when he got home from work and told them that he would like to see the fly wheel as they are taking it off, because he knows that if it isn't too bad it can just be ground. Guess what? It was only the clutch cable. . .$60 to fix. . parts and labor! I know if it would have been just me, I would have been paying the $900. It sucks, but it's true! Do you have a male friend, brother, Dad, friend's husband or coworker that you can take with you? That would be my suggestion. Brakes are fairly simple, but important. Craigslist might be a good idea. We used to use a mechanic that came to our house for work my ex didn't want or couldn't do. He was honest. . .you could ask a lot of questions and watch him do the work. HTH

ETA-I just saw the post that your boyfriend used to do your brakes. It would probably be cheaper to buy him the new tools. At the very least have him go down to the shop and show that he knows a thing or two and question everything.

 

[Purseval]

I had to replace my front brakes (and my car only has 24k miles on it) not too long ago, and nobody could do it but the dealership (at least not the three national chains we took it to, before we gave up and went to the dealership), so I really had to pay out the nose.

Next are the tires, and I'm dreading that. Nobody told me when I purchased the car, that the 'high performance' brakes and tires would need replacement more often. Even my husband was surprised by that.

You don't say what car it is but you can bet that whatever the make and model there is an owner's forum online that will suggest lower-cost alternatives for whatever you need. Just do an online search.

If it makes you feel any better the Bugatti Veyron uses special Michelin PAX run flat tires, designed specifically to accommodate the Veyron's top speed, which reportedly cost $25,000 per set. The tires can only be removed from the rims in France, a service which reportedly costs $70,000.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

They only did the front brakes, telling me that I didn't need rear brakes. It was $394 which included an oil change.
. . . this seems overpriced
. . . it should have been closer to $225-$250

I took it in today for another oil change and a rear brake job. They quoted me $760! They said that my brakes were metal to metal and I needed new rotors and calipers.
. . . really out of the ball park
. . . try to bargain with them
. . . get down to about $250-$275 for rotors, pads, oil change
. . . add $175-$200 for new calipers
. . . but, get a second evaluation
. . . many times calipers are changed when not necessary

NOTE: Before retirement, I was CEO of a company that made rotors and calipers.

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

They are a Gemini Automotive repair facility so they aren't some fly by night place. I don't usually replace my oil that often - but I have put about 6,000 miles on it in two and half months which is more than normal for me. We've taken several long driving trip and since it was going to be in the shop anyway I figured that I should go ahead and do it. Unfortunately it's a time issue. I just don't have any, lol.

They got the price down to $591 - but I don't know that I will use them again. My boyfriend replaced my brakes last time they needed to be done but his backyard shop/shed was broken into and all of his tools were stolen so he couldn't do it this time. I probably would have been better off buying him new tools and having him do it!

I was mostly just frustrated with the unexpected cost and the fact that they didn't do it all the first time I asked - I probably would have saved a few hundred bucks. Also I had planned on taking a short trip to Padre Island over Labor Day but I think we will just stick close to home now.

The tool I bought DH to get his back brakes off was $24.99 at Sears and the rotors were $35 each and pads were $20. I may have that backwards, but in the general range of $100 for the back.

Suzanne

 

[Molliday]

You don't say what car it is but you can bet that whatever the make and model there is an owner's forum online that will suggest lower-cost alternatives for whatever you need. Just do an online search.

If it makes you feel any better the Bugatti Veyron uses special Michelin PAX run flat tires, designed specifically to accommodate the Veyron's top speed, which reportedly cost $25,000 per set. The tires can only be removed from the rims in France, a service which reportedly costs $70,000.

Thanks to some major procrastination (my husband kept saying he was going to take it somewhere else, because he didn't like the quote from the dealership), it was to the critical point. It got so bad, the last place he took it to (Firestone), told us we should have it towed over to the dealership.

Once my husband finally admitted he had no choice but to take care of it, the dealership was the only option. Luckily the rotors weren't damaged to the point of needing to be replaced. I will never allow it to get to that point again. Lesson learned.

 

[hambirg]

I wanted to come back and add that I would have an issue with the fact that they told you your back pads were fine 3 months ago and now they are saying they are metal on metal. That seems fishy to me. Also, here is a great site. . .post your question there and see what he says.

http://www.myhonestmechanic.com/

 

[SYDCOLEMOM]

My husband does our brakes. Pads run about $30 and if the rotors need to be turned, local auto parts store charges about $25 for that. I cant imagine paying $250+ for brakes. My hubby is not mechanically inclined either...I have watched him do it a few times and I believe I could even do it. Ask around...maybe find a friend who could do it. The prices you have been quoted are ridiculous !! good Luck !

 

[kydisneyfans]

I just pulled my last brake job receipt. It was $377 for front and back brakes, rotors for the front, an oil change, and tire rotation. I have lifetime brake pads, so the cost was labor and the rotors for the front.

You likely have just financed someone's vacation.

 

[tar heel]

Wouldn't your brakes have worn a bit in 6,000 miles of driving? I'm not sure how doing all the brakes together would have saved you any significant money, though.

I'm not defending the shop you went to as I go ONLY to a local two-person shop and am 100% positive they would never rip me off. I didn't feel the same way when I used to go to a national chain.

 

[msmayor]

I recently had the front brakes done on my Pacifica at a garage I have used for 15 years and trust without question.

Total cost for new pads and resurfacing the rotors, plus labor, and taxes: $208.

We had the front brakes done on my husband's car a few weeks earlier. The only difference in his price was that he needed new rotors...old couldn't be resurfaced (car has 170,000 miles on it) and the rotors were $70 each.