best place to get BRAKES ?????? HELP !!!!!!!

[jcballer1]

Hi,
my car makes a growling noise and there is some vibration through the brake pedal as i try to come to a stop (especially when stopping from a high speed).

I'm pretty sure my brake pads might be worn out.

What's the BEST place to get this replaced? Not just for the price---BUT i mean quality-wise. This is not something i need a "hot deal" for---i just wanna stay alive!!

Thanks a lot !!


PS: I am in central NJ (in case that helps)
PPS: most ppl recommended Midas (any comments???)

 

[StageLeft]

If money isn't a hell of a concern bring it to the dealer. I've found that dealers charge more than most mechanics but they also don't fvck you over as much, whether its in "oh you need this", or they fail to diagnose a problem properly. Bringing my car to a regular mechanic when it "smelled of gas" he couldn't diagnose anything. The transmission blew and I brought it to the dealer and he quickly mentioned that the smell of gas was the transmission fluid leaking...damn mechanic cost me $1000!!

Anyway, for something as simple as breaks of course any old mechanic can fix those so bring it in wherever is probabaly fine.

 

[Shack70]

Go somewhere like Midas, I think they have a lifetime package deal. If your pedal is vibrating, it could mean that rou rotor is messed up and needs to be cut or replaced.

 

[jcballer1]

thanks guys. midas it is then.

i heard rotors are expensive (hope all the hot deals on AT have saved me enough money to cover this!)

 

[yakko]

What kind of car? Some of the newer ones are not as simple as they used to be. Some of the older cars it is easy enough to do yourself if they have four wheel discs.

 

[IamDavid]

Do it yourself... Brakes are easy to change..

 

[Ornery]

Are you sure you can't do this yourself? Call your local auto parts stores for prices for rotors and pads. Call at least three of them. Then you'll know how much these shops are charging you for labor when you get a quote. You can get the quotes over the phone too, so save some leg work there. CarParts.Com can give you a clue on the parts prices too. There are remanufactured as well as new parts with a big difference in price. I buy remanufactured cause I'm a cheap mofo

Tell them you need two rotors and pads replaced, how much? Not too complicated. The job will take them about an hour tops. How much should their labor total? I figure $60.00 is plenty. Any more than than that and I'd do it myself. Hell, I'd do it myself if they only wanted $40.00!

 

[perry]

Depending on the car, rotors should cost under $100 for the pair. Pads should be under $50 per axle (4 pads). Labor should be under $100. If they tell you that your calipers need work, go look at the piston and the seals around it. If the seals look bad (i.e. tears in them), then they do indeed need to be rebuilt. If not, they don't. A rebuild kit should cost about $25, and labor should be about 15 minutes. My roommate decided to take his car into a shop to have brake work done and they forgot to use lube. $175 to rebuild a caliper. What a rip-off. I did it on my car for $25/side as I was changing the pads since one seal was leaking and other looked like it was going.

$100 rotors
$50 pads
$50 caliper rebuild kits
$100 labor
--------
Anything over $300 is too much for front brakes I say.

 

[novon]

midas was not cool for me...they rushed the job and weren't clean

 

[jcballer1]

midas said they'll charge $200 to replace brake pads and shoes for all 4 wheels.

 

[perry]

If you feel the vibration, chances are the rotors at least need to be turned if not replaced. I prefer replacing them because more often then not, after turning, you'll end up replacing them six months down the road. May as well get it done with and not pay the labor twice.

 

[warcleric]

Midas is not my choice....after $1400 and 7 trips back to the Midas shop, brakes still squeal.

 

[Ornery]

Gee, that's nice of Midas to put $40.00 worth of pads and shoes on for $160.00 labor. And guess what? When they go to do the job, they're going to see that the rotor needs replacing and charge an exorbitant amount to do that too!

Try Super K-Mart for the hell of it. Try several places. Damn, where do they come up with these rates?

 

[iamwiz82]

if you have drum brakes, forget about doing it yourself. It just too much of a pain. You take them off and that friggin spring just flies away on you, dammit. argh!!

 

[desertdweller]

Being a tech at a dealership I make alot from fixing cars that
have been "fixed" by cheap places like Midas. The best bet
is your dealer.

DD

 

[jcballer1]

thanks for the help guys.

i think i'll just take the car to the dealer tomorrow.
it's a 1983 Mercedes 380-SEL


wow---i didn't expect to see sooooo many bad review for midas

 

[Ornery]

I'll be darned. The prices for the parts for that thing aren't too bad. The calipers are a little high, but rotors and pads aren't bad at all!

1983 Mercedes 380SEL Sedan 4D V8-3839 3.8L MFI

You sure you don't want to give it a shot? I'll bet there's even enough meat left on those rotors to turn them for $6.00 a piece from wherever you buy the pads. Hell, you could be done with the job for $60.00 in parts and turning for the front axle. Keep that in mind when the dealer shoots you his estimate.

 

[kumanchu]

take it to a race shop ^_^. they'll get some b!tchin brakes on there that'll stop you faster than you can go broke.

 

[Hamburgerpimp]

The dealership!

 

[Ornery]

Yeah, Hamburgerpimp took the words right out of my mouth,

• $$$$:Q$$$$ "The dealership!" $$$$:Q$$$$

 

[Lvis]

If you're not the type to do it yourself, I believe you're better off with a local garage. Find a place that does quality work, and keep going back. If you are a regular customer, you'll get very good prices. Many people aren't aware that developing a relationship with your mechanic can be good for you and him.

 

[Ornery]

So, how much did they nick ya?

BTW, L vis is so right! They ought to have a national "Take Your Mechanic To Lunch Day" or something!