Crap, brakes are expensive...

[TallBill]

2001 crown vic is at 118k miles. Just had the fuel filter replaced along with an oil change. Anyways, the car has all original brakes and rotors which are all but dead. I replaced the rear pads and rotors for $398 and will do the front in a few months when I have cash again.

Anyways, I felt a little stupid and ripped off from not doing research. This place generally has great prices. So I checked repairpal.com and the estimate was $403-664 for my area for the service. So I guess I didn't get "ripped off" and paid the fair amount.

It's times like this that I wish I wasn't a car n00b. That's the first time in my life that I've ever had anything done with brakes. And now I gotta bring in the wife's car for a diagnostic because of a check engine light, blech.

 

[desy]

Doing brakes is one of the things I'll do myself, Not drums but pads and rotors.
118 is a good long time on orignal gear

 

[Vetterin]

When you do the front go to Autozone and get the rotors for $63.99 ea and ceramic pads for $59.99. Total $188.00.

 

[Arkaign]

Labor is murder. Yeah it pays if you can do it yourself, or have a capable buddy or three.

 

[angry hampster]

Pick up a Clymer or Haynes manual for your car. It'll guide you through every bit of routine (and not-so-routine) maintenance step-by-step with very detailed photographs. You'll never have to pay for labor again

 

[ViviTheMage]

I got rotors for my mk4 jetta for 15$ each, and pads for 50$ a set...the pads lasted 30-50k if I recall...rotors were fine as well.

brakes are probably one of the most cost savings things you can do...oil changes actually are not, depending on the oil your car takes, you can get an oil change for 14$ or less! Which is cheaper then the cost of oil itself...

 

[BUTCH1]

It's worth it though, those car last, big engine, big tranny, big rearend, you can get 200K out of one of those easily..

 

[LordMorpheus]

Front brakes on a panther chassis ford are very easy, basically a complete no-brainer.

Once you get the wheel off, just get at the bolts that hold the caliper mount to the knuckle and take it off. Pretty straightforward to get at the pads once you get that off, and with the caliper off the brake disc, you can just slide it right off and put a new one in.

 

[StageLeft]

It is a good skill to have and can pay hugely, or rather not pay hugely in the wrong direction. Just remember that if there are any little rubber bushings/sleeves on the caliper pins themselves to use a silicone-based lube, nothing else even if it claims it's ok for rubber.