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New Brakes

EMPshockwave82

EMPshockwave82

Diamond Member
Just got new brakes for my 1998 Nissan Altima (130k miles). Just shy of 600 bucks. Rear brakes needed the drums turned and new pads. Front brakes needed new rotors and new shoes.

Wasn't really looking to dump 600 bucks into a car worth $3000 but oh well. Guess I'll drive this thing until it dies now.

210 labor
78 pads
190 rotors (95 bucks each)
60 shoes

Asking the garage guys if it seems like I got bent over or if the prices were pretty fair.
 
Way overpriced. At autozone, for example, rotors and pads should cost around $100 for both sides, shoes $20-30 for both sides. Tack on another $20/drum for turning at a shop. Brakes are actually one of the easiest jobs you can DIY.
 
Agree on you getting hosed.

I just did brakes myself this weekend. 4 new slotted / dimpled rotors, new pads all around, new stainless steel flex lines, remanufactured front calipers, and enough DOT-4 fluid to flush the whole system. Total cost, about $500 and some free time.

Front rotors, pads, shoes, and enough fluid to top the system off should have cost less than $200 for your car (I'm guessing - not going to look up actual prices), and is an easy job for the most part. Although rear drums can be tricky.
 
Compared to a DIY, you got hosed.

Compared to typical shop pricing, that's about right.

Just be thankful it wasn't a bimmer!
 
$78 for a single pair of pads? Did I read that right?

$190 rotors WHAT

My 2000 maxima rotors are under $100 for a pair of them from autozone and pads can be had for like $30-40 (cheapest to not so cheap, depending on desire).

I presume you took it to the stealership so they used OEM parts (which I think are not worth it for this kind of thing). Dealers are good with strange problems, but generic ones like brakes, struts, etc. I'd lean toward a garage and have them pick up stuff from autozone.

That said, $600 for a complete overhaul on brakes does seem pretty typical, although it's too bad you don't have new drums.
 
Is that really how much a brake job at a shop costs ? 😱
There's a local chain around here that advertises pad/shoe replacement + turn rotors and drums for $99.
Cheap rotors on Rockauto are ~$15 each, pads are ~$13, new drums $25 each, shoes ~$15. Front pads/ rotors are as easy as an oil change, the drums/shoes you should leave to a shop.
 
I just did my 2006 Altima, first real problem on it, at 70000 Km I had a stuck rear caliper, not a big suprise in Michigan, all the other rotors were over 50% life left. I replaced both rear rotors, and all the pads, prices were ~$30 for rear pads, $40 for front, $40 for both rear rotors. I actually put the old front pads back on, there was no point in replacing them.
 
Folks - you can't compare one car's part prices to another. Some cars have higher priced parts.

That said, OP did overpay on the parts some compared to an auto parts store.
 
Ouch! Sorry to see you get hosed that way, OP!

My 98 Frontier got new rotors, new calipers (pre-loaded with pads) and new front end bearings last year for ~$375, with me and my buddy the auto mechanic doing the work. That price included the core charge, which I let my buddy keep for helping me out with the work.
 
I just paid $74 for new rear pads.
Akebono Ceramic EUR973 pads.


I could have gone the el-cheapo route with $30 pads but I plan on keeping the car. There is a big difference in pad longevity so buying a premium pad make make the rotors & pads last considerably longer.

Initial investment is usually smart because you have to pay that same labor bill the next time around.




 
It needed to be done. My passenger side front brake was making a scratching / grinding noise. It was a stuck caliper that they were able to oil and get unstuck. The only thing that didn't get replaced on the front of the car was the caliper itself. The only thing that was ok on the rear was the drums and they needed turned.

It was up in the air with all 4 tires off and I got to see the old parts vs what they were going to put on and it definitely needed done. I don't have a way of doing it myself. My dad used to do my brakes all the time but I'm about 500 miles away from home and don't plan on going down there anytime soon. Nor am I going to have my father that is going under the knife for a hernia tomorrow do my brakes.

Thanks for the info guys. Sucks I overpaid for some parts but here's a beer to new brakes on my old car! :beer:
 
Originally posted by: PCMarine
Way overpriced. At autozone, for example, rotors and pads should cost around $100 for both sides, shoes $20-30 for both sides. Tack on another $20/drum for turning at a shop. Brakes are actually one of the easiest jobs you can DIY.
Click to expand...

pads are easy.

Rotors arn't bad either, but that's where I personally draw the line.

 
Originally posted by: IHateMyJob2004
Originally posted by: PCMarine
Way overpriced. At autozone, for example, rotors and pads should cost around $100 for both sides, shoes $20-30 for both sides. Tack on another $20/drum for turning at a shop. Brakes are actually one of the easiest jobs you can DIY.
Click to expand...

pads are easy.

Rotors arn't bad either, but that's where I personally draw the line.
Click to expand...

At least on my car, changing the rotors involves just 2 more bolts than doing pads.

Drums suck though, I'm glad I don't have them anymore and I'm never buying another car with drums.
 
Damn, it's been a few years since I paid someone to do my brakes, but even then, it only cost me around $300 total after labor and parts. $600 seems super high.
 
You didnt get taken because you paid someone else to do it. If you were doing it yourself it would have been quite a bit less expensive. The cost there was the time and labor that it took to do it all.
 
$600 isn't too far off the mark for all four wheels from a real mechanic.

OBVIOUSLY it is cheaper to do maintenance yourself, folks. But if the OP wanted to do it himself, he would have done so.

In addition to variations in parts prices and labor times from car to car, there is also the variable of location. Areas with high rents usually have higher labor charges to cover increased lease rates for shops, regardless of other factors.
 
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