I'll say this upfront. When it comes to brakes I have no experience doing them myself, so despite the judgement I may get from the forum, I'm not looking to start now.

So I took my 2006 SR5 into my local Toyota dealer to have a few things checked out, and they let me know the pads & calipers need replacement. To be fair, I have 183,000+ miles on this thing and I've never had any brake issues in the past so I had kind of accepted that this was coming. My question pertains to price. Any ideas what price range I should look for in terms of having this work done? I understand that dealerships generally charge a lot more, so I'm open to finding a local garage that I can trust (anyone have any recommendations for the Albuquerque area?), but just wanted an idea of what I might be able to expect.

I've no plans to replace my vehicle anytime soon so I'm willing to put some money into keeping her running, but just trying to get an idea of a ballpark figure (if possible to estimate based on the information I've provided). There was mention of significant rust in both locations. Any advice is appreciated!

Information they put in the report below verbatim:

Inspection Recommendations:

Replace front brake pads, rotors & hardware (3 mm) - $1,042
Replace rear brake pads, rotors & hardware (4 mm) - $1,142

Are those quotes for rotors, pads, and calipers? What (specifically) type of rotors, pads, and calipers (if they're included in the estimate)?

I just did the rotors and pads myself, not too hard, significantly cheaper.

Also, curious about the name PhantomF4E

For what it's worth - If you bought NAPA brand parts and replaced EVERYTHING -rotors, pads, and calipers with all hardware for everything, you're looking at $900 plus tax after you return the old parts (these "cores" are used to remanufacture the parts). Then of course, they'll replace all your brake fluids with $50-$75 of fluids.

All told, paying for parts is usually only 40-60% of the cost at a mechanic (and other services like plumbing, electrical, home repairs), so $2100 is probably in the right range, but I've never gotten it quoted.

HOWEVER, what you got quoted doesn't seem to indicate all 4 calipers being replaced; if that's the case, your quote looks pretty high. The calipers are probably $350+ in parts and also a huge time factor. When you replace calipers, you have to bleed your brakes, whereas you could get by not bleeding them just doing rotors and pads. I know you indicate they verbally told you calipers, but their notes don't itemize them.

Assuming that's not the case, and they're doing everything, the main thing to make sure of is that they're using quality parts or OEM. I would even go so far as to see if you can provide them and pay for labor only. Your dealer is not required to use OEM parts if your vehicle is not under warranty, so there is no guarantee you're getting quality by using a dealer. Some mechanics don't like customers to provide parts, so don't be surprised if one isn't keen on it. You can specify brands to avoid or to use as well.

Yes, it's $1000 cheaper to do it yourself, but it's also a whole day's worth of work if you've never done it before (at least it was for my dumb ass). and it's really stressful knowing you're putting a major safety mechanism into your own hands. I did it and it was fine, but no judgement here for getting it done by a pro.

$2000+ for brakes is ridiculous, especially if they arent true OEM toyota parts.

call around to some local shops that specialize in brakes for a estimate. most places will warrant their work if they provide the parts, BUT all shops will mark up the parts quite a bit. but still will be far cheaper than the stealership, avoid them at alll costs, they arent better than a reputable shop... just better at ripping people off!

i would find a shop that will install your own parts, then buy some good quality parts that have lifetime warranty like NAPA or power stop etc. since you arent doing the work you will have to pay for labor if/when you need them replaced but the parts will be covered under warranty. shops warranty usually is only 1 year on the labor so either way you will pay for the labor if a problem comes up down the road.

also consider the 5th gen caliper upgrade, many threads on here about it, they are supposed to be better calipers than 4th gens& bolt on to 4th gens.

I did my brakes for under $300 at an independent shop with Lots of experience - more than my dealer.
SR5 2005 with 140,000 miles. Brake job done last year and were done perfecto.

I BROUGHT THEM ONE OR TWO FRONT CALIPERS you can get at Amazon.
Front and right calipers (4 pistons in each). They freeze up after 12 years of stopping and 180,000 miles.
You shouldn't need rear calipers. Rotors AM (even from China) are fine. Amazon will have them too. They are cheap.

Learn how to shop Amazon for autoparts. They ask you questions about your 4runner V6 or V8 - year SR5 - whatever - and have a wide selection of manufactures. Calipers are always remanufactured. Many manufactures are at Amazon, so you can tell if its the right "fit" for your 4 runner before they ship.

The quote, although high, is probably on par as long as it comes with a full-warranty and ALL parts replaced.

The nice thing about paying that amount is you have a dealer to stand behind the work so if something goes wrong, you go to them.

Others have already said it, but you can do it on your own (or with a few friends and pizza) over the course of a few hours as long as you take your time. Or an independent shop'll probably charge considerably less.

Just replaced the rotors, calipers, and pads all around on the wife's 05 4Runner with Napa's ultra premium and total eclipse parts, and with 20% off this month, it came to roughly $600 after returning the cores.

Also swapped out the CV axles and installed 5100's while I had the wheels off.

If you don't have the tools, ability, or time to do it yourself, then you'll have to pay them their ridiculously high shop rate.

It looks like highway robbery there. I recommend buying the Parts (OEM) online from a dealership as they are all trying to make ends meet and prices are pretty good. example
Genuine OEM Toyota 03-09 4Runner 16 Wheels (REAR) Brake Bundle 04466-60090/42431-60201 | Conicelli Toyota of Conshohock

Genuine OEM Toyota 03-09 4Runner 16 Wheels (FRONT) Brake Bundle 04465-35290/43512-60150 | Conicelli Toyota of Conshohock

I bought OEM Front brakes bundle for my 08 SE from them and they sent me the wrong set. when I called they immediately sent out the correct set. Great customer service.
One thing these bundles don't include are the brake hardware.

I think once you buy these online, find a reputable shop that'll install them. I bet you might get the job around $1000 including parts.

Good luck