Need new brake pads and rotors

[david_ray320]

So I just took my car into the Toyota shop for an 80K check up and they told me I need new brake pads and rotors for the front breaks. They're telling me it's going to run about $700. Does that sound reasonable to anyone else who has replaced their pads and rotors? I'm just trying to find out if I'm getting a higher price estimate because it's from the dealer and whether or not I'd be better off going somewhere else.

Any help appreciated.

 

[DavidAlexander]

So I just took my car into the Toyota shop for an 80K check up and they told me I need new brake pads and rotors for the front breaks. They're telling me it's going to run about $700. Does that sound reasonable to anyone else who has replaced their pads and rotors? I'm just trying to find out if I'm getting a higher price estimate because it's from the dealer and whether or not I'd be better off going somewhere else.

Any help appreciated.

Half that cost looks to be labor so if you know a good shop, buy the OEM parts online and have your mechanic do it. If you don't have a mechanic and are too busy to deal with part numbers or ordering and waiting for parts, have the dealership do it in a few hours. Can save you alot of time and money if your time is valuable. I don't work at a dealership so I dont know what their prices should be, but it doesn't surprise me to pay a premium to have the dealer work on your car.

 

[david_ray320]

Re: Re: Need new brake pads and rotors

Half that cost looks to be labor so if you know a good shop, buy the OEM parts online and have your mechanic do it. If you don't have a mechanic and are too busy to deal with part numbers or ordering and waiting for parts, have the dealership do it in a few hours. Can save you alot of time and money if your time is valuable. I don't work at a dealership so I dont know what their prices should be, but it doesn't surprise me to pay a premium to have the dealer work on your car.

Thanks for the response. Yeah I just called Precision Tune Auto Care and they gave me a $340 estimate. I don't know much about brakes etc. but $700 seemed steep so I figured I'd call around. Plus with the holidays and the economy I don't exactly have $700 to just drop on brakes, especially if I could get a better deal somewhere else.

 

[Clemsonfan15]

$700 does seem high. We took our Suburban to AAA for an oil change and they said it need new rear brakes and quoted us ~$200. AAA isn't known to be cheap either so I think the dealer is really high. One positive with going with the dealer is knowing that it will be done right.

Have you thought about doing the Tundra brake upgrade?

 

[maine runner]

David -

I have been where you are, three times.

First time I went to a chain. ~ $500.00 with aftermarket parts. 6 months later, warped rotors. Replaced them under warranty. Another year later, same problem.

I did a search and read the brake threads here and went OEM via a dealer. Front rotors and pads, rear pads for ~ $700 (@95.00/hr).

Two years later the warped rotor symptom re-appeared. Having found a trusted local guy. He replaced everything (warped front rotors, worn pads and the back drums and pads) with Bremo's. for ~$600. 6 months to date and not a problem.

I think how the installation is done is as, if not more, important than whether you go with OEM or after-market parts.

I have been told the lugs need to be put on by hand, no pneumatics, otherwise the wheel can be off and lead to warping etc.

It is a good idea to have all your tires re-balanced at the same time.

When I lived in VA and it was my daily driver, no issues. Once I moved here it sat. Part of the reason I had so many problems is the truck sat unused for weeks. I now drive it at least once a week, just to so it doesn't sit.

I have the itemized slip so if you want part prices, let me know.

Hope this helps.

 

[david_ray320]

David -

I have been where you are, three times.

First time I went to a chain. ~ $500.00 with aftermarket parts. 6 months later, warped rotors. Replaced them under warranty. Another year later, same problem.

I did a search and read the brake threads here and went OEM via a dealer. Front rotors and pads, rear pads for ~ $700 (@95.00/hr).

Two years later the warped rotor symptom re-appeared. Having found a trusted local guy. He replaced everything (warped front rotors, worn pads and the back drums and pads) with Bremo's. for ~$600. 6 months to date and not a problem.

I think how the installation is done is as, if not more, important than whether you go with OEM or after-market parts.

I have been told the lugs need to be put on by hand, no pneumatics, otherwise the wheel can be off and lead to warping etc.

It is a good idea to have all your tires re-balanced at the same time.

When I lived in VA and it was my daily driver, no issues. Once I moved here it sat. Part of the reason I had so many problems is the truck sat unused for weeks. I now drive it at least once a week, just to so it doesn't sit.

I have the itemized slip so if you want part prices, let me know.

Hope this helps.

Thanks a lot for the response. Same to you ClemsonFan.

I called around to some local places and got estimates in the $340 range so that's certainly much better than $700 so I'm taking it into Precision Tune Auto Care tomorrow morning to get everything sorted out.

Guess the lesson learned is to call around first and get estimates from other places, and in this case save $300 some bucks!

 

[p nut]

yes, you could take it to a mechanic. OR, do it yourself for $160. It takes me 30 minutes to do both brakes. All you need is simple hand tools. In a scale from 1-10, I'd give it a 2.

Also, you can get Duralast blank rotors from Autozone for $60 each. They will replace it for free if they warp within 2 yrs. Brake pads are lifetime warranty. Brembo is good, but no better than Autozone rotors.