question about car brakes - 92 toyota camry

[Pyramix]

i don't know much about cars, and so i thought it'd be a good idea to ask you fellas. i've been having some problems with the brakes on my car (92 toyota camry), and i had them inspected. the brakes weren't very effective, and the brake pedal was almost touching the floor. the mechanic told me that the master cylinder is cracked and the rotors are out of spec. here's the estimate he gave me

master cylinder ($300 new or $150 remanufactured)
labor for changing master cylinder ($91)
rotors ($92 each)
labor for changing rotors ($71)

he said the rotors' recommended spec was 1.044, but my front and rear rotors were 0.966 and 0.965 resp. i have no idea what this means.

what do you guys think? are these prices fair? do the rotor specs indicate that i need to have the rotors replaced?

 

[d33pt]

that means your rotors have been worn too thin...thus needing replacement.. those prices seem pretty reasonable

the rear rotors are always thinner though, because they are non vented. there should be two separate tolerances. i know that the rears should be much thinner than 1"

 

[Quixfire]

The bad master cylinder is the reason your pedal goes to the floor. As for the prices, they seem fair, except for the rotors. They seem a little high, you might want to call some parts stores to compare.

 

[Pyramix]

you are right, the mechanic did point out the front rotors as being worse

 

[AlienCraft]

Sounds about right. Rotors (if his measurements are on) are toast. Ask about warranty(s) on the remanufactured Master Cylinder vs the new one.
Is this an independant shop?
ASCE certified?

 

[Pyramix]

warranty on the new master cylinder is 1 yr., whereas it's 90 days on the remanufactured one. i think i'll go the refurbished one.

the auto shop is precision tune auto care (i think they are a franchise)

don't know what ASCE is, but my guess is they are certified (judging from their wall full of awards, policies, professionalism, etc.). now that i think about, i think i did see an ASCE sign in their office, but don't remember for sure

 

[Vette73]

Originally posted by: Pyramix
warranty on the new master cylinder is 1 yr., whereas it's 90 days on the remanufactured one. i think i'll go the refurbished one.

the auto shop is precision tune auto care (i think they are a franchise)

don't know what ASCE is, but my guess is they are certified (judging from their wall full of awards, policies, professionalism, etc.). now that i think about, i think i did see an ASCE sign in their office, but don't remember for sure

RUN!!!! Do not let precision tune do a thing to your car. They are one of the biggest rip off shops in the world. Find a good independent mechanic. Get a second look at the car, NOW!!!


Go to Autozone and BUY the parts yourself. A Master Cyl will have a Lifetime warrenty if YOU buy it. Also check the prices of rotors and they are replacing the brake pads also, they need to if you are replacing the rotors.

 

[Pyramix]

no they are not replacing the brake pads. the mechanic said they were fine and could be used a little longer.

have you had any bad experiences with precision tune auto care?

 

When replacing rotors the brake pads must be replaced no matter how good they look.
The old pads have taken a set to the old rotors, if you try to reuse the pads on the new rotors they will cause uneven braking and possible brake squeal.

I worked for precision Tune 10 or 12 years back, I quit the second day after seeing how badly they rip thier customers off.

 

[Thegonagle]

Sounds right for the diagnosis of the master cylinder, that would cause the pedal to go to the floor and the brakes not to work.

But don't get it done at Precision Tune.

While pads and rotors are not to be neglected, you may not really need them yet, so go get a second opinion.

 

[Pyramix]

wow, so are all precision tune auto care centers the same? after all, they are owned by different ppl.

how exactly do they rip the customers off? what should i be on the lookout for? do the prices not look right? i dropped my car there a little while ago (i told them to just change the master cylinder and not the rotors). i don't think they would have begun any work yet, but they might have placed the order for the parts....

i have to admit my initial impression of the place was that they must be good.....i called a couple of independent shops....the first place said the brakes inspection would take an hour and they would charge me $60 for it, the second place told me that it would take half an hour and they would charge me $30 for it. then i called precision tune and they said they would do it for free. so i went with them. guess it was a poor decision.

 

They do the inspection for free to lure you in, then they bend you over and rape you until they can draw no more blood.

Case in point, the first day I worked for these scumbags, a lady came in complaining of brake squeal, the numbnuts technician in the bay next to me yanked off all four tires and inspected the brakes.
He stated to her that she needed all new calipers, rotors, slave cylinders and drums (Not to mention new pads and shoes), I took a gander at them while he was speaking to her and I found nothing wrong with them, all they needed was a coating of anti squeal on the pads.
I went and had a word with the manager, he stated that we should push the parts and labor as hard as we could or I would not "fit in" with the crew.

I told him that what he was doing was not only immoral, but also illegal, he fired back that if I did not keep my mouth shut that I would never work in the business again.

 

[tw1164]

I have a Corolla and had to change the front rotors, it was alot easier then I thought. The parts were $40/rotor and about 90 mins to install (It was my first time changing rotors).

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: Roger
They do the inspection for free to lure you in, then they bend you over and rape you until they can draw no more blood.

Case in point, the first day I worked for these scumbags, a lady came in complaining of brake squeal, the numbnuts technician in the bay next to me yanked off all four tires and inspected the brakes.
He stated to her that she needed all new calipers, rotors, slave cylinders and drums (Not to mention new pads and shoes), I took a gander at them while he was speaking to her and I found nothing wrong with them, all they needed was a coating of anti squeal on the pads.
I went and had a word with the manager, he stated that we should push the parts and labor as hard as we could or I would not "fit in" with the crew.

I told him that what he was doing was not only immoral, but also illegal, he fired back that if I did not keep my mouth shut that I would never work in the business again.

HAHAHAHAHA! Well, he was sure right about that, now wasn't he. After all, you only run your own shop now. (BTW, how are things looking for that beautiful T-1 Transporter you were talking about the other day?)

ZV

 

Do you mean the one I posted about at 10:00 this morning ?

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: Roger
Do you mean the one I posted about at 10:00 this morning ?

Oops. Heh, I guess the fact that I wasn't real awake at 10:00 is pretty obvious. I thought that was a day or two ago.

ZV

 

[Quixfire]

Originally posted by: Marlin1975

Originally posted by: Pyramix
warranty on the new master cylinder is 1 yr., whereas it's 90 days on the remanufactured one. i think i'll go the refurbished one.

the auto shop is precision tune auto care (i think they are a franchise)

don't know what ASCE is, but my guess is they are certified (judging from their wall full of awards, policies, professionalism, etc.). now that i think about, i think i did see an ASCE sign in their office, but don't remember for sure

RUN!!!! Do not let precision tune do a thing to your car. They are one of the biggest rip off shops in the world. Find a good independent mechanic. Get a second look at the car, NOW!!!


Go to Autozone and BUY the parts yourself. A Master Cyl will have a Lifetime warrenty if YOU buy it. Also check the prices of rotors and they are replacing the brake pads also, they need to if you are replacing the rotors.

We all know about your love for Autozone, but I checked their website and called a local store prior to my post and they don't have rotors for his car yet. When I inquired about this, the manager told me thier vendor doesn't provide them. But this may only be a local issue here, not too many Camrys in Detroit.

One other thing to think about, is most shops won't install customer supplied parts. I recommend calling the your garage of choice and ask them if they will before you purchase your own parts.

 

[Pyramix]

okay, i feel gypped now......found a site selling brand new 92 camry master cylinders for $90 + free shipping

http://catalog.toyotapartstore.com/?make=TO&year=1992

 

[psteng19]

Originally posted by: Pyramix
okay, i feel gypped now......found a site selling brand new 92 camry master cylinders for $90 + free shipping

http://catalog.toyotapartstore.com/?make=TO&year=1992

Was about to say... the master cylinder price was a bit high.

Had it replaced (new parts AND labor) for $150 on a '95 Accord.

Say, is the brake master cylinder another term for brake pump?

 

[SuperSix]

I use Carparts.com to check validity of pricing.

 

[CraigRT]

Originally posted by: psteng19

Originally posted by: Pyramix
okay, i feel gypped now......found a site selling brand new 92 camry master cylinders for $90 + free shipping

http://catalog.toyotapartstore.com/?make=TO&year=1992

Was about to say... the master cylinder price was a bit high.

Had it replaced (new parts AND labor) for $150 on a '95 Accord.

Say, is the brake master cylinder another term for brake pump?

i guess you could say that.. it's where the brake fluid is dispersed from the main chamber into the brake lines, to the brakes at the wheels. so yeah, it is.. brake pump

 

[Pyramix]

what happens if the rotors are below spec? i don't want to spend money on getting those fixed yet, but i'd like to know what kind of risk i am carrying? also, below spec rotors is not going to stress or excessively wear any other part, is it?

i talked to the mechanic again, and he confirmed that the brake pads were only 50% worn, so he was not going to replace them. it would cost me another $175 to replace the pads ($55/pad + $65 labor).

 

[d33pt]

i dunno why he would charge you extra labor to replace the pads. he has to take them out to replace the rotors and then put them back anyway... so it wont be any extra work.. i hate mechanics that do that.

 

[Thegonagle]

Originally posted by: d33pt
i dunno why he would charge you extra labor to replace the pads. he has to take them out to replace the rotors and then put them back anyway... so it wont be any extra work.. i hate mechanics that do that.

Agreed. Are you starting to see how they aren't as good as you first thought?

Forget about the rotors (and the pads) for now. Get them done in a month or two, by someone who won't double bill you on the labor.

Your rotors are more likely to warp if they aren't already. You'll feel warped rotors as pulsing or shaking when braking hard, especially from high speeds. It's not good, but if that's not a problem right now, don't worry until it is.

With thinner than normal rotors, it's going to be a good idea not to let your pads get thinner than, oh, say 25%, because it's possible for the piston inside the caliper to over-extend, and start leaking very suddenly. That will cause immediate symptoms like you're having now (pedal almost to floor, reduced effectiveness), only you'll lose fluid very quickly, so after 5-10 stops like that, you'll have no brakes.

So, like I said, get them done in a month or two, but get them done by someone honest who will only charge labor on the rotors, and replace the pads for the cost of parts alone (no labor on pads). Double billing the labor like that is bogus.

 

[Vette73]

Originally posted by: Quixfire

Originally posted by: Marlin1975

Originally posted by: Pyramix
warranty on the new master cylinder is 1 yr., whereas it's 90 days on the remanufactured one. i think i'll go the refurbished one.

the auto shop is precision tune auto care (i think they are a franchise)

don't know what ASCE is, but my guess is they are certified (judging from their wall full of awards, policies, professionalism, etc.). now that i think about, i think i did see an ASCE sign in their office, but don't remember for sure

RUN!!!! Do not let precision tune do a thing to your car. They are one of the biggest rip off shops in the world. Find a good independent mechanic. Get a second look at the car, NOW!!!


Go to Autozone and BUY the parts yourself. A Master Cyl will have a Lifetime warrenty if YOU buy it. Also check the prices of rotors and they are replacing the brake pads also, they need to if you are replacing the rotors.

We all know about your love for Autozone, but I checked their website and called a local store prior to my post and they don't have rotors for his car yet. When I inquired about this, the manager told me thier vendor doesn't provide them. But this may only be a local issue here, not too many Camrys in Detroit.

One other thing to think about, is most shops won't install customer supplied parts. I recommend calling the your garage of choice and ask them if they will before you purchase your own parts.

Well I use Autozone over advance as they give me a 30day warrenty on labor. i.e. If I put a Master Cyl. on a car and it fails they will pay for my labor, NOT the customer. I had a Master Cyl go bad on me that I got from Advance and they told me they could give me a new part but that was all. So Autozone, at least the ones where I work, go out of their way to help. Sorry if I sound like a Autozone fanboy, but they have alwys done me right and send me some business sometimes. The locla Napa is pretty good also. But I have had problems with Advance.

And what car do you have?