Brake Job $1100, WHAT?

I just did our F-150 fronts. Lifetime ceramic pads $60. After market rotor (1) $60. Very seldom do you need all new rotors. Just if you let them get chewed up like me. Most real shops can surface them for $15 around here anyway if they aren't too thin.

I did the rears a couple of months ago and they were about the same but needed new parking brake shoes too.

Our E-150 runs about the same.

Find another shop. They are killing you on parts unless it's a really big truck.
 
We had LOTS of Chevy Express 1500 vans when I owned the delivery service. I kept at least 4 sets of drums, rotors and brakes in the shop. That way we could pop them off, put a new set on then put the others aside for resurfacing or throwing away. Chris could do a set of front brakes and rotors in about 20 minutes. (We had the garage set up with all the tools to do the job fast) Once or twice a van came in during a delivery day and we were able to get it back on the road without missing a beat. Chevys were CHEAP for brakes and we generally got about 16-18k miles out of them.

Dodge minivans got about 8-10k on each set. (garbage)

I used a few Ford E350's and they were more expensive on brakes and rotors but I could get 40-50k out of the brakes. Probably cost less than the cheap ones overall.

You could change those brakes, rotors and drums in less than 1 1/2 hrs yourself. Drums are little complicated, but not too bad.
 
I figure I am worth more than cheap brake parts. I just did the brakes on my personal truck this morning. I did do all new rotors because of warpage, I also had to replace two calipers because one was leaking and the other had a shattered cup. Brake pads cost me about $100 for front and rear ceramics. Rotors were about $350 for original Ford parts, and the calipers were $120. I did the work, and so I figure I have about $570 into it, plus my time. I can usually do a job like this in about 2 hours, because I have done it so many times. This time took substantially longer because I was not thinking that I would need to get new calipers.
So, $1100 for a brake job, it is hard for me to go there.
 
If you'll be driving your car for more than two yrs. and need rotor replacement go with NAPA, Car Quest, Wagner and EBC American, Canadian or EBC
DO NOT use off shore rotors the mealturgy is garbage and they are porous as well and they will warp in short order.
As far as pads go with ceramic or organic pads . They stop better than metalic or semi-metalic pads and do not leave the huge amounts of dust that the metalic pads leave.
 
Brakes work on the principle of heat transfer. If they are not getting hot they are not working as well. That is why ceramics and other linings are the premium linings. They get hot fast but they also cool fast. If soft pads were best race cars and semis would use them.
 
I did the brakes on my 05' Dodge 2500 Ram Quadcab and it was about $60 for the front pads and $60 for the rear pads. They have a lifetime warranty from O'Reilly Auto Parts. The rotors were good, no warpage, not glazed and no chewed up metal so no turning needed.

I have been doing brakes on all my vehicles since I was a teenager so I learned how at a young age from my older brother and friends. Later on in High School there was the auto shop class which taught us the better way to work on cars. Turns out I learned very well from my brother.

Some vehicles will be more expensive than others. My truck only had 50k miles on it when I did the brakes. Right after that I changed out the axle on the trailer and realized that since I bought that truck in 2005, I did not have trailer brakes working and that is why the truck brakes wore out sooned than the typical 60k to 80k for the Dodge 2500 Quadcabs that a lot of co-workers at the refinery told me. Without water in the tank back then, the empty weight of the trailer was 3400 pounds so add water and a few more tools when needed it is about the 7k limit.
 
Detail Pro said:
Van guys what type of brakes and rotors are you running on your vans? I went to have rotor and brakes put on today, the guy told me that I would need top of the line everything ceremic. Price $1100 dollars, WHAT? $800 just in parts.
Click to expand...

Hrey AG,
Shoot down Canton rd by the bowling alley to Marietta rent a wreck.
Ask for Scott the owner of the mechanics garage on site.
He did my suburban C20 ( heavt duty everything) for 800.00 all four, and turn the drums as well. Good staff there.
Hope that helps.
 
I have a '07 Dodge Mega Cab, brakes squeeking, 38k miles. 4WD, Disc Brakes front and back. Anybody done these before? Haven't done a brake job since high school, over 30 years ago, on my '70 Pontiac GTO. Chris, any hints or special tools needed?
 
It probably has front and rear discs, so it is pretty straight forward. You could spend a couple of bucks ona manual that will walk you through it, or you could just tear it down and see what kind of pad life you have. It could just need you to spray it with some brake cleaner.
 
big bill said:
I have a '07 Dodge Mega Cab, brakes squeeking, 38k miles. 4WD, Disc Brakes front and back. Anybody done these before? Haven't done a brake job since high school, over 30 years ago, on my '70 Pontiac GTO. Chris, any hints or special tools needed?
Click to expand...


Wow, that is fast for those to be squealing, do you have trailer brakes?

Have a helper to help hold the caliper when you take the pads out and put them in, those calipers weigh a lot and you don't have any slack on the brake hose.

I got the set of brake tools to compress the piston back in, make sure that the reservoir is not full or you will make a mess as the fluid goes back into the reservoir when you push the pistons back in.

I forgot if the back ones twist back in or compress, you have to look at them, I did this 1.5 years ago.

You really need a helper with the calipers, I have 4 wheel disk brakes, you can't hold the caliper with one hand and move the pads with the other, too awkward. My truck had about 50k when the brakes were wearing.

Make sure you check the calipers for leaks, check the rotors for metal wear, grinding, heat cracks, glazing, warpage, etc....Helps if you have a micrometer to check thickness.

I got the heavy duty brakes from O'Reilly auto parts, get them from the dealer, those are better. When these heat up, it feels like they are fading a little bit where the dealer pads don't do that at all. I will switch back to the dealer pads when these are worn out.

Good Luck.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top