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Old 05-25-2013, 06:18 PM #1
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New 4Runner owner, long overdue for a first post. A few questions...

Hello all! This is going to turn into a large post. I've been putting off registering here, so this probably should've been split up into 3-4 posts over the last few months.

I bought a 2005 4Runner Sport Edition 4x4 v6 about 2-3 months ago with 113,000 miles on it. The guy I bought it from got it serviced every 5k miles at the dealer. I have records of everything that's ever been done to it (thanks to toyota's awesome service website). It's got a custom leveling lift in the front and larger BFG A/Ts all around. I'll get to more on the lift later... The first three weekends I had it, I took it out to the desert and did some wheeling, living in San Diego has it's perks. The truck is amazing, and I LOVE it. It's a huge upgrade coming from my last truck, a 2000 Ford Ranger (I always said that the interior noise sounded like a 1970's motorhome driving around town).

I quickly found this forum and have spent countless hours reading and researching, I already have a long list of mods that I want to do and you guys have helped me out considerably with the maintenance that i've done on the 4r so far.

What i've done to it so far:
- Changed the spark plugs
- New air filter
- Replaced the original panasonic battery
- Serpentine belt replaced
- Cleaned the throttle body and MAF
- Reset the ECU
- Replaced a running light, dome light, and one of the LEDs behind the A/C controls



First, let's start with pics! Cause everyone likes pics. Right?












Now onto my questions...

When I first picked up the car, the previous owner told me that there was a vibration in the steering wheel at higher speeds caused by the tires being out of balance. He was correct. I took it to the stealership today for a $50 special balance and tire rotation. While I was in, they called me back and told me my brakes needed to be done, they showed me some scoring happening on the rotor and showed me that I didn't have much left on the pads. I told them that I could replace the pads myself, but they said that I MUST have the rotors machined. I asked them how much that would be for them to do just the machining and it was something like $115 for the front, and another $115 for the rear (might be slightly off there), they said their "brake package" was $199 and included everything. I said i'd think about it and went inside and went straight to this forum and did some searches.

I found some people being WAY overcharged for these services, and other people saying that they could get it done for under $100-150 at an independent shop. Im pretty handy and have no problem doing it myself, but I obviously don't have a way to machine the rotors at home. I went up to the parts counter and asked them how much for the pads, they said $87.60 for the front and $85.04 for the rear. At that point, their $199 brake package is only $30 more. What should I do?

I looked at the service records to see when the brakes were last changed, and I wasn't able to find anything definitive. There was a brake inspection at 75,000 miles, and at 103,000 miles, but I don't see a brake service ever being performed. I just hit 116,000 miles on the truck.


The reason they called me to the back wasn't actually for the brakes (that was secondary), they said that my alignment was out of whack and was causing irregular wear on my tires (which I noticed myself and was one of the reasons I went in for the rotation/balance). They recommended an alignment, which is on my list to do, but that brings me back to the lift...








The previous owner had a technical background and machined the lift spacer himself. I don't remember how long ago he said he put the lift on, but it seems like it's been on there for awhile. I went to the dealer to see how much it would cost to replace the cracked rubber piece, and they couldn't guarantee that it was a stock part. It looks like the stock part from this diagram they printed out for me though: http://i.imgur.com/IuI0X2a.jpg. My question to the forum is two-fold: first, is that a stock part? and second, should I replace it? I do need to get an alignment, and i'd like to do it soon, but tearing apart the suspension will throw the alignment off so I want to make sure I don't need to get it aligned twice if I do need to replace the rubber piece. What do you think?

Thanks in advance!
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Old 05-25-2013, 08:39 PM #2
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To me it just looks like the driver side is not aligned on the bolt heads like the passenger side. They don't really look like they need to be replaced.
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Old 05-25-2013, 11:43 PM #3
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In my opinion, if the brakes do not pulse when you use them, then the rotors do not need to be replaced or resurfaced. That being said, your rotors have a minimum thickness that is safe. it is measured in millimeters, but I do not know what that safe thickness is. If the vibration at speed to mentioned is from the rotors when you brake, then you need to either have the rotors turned, or replace them. Rotors are cheap brand new and may actually cost less to buy new ones than to have your old ones turned. Check prices at Rock Auto for a starting point.

Brakes are relatively easy to do yourself if you have the appropriate tools, knowledge, experience and confidence to tackle them. Pads are super easy. Replacing the Rotors on a Runner with your mileage will most likely require you to knock them off, forcibly with a rubber mallet, which is not for the faint of heart if you've never done it before.

Is the dealership "brake package" for 199 just the front? I assume so, because if it is all 4 wheels, it is a bargain. Especially for Toyota parts from the dealership. If you don't mind doing the work yourself, you could save some $$, get to know your truck better in the process, and have a higher level of satisfaction with the brakes knowing that you did them yourself.
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Old 05-26-2013, 03:02 AM #4
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Where do you people get your rotors turned its only 12$ each at my local auto parts store. Thats no where near the price of a rotor.

Anyway do the brake stuff yourself. You can buy good pads and new rotors for less than the dealership is charging for the pads probably I think my fronts were 40 and rears were 20. As for the other...... yeah i dont know and WELCOME lol
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Old 05-26-2013, 04:17 AM #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cygan1008 View Post
Where do you people get your rotors turned its only 12$ each at my local auto parts store. Thats no where near the price of a rotor.

Anyway do the brake stuff yourself. You can buy good pads and new rotors for less than the dealership is charging for the pads probably I think my fronts were 40 and rears were 20. As for the other...... yeah i dont know and WELCOME lol
At those prices, what brand rotor/pads are you using? More importantly, where can you get them....If you don't mind me asking, that is.
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Old 05-26-2013, 01:07 PM #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by morphious View Post
To me it just looks like the driver side is not aligned on the bolt heads like the passenger side. They don't really look like they need to be replaced.
After seeing this, you are 100% correct, and it's glaringly obvious now. Do you think I should take the suspension apart to align it properly, or just let it go?


Quote:
Originally Posted by 03limited2WD View Post
In my opinion, if the brakes do not pulse when you use them, then the rotors do not need to be replaced or resurfaced. That being said, your rotors have a minimum thickness that is safe. it is measured in millimeters, but I do not know what that safe thickness is. If the vibration at speed to mentioned is from the rotors when you brake, then you need to either have the rotors turned, or replace them. Rotors are cheap brand new and may actually cost less to buy new ones than to have your old ones turned. Check prices at Rock Auto for a starting point.

Brakes are relatively easy to do yourself if you have the appropriate tools, knowledge, experience and confidence to tackle them. Pads are super easy. Replacing the Rotors on a Runner with your mileage will most likely require you to knock them off, forcibly with a rubber mallet, which is not for the faint of heart if you've never done it before.

Is the dealership "brake package" for 199 just the front?
The brakes feel totally fine, and don't squeal or pulse. While it was on the lift at the dealer, they had me run my finger over the rotors and they weren't anywhere near smooth. The vibration at speed has completely gone away after the tire balance.

I'm going to look into picking up new pads at the local auto parts store today, any recommendations on which kind to pick up? I'm more than happy to replace them myself, i've done it on all my other vehicles.

I'm not sure if the $199 was just for the front, they made it seem like it was for all four, but it doesn't make sense if the parts alone are $170 at the parts counter.
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Old 05-26-2013, 01:32 PM #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by przm View Post
After seeing this, you are 100% correct, and it's glaringly obvious now. Do you think I should take the suspension apart to align it properly, or just let it go?




The brakes feel totally fine, and don't squeal or pulse. While it was on the lift at the dealer, they had me run my finger over the rotors and they weren't anywhere near smooth. The vibration at speed has completely gone away after the tire balance.

I'm going to look into picking up new pads at the local auto parts store today, any recommendations on which kind to pick up? I'm more than happy to replace them myself, i've done it on all my other vehicles.

I'm not sure if the $199 was just for the front, they made it seem like it was for all four, but it doesn't make sense if the parts alone are $170 at the parts counter.
After being a parts employee ill just say this...While there isnt any service records on the brakes being replaces, you are at 100k+ with a possibility of not changing brakes because you said that he was vigilant with his services at the dealer. While the prices may be high at the dealer, look how far those pads have gone.

I have also seen some cheap AutoZone/Kragen pads TEAR apart a toyota rotor. But also could have been the driver. Im going to buy pads at the dealer when i have to just because of what i've seen first hand.
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Old 05-26-2013, 02:23 PM #8
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I just got back from O'Reilly and this was their cost breakdown:

Basic pads (they said they were organic. lol):
Front: $19.99 each
Rear: $14.99 each

Ceramic pads:
Front: $36.99
Rear: $28.99

Turning rotors is $15 each

New rotors:
Front: $52.99 each
Rear: $46.99 each

Total for the basic pads: $69.96 (with turning: $129.96)
Total for ceramic pads $131.96 (with turning: $191.96)
Total for Toyota pads: $172.64 (with turning: $232.64)

If I had to choose between the basic and the ceramic, i'll definitely do the ceramic, but at that point, it's not THAT much more to just do Toyota pads.
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Old 05-26-2013, 03:34 PM #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by przm View Post
I just got back from O'Reilly and this was their cost breakdown:

Basic pads (they said they were organic. lol):
Front: $19.99 each
Rear: $14.99 each

Ceramic pads:
Front: $36.99
Rear: $28.99

Turning rotors is $15 each

New rotors:
Front: $52.99 each
Rear: $46.99 each

Total for the basic pads: $69.96 (with turning: $129.96)
Total for ceramic pads $131.96 (with turning: $191.96)
Total for Toyota pads: $172.64 (with turning: $232.64)

If I had to choose between the basic and the ceramic, i'll definitely do the ceramic, but at that point, it's not THAT much more to just do Toyota pads.
My 2 cents, Get new front rotors and non-ceramic brake pads. Why, you will now have a spare set of rotors you can have turned and if you ever warp one you can easily swap them and have the truck up and running and get them turned again at your convenience. I have had my front rotors warp a couple of times when I was using ceramic pads and have since switched and have not had a problem. I did some research and found that the ceramics have a tendency to cause more heat build up thus why I say get non-ceramic. Having rotors turned is cheap but if they are on the vehicle usually cost about $100 to have them do the labor to remove and replace. Rears seem to not be an issue as most of the braking is handled by the fronts.

As for your front suspension, eventually you will need to replace your shocks so I would fix the coil pad then. A lot of work to take everything a part just to align it and it really is not going to change anything at this point.
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Old 05-26-2013, 05:05 PM #10
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At those prices, what brand rotor/pads are you using? More importantly, where can you get them....If you don't mind me asking, that is.
Napa brand OEM replacement ceramic pads
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Old 05-26-2013, 08:28 PM #11
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Napa brand OEM replacement ceramic pads
Cool, . for the info..
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Old 05-28-2013, 09:45 AM #12
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Admittedly, I know very little about about the real world differences between brake pad types, but I always buy Ceramic. All pad types have advantages and disadvantages.

The stopping power is much more pronounced with ceramic pads in my experience. I am so used to the firm feel in the pedal, that when I drive a truck without ceramic pads, something feels wrong. I get at least 50k miles out of rotors before they warp on ceramics, I don't know if that bad or not, but I can live with new rotors every 50k or so.

just my .02 cents.

I get whatever "Lifetime" warranty pads are on sale, keep the receipt and the box, and you will never have to pay for pads again. Just take the box and receipt back to the store with the old pads, and they hand you a new set of pads.
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Old 05-28-2013, 03:43 PM #13
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Welcome and great pictures... this place is a wealth of information and users are very helpful. I'm doing the brakes myself and having the local Napa shop turn the rotors. I already picked up some EBC 6000 Green Stuff pads through Amazon at a good price.

Like someone else mentioned... I wouldn't worry about the lift and rubber pad until you change out the shocks.

As you have already seen... the list of mods is endless. Have fun picking what you want to do.
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Old 07-25-2013, 02:40 PM #14
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first post

I have a 1989 4 runner. Last year I had it retrofitted to use the new Freon. Now I am told it is leaking Freon because the old hoses don't fit the retrofit and there is no way to get hoses that work? Any help?

I am obviously a novice at both the AC business and the posting business
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Old 07-25-2013, 02:59 PM #15
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I have a 1989 4 runner. Last year I had it retrofitted to use the new Freon. Now I am told it is leaking Freon because the old hoses don't fit the retrofit and there is no way to get hoses that work? Any help?

I am obviously a novice at both the AC business and the posting business
take this post, copy it, and paste it here: Classic T4Rs - Toyota 4Runner Forum - Largest 4Runner Forum
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oh my god the erection I have from this thread is unreal.
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