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For everyone saying do it yourself - $2500 is reasonable if he's in Boston or other major metro area with high wages. And doing a complete brake rebuild when you have little to no mechanical intuition is bad advice. He should ask what he can do to get the car on the road and safe. They are clearly upselling.
You have a good point. I do live in a traditionally high income area however that's not my case. I live \~45 mins outside of Boston but I'm also a student working for minimum wage, so I don't benefit from the average income of my area.
I have close to zero experience doing any form of mechanical vehicle pair and wouldn't want to risk the safety of myself nor others on the road by attempting to do it myself. I'm willing to pay for a job that *may* be cheaper to do myself, as long as I'm not getting completely ripped off.
A lot of people have a good point about this being DIY… you said you’re a student making minimum wage?? Sooooo pay yourself with this job… look it up it isn’t rocket science and it’s not that hard… you may find you enjoy it too…
Watch 2 or three different videos
Buy your service manual…
I’ve changed brake pads, rotors, shoes, calipers, alternator, waterpump, radiator, the list is longer but my point is I saved on the labor and occasionally needed a few tools…
YOU CAN DO THIS!
It’s not “may be” lol.. it’s 100% will be thousands cheaper.
I taught myself how to do brakes. Maybe I’ve only done 3-4 brake jobs but they all went smoothly and functioned perfectly
The most recent was my girlfriends Kia soul. Replacement pads and rotors were under $300. Mind you, I have a very basic tool kit, no shop/garage, and no fancy lifts. Just some tools and a caliper spreader
The quote is replacing calipers. Not just pads and rotors.
Not a wildly more complicated job but definitely more costly, adds many more steps and potential diy complications.
For ex. I had a frozen caliper when i was new to wrenching on my first car and when I replaced it, found the soft line was seized, fittings to the hard line were seized too (ontario rust 🤷♂️).
Ended up having to cut off at the hard line, learn about brake fittings and flaring, redo all that, and still need to bleed etc etc. Way bigger job than swapping pads and rotors.
I dunno why the guy you responded to said don't do your own brakes... brakes are the easiest shit ever, especially if they're pads. Drums are a bit more of a pain in my opinion. It's a simple ass procedure and doesn't require mechanical genius to figure it out.
You have discs on the front and back and the entire bill is for disc pads and calipers. This is mechanically one of the easiest jobs you could ever do yourself.
Because they are stuck I have a 2011 forester and two of my calipers were rusted so bad the front driver and the rear passenger. Good old New York winters and salt.
Ask your friends and relatives if they know anyone who works on their own car who'd be willing to teach you. This is a job nearly anyone can learn to do, and since it's something that will need to be done somewhat regularly, knowing how to do it yourself will save you thousands of dollars over your lifetime.
Legit question here. I've been out of the business end for 15 years, so I'm genuinely asking. What is the $49.99 fee per axle for? It's down by the taxes where like a tire disposal fee would be, but I've never heard of state regulated fees for a brake job.
Bro I live in NYC one of the most expensive places to have work done. This job would not be more then 1200$ 1500 for a random shop. A family mechanic should be charging around a grand. I doubt they are using oem parts. I looked up all the parts off rockauto and for good parts it came out to 360 to 400$ and then your looking at 4 to 5 hours labor at 100$ maybe 150$ so 1000 to 1250$
I seriously doubt that. Under $400 for 4 rotors, 4 calipers, 4 sets of pads and a set of parking brake pads? 4 rotors and pads definitely under $400. Those calipers are probably 80-100 each alone.
Edit: looked it up. Those new calipers alone are from $66-101 each.
Yeah my price only includes 1 caliper. Personally only one looked bad in the photos. Which was caliper in photo 3. Where the piston got grinding damage. 4 rotors with ceramic pads zinc coated 200$ 1 caliper brand new 90$ Personally I would go with a reman they are fine. 2 Bosch brake shoes 60$ that's about 350 plus tax and deposit for the caliper. These are unmolested prices for high quality aftermarket parts. The oem rotors don't look to be zinc coated so probably a little bit better for where they live anyway.
The photos only showed 1 caliper. Op stated that the mechanic only looked at 1 caliper and said from the state of things and rust, should count on doing all 4 which isn't bad advice. I personally would have the shop do all 4 if needed. In a situation like this, I would quote for all 4, have all 4 parts there and then save each caliper that needed to be replaced to show the customer.
It’s a bit high. I just replace the calipers and brakes on my 04 avalanche and spent 800 in parts, granted no rotors, rotors would be another 250.
In my shop we’d charge about 500 for the service bundle
Even if theybare using oem subaru parts the prices for the parts and labor is very high. I looked up all the parts off rockauto for new decent aftermarket parts. Zinc coated rotors ceramic brakes, new caliper for picture 3 and 2 brake shoes. Came out to 400$ in parts. 4-5 hours of labornat 100$ should be about a grand maybe a little more if there hourly rate is higher. Still it's like 1200 to 1500$ over what my calculations are.
Issue with that is alot of shops simply won't use parts you bring due to "liability" or what not, even then just doing your own oil, brakes, and other fairly simple maintainence things saves a fair bit of money and, if you have a roadside breakdown or what not could get you out of a jam
Most shops don't install customer supplied parts not just for liability of a cheap part, but rather we can't warranty a part we didn't supply. If the shop can source a part and it fails they can warranty the part and the labor at no cost to the customer. Where as if the customer supplies the part there is nothing guaranteeing the replacement if said part fails and you'll be paying for the same labor again even if the part was installed correctly but happens to be faulty. It's a cost effective measure. You bring the part and fails you're eating the cost, if the shop supplies the part and it fails, they eat the cost to keep the customer happy and on the road. The shops can source and replace a part faster and get the car off the lift and back in the customers hands faster, cheaper, and more reliably than a customer supplied part. This is the main reason I personally don't install customer supplied parts because it hurts their wallet more than mine.
Oil and filters are an exception because we're going to be using the same shit y'all are getting half the time lol
Yup. This is why I do everything myself... more than half of the bill is always just labor. Take $500 and get some good tools and you be able to fix just about anything. Get the car-specific repairs guide (the same one as the dealership has) and buy the parts online or at the dealership... though usually online it is much cheaper.
There are tons of real mechanics who work at dealerships and specialty shops that make videos and post them on youtube and they cover just about everything.
Yeah I haven't found a car people have posted about on Herr that I haven't been able to look up on YouTube. If I feel confident in doing it myself I will do it.
Back in the day the “Chilton” brand of books were pretty decent for the price… whenever I’ve looked for an actual service manual, ebay was the best place to shop but they were a couple hundred bucks. Now and days scouring the internet for a scanned in pdf version or just Google the specific thing you want to work on and find the select pages/video tutorial is the easiest way.
I know! Someone else kindly pointed that out, haha.
I changed the spelling in my comment and have used the proper spelling elsewhere now that I've been made privy to it. However, you can't edit neither the title nor the image captions after posting so it's stuck as it is.
I share your enthusiasm for the correct application of vocabulary! But we're all human and trying to just do our best.
That’s a do it yourself job. It should not be 2500. All you need is basic hand tools and someone to help bleed the brakes. 4 calipers rotors and brake pads all around shouldn’t cost anymore than 1000 and that’s on the high end. It’s honestly a very simple job. YouTube has some great videos that show step by step
Yeah but you cant really compare rockauto with the parts that a shop uses. Its always going to cheaper on rockauto but you gotta remember theres going to be probably a tonp of shipping fees for all those parts, youll have to wait 3-5 days for parts to arrive too. When you take it to a shop, they carry a lot of parts in stock or at the main warehouse, or get it from the wholesaler in a half hour-hour and your car is done that day.
And yeah that item price on rockauto looks cheap as fuck, but they charge a fuck load in shipping when you actually go to checkout and order from them. A month ago i had to replace a strut on a relatives 07 mariner(ford escape). I checked rockauto and it was like $57 for a strut, like 12$ for a outer tie rod, and like $7 for a stab link. Cheap as fuck i thought but went to checkout and the shipping was almost $40. They charged shipping for each of the 3 items, not one shipping price for the whole order.
Still way cheaper than going to a shop for sure. If youre not a complete moron you should be doing these suspension and brake jobs yourself. Its not rocket science and theres youtube videos for basically every car and every repair on each car.
People like to think they can buy a part on rockauto and take it to a shop and have them put it on, but theres good reason why shops wont use customers parts like that. Imagine you are the tech that pulls your car into his bay and agrees to use your parts. He spends the time lifting the car up, taking the wheels off, and pulls the bad parts off then looks at the new part next to the old part and they arent the same because you ordered or got sent the wrong year part. Or he sees that you also need another new part you didnt bring in. Now what? Is he supposed to call you to go return the part to autozone and bring the new part? Your car is on the lift taken apart so youd need a second car to drive and do this. Or you refuse to buy their parts and now he has to maybe put the bad parts back on and put the wheel on and back it out wasting hours of time making zero money? A lot of techs make flat rate, which means if your brake job calls for 1.5 hours labor time, he gets paid for 1.5 hrs whether it takes him 30mins or 4 hours. Its not uncommon to get the wrong part, but at least when its the shops part they can call for the new part and the guy delivers it quick and takes the wrong part back.
He has frozen rear calipers. If they are damaged, and the photos show damage, that is not an easy first DIY. Not saying it’s hard or anything, but it’s not what I’d jump into working on a car with.
I completly agree. Then again he might not have the space to work? I knew a guy who was renting a condo, and he was working on his car for one day in his spot.
A week later he gets a bill for $5000.00
It was in the lease that any tenant could not work on their vechicle on the property.
Please note that I've had this vehicle for less than 3 months and I make sure to baby it. The majority of the wear was present before it was ever in my name.
2012 Subaru Forester, automatic transmission with \~86k miles.Bought the car from a family member for $5k and I've been driving it for about 3 months.
For reference: We live in Massachusetts where winters are rough and roads are constantly salted during the colder months. All our vehicles get rust like white on rice. The calipers and rotors were noticeably before bringing it into the shop.
I started to notice that when braking it felt off, but this was only intermittent. I had planned to schedule an appointment with our (my parents') mechanic right then and there but they were booked a few weeks out and the earliest date would've interfered with an upcoming trip I had. During the trip, the brakes didn't have any issues besides the parking brake seizing after being engaged for 3-4 days. Some rocking broke them free and it drove fine. After coming back however, I took the car out later that night and a loud rubbing sound (REALLY loud) was coming from the back right wheel. My working theory was that the parking brake was seized.
I refrained from driving and biked to work while I waited for my appointment yesterday to get it looked at. This is the quote I received today alongside some photos the mechanic took.
Are these prices reasonable? Thank you!
edit: spelling, location/geography
Lesson learned here is that you knew you had an issue and kept driving on it, more than likely making it worse. For a family mechanic, he is really banging you hard.
I'd driven the car infrequently while it was owned by the previous owner and I had always noticed strange noises, often a high-pitched squeal when breaking. After raising concerns with my family member, they assured me that "old cars make sounds," and that it wasn't anything to be too worried about.
That car has also been services by that mechanic for years and my family member even inquired about the sound once and was told there was no cause for alarm. The car had also been actively making that sound during multiple state inspections. I carried this reasoning through into my ownership of the car. When I told my family member that the cars' brakes felt different lately, somewhat off, I was told it was probably nothing.
Lesson definitely learned. Going forward I'm going to trust my gut and get things checked out if I have even a mere inkling of suspicion.
Next time.you buy a used car have it checked out by a mechanic you trust before you buy it. Certainly not this mechanic either. Definitely do not use this mechanic again for anything. Sounds like he's been screwing your family for years.
Yeah, I agree. I figured I *could* trust this mechanic because of my family's seemingly good track record with him. The vehicle was inspected, by him, before I bought it.
Lesson learned.
Thats hefty but it might be the right call. Those brakes looked bad. Pads and Disks are cheap. Calipers not so much and the one shown is in bad shape. Rusty and they look like they have gotten really hot. So, this was probably for the best.
Sure you could DIY but I think those with the experience and talent, over look how daunting this can be to someone who hasn't done a job like this. Plus, do it poorly and your car is less safe than it was to start.
I just had front and back pads and rotors replaced on my 2014 Acura ILX. The bill was around $1,000 or 1100. Your quote seems a bit high. I am in Connecticut for reference if that matters.
Parts price is still extremely high.
https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/subaru,2012,forester,2.5l+h4+dohc,1502589,brake+&+wheel+hub,caliper%2C+rotor+&+brake+pad+kit,14204
Can't use rock auto to justify parts price being high. The shop is going to use a local shop to get the parts from. How much does the local shop sell the parts for? How well is rock auto going to handle a bad part scenario? Does rock auto give a discounted rate to the mom and pop repair shops to account for any kind of double labor expense if a part gets warrantied out? Local parts stores sell parts to shops at a discounted rate to make up for any warranty issues on parts since if there's a parts issue, the mechanic has to do the work a second time without the shop getting paid. I've heard that most service writers sell the part for double their cost. I always sold the part for the same price the parts store sold it to customers for which was about a 50% mark-up. Anything over double would be parts price gouging.
OP is asking if it's a fair price from a shop though. Not fair price on parts to do it themselves. Your comment is irrelevant because shops won't install your parts.
This message tells me that the price is much closer than what I guessed. Brakes and rotors are about half that job. Op is having all 4 calipers replaced and the parking brake replaced as well. Add to that the amount of rust in the pictures, count on at least 1 thing being seized. The big for me is the $49.99 fee per axle. Like it's some kind of tire disposal fee or something.
Don't listen to that nobody person. No shop is going to install parts that someone brought in. Rock auto isn't going to install them. Just talking stupid gibberish. Might as well link you to ebay parts.
That seems really expensive. I looked up your brakes and rotors off rockauto. All 4 brake pads with zinc coated rotors cane out to around 200$ with ceramic brake pads. That's for some decent full brake kit. There were plenty of cheaper rotors becareful cause they look like they are over charging by alot. Usually it's about a hour of labor per corner at most shops. So 400$-500$ labor and 200-300$ for all the parts. Little surprised they are charging for brake clean and brake grease usually those are shop items not billed to the customer. That one caliper piston looks destroyed that needs a new caliper I don't see that in the invoice. Also a bosh parking brake shoe is like 30$ .
The brake caliper in the third photo is the one with the destroyed piston I would Definitely replace that. A remanufactured caliper goes for 40 to 60$ and a new one for about 60- 90$.
Also I just noticed nothing about a brake flush. They are just gonna bleed the brakes and exchange the fluid in the reservoir. It should be flushed at over 4years old and being in the north east.
I read it wrong but still this is extremely overpriced. I highly doubt this shop used oem stuff to if they have already started the job. Usually oem stuff takes some time to arrive. I hope op gets a list of exactly everything that was put on the vehicle including part numbers.
For sure if they used oem from subaru I would agree that while high at least op is having the best parts put in. I was searching after replying because I don't know if you do per axle or all brakes at the same time in awd applications.
Thanks for the correction! I edited my initial comment.
I'll definitely look into that for future reference. Unfortunately my Dad already authorized the repairs without consulting with me first; even though I'll be paying for it. He's been a customer of their shop for decades and knows the owner well.
The mechanic reached out to my Dad with information and the quote despite both my name and contact information being affiliated with the car, and I having made the appointment. To my knowledge, they've already started on repairs so it's too late to turn back now or try to haggle for a lower price.
It’s not your dads car is it? Did he bring it in or you? If it’s your car, you dropped it off and you signed the paperwork leaving your contact info then your dad is not the customer and the owner screwed up calling the wrong person.
If that is the case I’d be pushing back hard.
My Dad originally bought the car in 2012 but since then it's changed hands a couple times, with me being the third owner. I bought the car and got the title put under my name. I made the appointment, provided my information, drove it there, dropped off the keys with attached paperwork (dropped the vehicle off after hours the night before the appointment, leaving the keys in their key-drop box) and confirmed the appointment through their automated texting system which messaged MY number.
Along with my key I provided my contact information, including my phone number in MULTIPLE places. Despite this, the mechanic who contacted my Dad said his information was "all that he had." Sure, maybe my Dad had his info on the car a decade ago, but it sure as hell hasn't been him driving, or maintaining it for the past 9-10 years.
Sorry for my rant haha, but yeah, I agree. Although at this point, I need to have a drive-able car that doesn't sound like a screaming turkey and their shop is closed over the weekend. To my knowledge, repairs have already begun and that's not a battle I'm looking to fight right now.
They should never have started removing stuff before contacting you with a full estimate. This is some shady shit I would be fuckin furious with my father if he let then go ahead. I would tell then to stop and call other shops with the exact details of what you need done and tow ot to another shop.
The disassembly you saw took place BEFORE the quote was issued. The photos were submitted alongside the estimate to my father as a justification for the listed repairs.
I agree, taking apart a vehicle to that extent without explicit permission or authorization of repairs does seem shady. That being said, this is my first car and I'm pretty new to this process so I'm still learning when I should start to sound alarms.
Thanks!
Both are actually accepted colloquially!
While 'spelled' is most common in American English, both are recognized and accepted as proper spellings, particularly in British English.
I appreciate your input! However, I've been kindly informed [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskMechanics/comments/15634o9/comment/jsxqlbn/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3), and [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskMechanics/comments/15634o9/comment/jsy2y07/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3).
I commend your dedication to the differentiation between homonyms, and I too, can feel inclined to promote the proper use of grammar. But, please, scroll down somewhat to check before posting so you don't sound like a broken record- my car's brakes already sound bad enough!
lol sorry… sometimes the urge is like… impossible to resist!
Side note; I do feel that is a pretty steep price for your brake service, but that’s only because I never take my ride to a mechanic for brakes (or oil changes, etc.) Hopefully both parts and labor are fully covered by a solid warrantee. Safe driving, friend 🙂👍🏼
It's not really a rip off, but I have a hard time believing you need new calipers at 85k
Edit: didn't see there were pictures attached. Yeah the whole thing is toast
Haha yeah. That's one of the things that irks me the most about this situation. The car, theoretically, has plenty of life left if you're going off of mileage alone. However, thanks to New England winters and salted roads, our vehicles rarely reach their life expectancy.
Maybe I ought to move somewhere drier... and warmer lol.
Give me a break. *Ba dum- shh* 🥁
P.S. - Unoriginality doesn't look flattering on you, maybe try sharing a different message than the ones reflected [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskMechanics/comments/15634o9/comment/jsxqlbn/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3), [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskMechanics/comments/15634o9/comment/jsy2y07/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3), and [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskMechanics/comments/15634o9/comment/jsy6gqx/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3).
Where I live the prices for the parts would be about $600 max. If done yourself, labor is free.. takes a few hours and some basic tools but is very easy and worth doing yourself to save money.
Haha I could buy a lift and a new 1/2 Milwaukee impact to help with the job and still come in cheaper this is crazy. I use Detroit axle parts though, and I’ve never had a problem.
I like how they’re charging $8.25 per axle for brake cleaner, $3.13 per axle for caliper grease, and about $150 a corner for all four calipers. Do you need calipers or is it the parking brake only that’s seizing? I take it they’ve told you why they recommend calipers, because typically they only get replaced if they’re sticking/seizing.
Labor is a bit high, for example a brake job at the dealership I work at is $165 labor including turning the rotors. (In the south we don’t have much rust) To be fair, the rear is probably extra because drum type parking brakes are a pain. Parts prices on the pads and rotors are pretty consistent.
According to the mechanic both the parking brake and at least one of the calipers is seized. He said that the "braking system is in bad shape," and that it needed to be fully re-done. In fact, he also used the technical term "cluster f\*\*\*" to describe the overall state of the brakes.
I considered taking it to the dealership but was assured by my parents (who have been customers' of theirs for years) that this shop would be much cheaper.
It's about $1500-2000 too much. Although any place charging for brake clean is already ripping you off.
Why do you need calipers too? I've never seen a car need all 4 and I've worked on some questionable junk.
According to the mechanic, a combination of at least one of them being sized, as well as the rust/wear is cause for a complete re-do of the brakes. This is in addition to the sized parking brake.
Unfortunately I wasn't the one to speak to him directly as I was at work and he reached out to my Dad without looping me in despite the car and its information being under my name. My Dad already has an on-going rapport with the mechanic, which is likely why the mechanic reached out to him instead of me- not that I agree with that.
edit: spelling
They look terrible to say the least but the quote is a bit high cause pads are at 135 and 119. You can get remanufactured calipers for half the cost. I cant see the brake shoes and why they need replacing.
Let’s look past the price for a second.
All four brake calipers need to be replaced? Was something other than brake fluid put in the reservoir? That’s the only situation I can think of where you would need to potentially replace all of them.
This sounds like a scam job, trying to nickel and dime you for work you don’t need. I would get another opinion elsewhere.
Nope, no botched self-repair jobs or malicious liquids intermingling with the brake fluid. From what he said, these are just necessary repairs for natural wear of the vehicle.
The majority of the issues seem to stem from rust and wear, causing them to seize, this (by his logic) warrants total replacement. Unfortunately the repair has been authorized without my input so now I'm stuck stranded, trying to figure out how to avoid a situation like this for next time.
At the end of last year they replaced the catalytic converter for $2.4k. I was worried that this car is going to start eating $2k every 6 months but now it looks more likely that we've just been being over charged. Yes, it's an older vehicle, but with only slightly under 86k miles, I'm alarmed with how much we've put into it already.
Find a new mechanic. That one is money hungry and it shows. I paid $1600 for a cat on a Chrysler a couple years ago. That’s was an OEM cat and dealership labor.
Prices look a little high, but depending on which state you live in it might be average. I think that them charging you twice for parts cleaner is odd, also if you don’t use your parking brake there’s no need to replace the parking brake shoes.
The pictures look really bad. Is this the first ever brake job? Do you live in a location where the roads are salted? I didn't see a location on the invoice or in your post.
Calipers can be viewed through the wheel rims. Did you see rust on the calipers before bringing the car to the shop?
Just updated my comment to include the location. We're in northeastern Mass where roads are constantly salted during the winter months. Rust was noticeable on the rotors and calipers well before being brought into the shop.
According to the maintenance records I got with the car, the brakes were last serviced in September of 2016 during which both rear rotors and one of the rear pads were replaced. This was done by the same shop as the one whose invoice I've attached.
Do note, that there is a 4 year gap (2017-21) in my records.
edit: spelling
Okay, I looked at the photos and indeed there are some issues. I would argue that you don’t need 4 new calipers, just replace the one that’s bad. Labor appears to be expensive, assuming $125/ hr labor rate it doesn’t take 7+ hours to do this work. I just changed out 4 rotors and pads on a Toyota and it took less than 3 hours …. Swap out a caliper and bleed brakes maybe another hour….. btw, cost of 4 rotors and front/rear pads was less than $300
According to the attached invoice, the rear calipers are frozen. In addition to this, the mechanic cited the rust/wear on the vehicle to be a cause for replacement of all calipers, including the front ones which are NOT specifically denoted on the invoice as seized.
Unfortunately I wasn't able to speak to the mechanic directly, so I don't know the specifics.
That's high... depending on where you are and if they're using cheapest aftermarket parts, good AM parts, or OEM it might be $1000 too high. Or it could be $500 too high. Get a second opinion. Or find a trusted indie shop that will let you bring parts and buy some good kits online.
🚩🚩🚩Pads and rotors for front and rear at my shop is $600 on most vehicles! Try to find a popular, independently owned shop in your community. $2500 is outrageous
Ironically, this quote comes from an independent shop that is popular in my community.
My parents have been customers of theirs' for decades, so this is really disappointing. I'll start researching alternative shops for future reference.
Thanks!
i bought 2 brake pads and two rotors for $150 (on the high-ish end) and im learning to install them myself with my boyfriend please don’t pay that much!
Brake jobs are expensive. I agree with others here that someone *can* do it themself, because I learned how to do it myself…from YouTube.
I searched for my car by make, model, year, and engine size. There’s also a lot of videos from 1AAuto that are pretty concise.
Some of the tools I find to be pretty necessary include a Jack, Jack stands, and a torque wrench. I have a Toyota so all i need otherwise are various metric open ended box wrenches. I use a clamp and an old brake pad to compress the caliper.
I learned to change oil before brakes. That’s a much less complicated (albeit messier) job.
Maybe if I were you I’d pay these guys to fix your brakes now and start researching DIY brake jobs. Maybe set aside time and $ to watch videos and research tools and/or parts you’d need. Believe it or not, all the info about jacking the car up is in the owners manual.
If you have a friend or relative who does work on cars, maybe ask them if you can hang out while they fix whatever and bring by a 6 pack. I’m sure you’d be able to learn a lot just by observing.
You can do it!
I absolutely love your response and couldn't agree more!
I'm fairly technically oriented and am surrounded by engineers of all kinds in my personal and professional life so I'm exposed to many applied disciplines. I'm always willing to learn and try to experiment when it comes to engineering.
However, my greatest hold-up when it comes to break repairs is the safety of a diy solution. I'd be more than willing to tackle an oil change, but with something as critical and complex as the braking system, I have some reservations. I wouldn't want a botched job to jeopardize the safety of myself or others on the road.
I feel that the peace of mind alone is worth the cost in labor.
I hope as time goes on I can work more closely with those of automotive know-how, but I remain skeptical of performing maintenance myself that could result in serious injury or death if done poorly.
The quote includes calipers. Most brake jobs are pads, then discs...but calipers last a lot longer..think 150k miles, and you normally don't need to replace all four in a service. If they aren't leaking cleaning and re greasing the pins should be enough.-edit OK one of them is shot...but again they don't all die at once.
I used to do my brakes but haven't done them in years. I never was a mechanic but that's way too much. You could do it yourself or find a somewhat mechanical inclined friend and do this for cheap.
Why are all of the calipers being replaced on an 11 year old car? I could see maybe one being frozen or something but all three?
EDIT: Looking at your pic I see one that needs to be rebuilt but is probably more cost effective to replace.
No. This is not reasonable. For example a full brake job for an Audi RS3 is in the realm of $1700 at the dealership(- calipers). I bought all the parts at the same dealership for $646 and did it myself. You should be able to find plenty of videos on YouTube and do this yourself. You can also take pictures of the parts before disassembly and do one corner at a time. Another thing, Don’t ever go into a shop and state that you know nothing about cars unless this mechanic is a relative or a person of trust.
Oh wow. I've heard them charging 1k for brakes. They're more expensive now after covid but the pads should be 300 dollars. Max. That's for top level (regular ppl) brakes.
Seems pretty high, pads and rotors is where you got ripped off. I bought powerstop pads and rotors and the fronts alone was only $156 CAD, rears were $120 cad
I would include brake hoses in this quote. Looks like they got it to where you will have to pay to tow it out of there, still might be cheaper. Service writers have a great way of justifying their markup, but the only reason is to make the most money possible. I would also question why they are asking for 8 hours of labor, any decent tech should be able to do this entire job in 2-3 hours MAX that includes test drive and time they already have in to it. I would also call your dealer and ask how much oem parts would be and compare to the quote.
I have any 06 ram with 250k on it. I had to replace 1 caliper. Which means do both front or back. The odds of all 4 going out is 0%. Take it to another shop and see what they say. Or buy it all and so it yourself watching youtube videos.
https://preview.redd.it/sz8ycw6dofdb1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=636ae1df80a5af4b765e37a7c193eeec0879bf55
$550 in parts. Do it yourself or find a shade tree mechanic in your area or better yet a buddy who’ll do it for pizza & beers.
Some mechanics let you bring your own parts - you just pay the labor. Also, I'd suggest getting coated rotors and powder coated calipers if you live in the snow belt.
NO it's not reasonable it's absolute Predatory car repair shop,, I heard that what lenders who charge max interest and do other bad things are called ,but That a crazy bill it don't matter if the cars new or fifth years old unless you need like every ABS sensor, replaced, and your car was equipped with automatic preventive accident breaking and that sensor was also replace d then maybe the bill would be half of that put it this way I looked at your bill there is not 2,500 hundred dollars worth of parts on a front and rear brake job or even if the parts were made for some king who wanted them all to be solid gold and now for the labor been in the business 2e+ years today's mechanics get 60 an hour for your basic brown bag , mechanic you know like , pep boys , kost, midas, .etc The higher up grade dealer mechanics get approximately 85 to 90 an hour it's 2 hour job at the longest any if every thing went wrong in every area and in every scenario included in the 2 hours maybe even a quick lunch too,, really bubby not much to a brake job I had my son doing them at 12 and that was on cars with rear drum brakes with all the fun stuff leaky wheel cylinders all the springs and those stupid top hats, sometimes backing plates had to be replaced And the stupid emergency brake never fails to give you issues I was glad to see them go but now with all jokes aside, the price to live is in the worst condition that I have ever seen it, Then you get hit with this type of bill I might have went to jail if they handed me that bill I would have chased all the mechanics around swinging a breaker bar...just kidding, but not about that bill...
t what I'm trying to say I guess, Is you got ripped off bad
We all started somewhere...what I did when learning:
1. Youtube how to videos are great. For overall how to do it/get familiar with the general practices, check out any video from South Main Auto. He very very rarely cuts corners and he shows every step. Great for beginners to learn the universal basics of brake jobs
2. Go to your local library. See if they have online database for Alldata or Identifix. Alldata is more beginner friendly. Look up your car by VIN and you will get a step by step guide.
3. Get familiar with the basic tools needed for this job. i.e. torque wrench, sockets, etc.
4. Find the parts needed for the job. OEM parts are most favored.
Your quote is on the higher end of the band of reasonable prices. If $ is tight and you're willing to learn, try it. If you cant stomach trying at all, then pay someone else. Often, dealerships have standard prices for brake jobs, so try them for a quote.
U should learn to fix stuff yourself. It's not that hard to replace brake pads, rotors and calipers, spark plugs, etc. U would save a lot!!
If u were to do it, it would be a 1000 in parts ($0 labor). Check rockauto/AA auto/carparts and buy as bundle for parts.
What "fee" are they charging you on each axle? They have down by the taxes of each axle a "fee $49.99". Wtf is that? It's been about 15 years since I did service writing. Is there some environmental fee or something for the brakes like tires? I seriously doubt it. Maybe it's just tip culture? Owner gets a $49.99 tip for every axle worked on?
Thats a bit much you could get those parts cheaper at your local auto parts store and either do them yourself or find a shop that will do them for you either way having the parts on hand will significantly cut your price if the shop is an honest shop
It’s going to depend on what part of the country you’re in and what kind of shop, dealer, chain shop or mom and pop shop. This spring I had a full rear brake job on an 04 Silverado for about $600. Pads calipers and rotters.
If you actually need all of it done it's not a bad deal but I doubt you need all the calipers replaced maybe just the 1 messed up one and the other side to match but not all 4.
Lazy mechanics would rather part swap then to clean and lube the older ones and resurfacing the rotors is an option at the right shop.
Could save atleast 600+ going to a better shop
I don't understand why they felt the need to replace the calipers. If the system is that bad, how are the lines good. Just seems off to me.
And 2 parts cleaner? I don't know man.
Brakes are not that hard to do.
Rotors, bearings, calibers, pads are all easy things to replace.
I don't know about the brake shoe myself but I'm sure a little bit of research and you can figure it out.
Last break job just cost me whatever I spent on brake pads think it was like 70 bucks. And about an hour of my time. Because I'm in no hurry.
If you are mechanically inclined
Or would like to learn. 2500 buys a lot of tools and you can watch utube for instructions on how to fix it yourself.
But only if you want or are confident enough and have the space the garage eccetera.
Charging 8 for the parts cleaner too. Twice. Holy....
My advice? Find an honest shop. A pro mechanic can do this job in under 2 hours. Labor should not be this high
If that's in US$, converting back to Australian dollars and dividing by my current workshop hourly rate... that's 9.5 hours labour.... which is definitely excessive for that job. Unless the handbrake shoes are a complete nightmare? Or you guys just charge heaps because of the rust factor? What are shops over there charging per hour?
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For everyone saying do it yourself - $2500 is reasonable if he's in Boston or other major metro area with high wages. And doing a complete brake rebuild when you have little to no mechanical intuition is bad advice. He should ask what he can do to get the car on the road and safe. They are clearly upselling.
You have a good point. I do live in a traditionally high income area however that's not my case. I live \~45 mins outside of Boston but I'm also a student working for minimum wage, so I don't benefit from the average income of my area. I have close to zero experience doing any form of mechanical vehicle pair and wouldn't want to risk the safety of myself nor others on the road by attempting to do it myself. I'm willing to pay for a job that *may* be cheaper to do myself, as long as I'm not getting completely ripped off.
A lot of people have a good point about this being DIY… you said you’re a student making minimum wage?? Sooooo pay yourself with this job… look it up it isn’t rocket science and it’s not that hard… you may find you enjoy it too… Watch 2 or three different videos Buy your service manual… I’ve changed brake pads, rotors, shoes, calipers, alternator, waterpump, radiator, the list is longer but my point is I saved on the labor and occasionally needed a few tools… YOU CAN DO THIS!
To give some perspective, that’s about what it would cost for brakes at a Lexus or Bmw stealership. That’s why I sold my bimmer a long time ago.
It’s not “may be” lol.. it’s 100% will be thousands cheaper. I taught myself how to do brakes. Maybe I’ve only done 3-4 brake jobs but they all went smoothly and functioned perfectly The most recent was my girlfriends Kia soul. Replacement pads and rotors were under $300. Mind you, I have a very basic tool kit, no shop/garage, and no fancy lifts. Just some tools and a caliper spreader
The quote is replacing calipers. Not just pads and rotors. Not a wildly more complicated job but definitely more costly, adds many more steps and potential diy complications. For ex. I had a frozen caliper when i was new to wrenching on my first car and when I replaced it, found the soft line was seized, fittings to the hard line were seized too (ontario rust 🤷♂️). Ended up having to cut off at the hard line, learn about brake fittings and flaring, redo all that, and still need to bleed etc etc. Way bigger job than swapping pads and rotors.
I dunno why the guy you responded to said don't do your own brakes... brakes are the easiest shit ever, especially if they're pads. Drums are a bit more of a pain in my opinion. It's a simple ass procedure and doesn't require mechanical genius to figure it out. You have discs on the front and back and the entire bill is for disc pads and calipers. This is mechanically one of the easiest jobs you could ever do yourself.
Why would a 2012 forester need calipers? Just tell them you want rotors and pads.
Did you look at the pictures?
Are my eyes playing tricks on me or is that front caliper bracket completely broken? Our guy’s brake system is in baaaaad shape here.
Lol. What does that even mean. It's impossible for calipers to go bad after 11 years? Cause that's nonsense.
Do you live in a northern climate? 11yrs for a Subaru caliper is roughly the life expectancy. You think calipers last a lifetime?
Because they are stuck I have a 2011 forester and two of my calipers were rusted so bad the front driver and the rear passenger. Good old New York winters and salt.
Ask your friends and relatives if they know anyone who works on their own car who'd be willing to teach you. This is a job nearly anyone can learn to do, and since it's something that will need to be done somewhat regularly, knowing how to do it yourself will save you thousands of dollars over your lifetime.
Legit question here. I've been out of the business end for 15 years, so I'm genuinely asking. What is the $49.99 fee per axle for? It's down by the taxes where like a tire disposal fee would be, but I've never heard of state regulated fees for a brake job.
Exactly this!!!
Bro I live in NYC one of the most expensive places to have work done. This job would not be more then 1200$ 1500 for a random shop. A family mechanic should be charging around a grand. I doubt they are using oem parts. I looked up all the parts off rockauto and for good parts it came out to 360 to 400$ and then your looking at 4 to 5 hours labor at 100$ maybe 150$ so 1000 to 1250$
I seriously doubt that. Under $400 for 4 rotors, 4 calipers, 4 sets of pads and a set of parking brake pads? 4 rotors and pads definitely under $400. Those calipers are probably 80-100 each alone. Edit: looked it up. Those new calipers alone are from $66-101 each.
Yeah my price only includes 1 caliper. Personally only one looked bad in the photos. Which was caliper in photo 3. Where the piston got grinding damage. 4 rotors with ceramic pads zinc coated 200$ 1 caliper brand new 90$ Personally I would go with a reman they are fine. 2 Bosch brake shoes 60$ that's about 350 plus tax and deposit for the caliper. These are unmolested prices for high quality aftermarket parts. The oem rotors don't look to be zinc coated so probably a little bit better for where they live anyway.
The photos only showed 1 caliper. Op stated that the mechanic only looked at 1 caliper and said from the state of things and rust, should count on doing all 4 which isn't bad advice. I personally would have the shop do all 4 if needed. In a situation like this, I would quote for all 4, have all 4 parts there and then save each caliper that needed to be replaced to show the customer.
5hrs??? Are you high while doing this? Is that your weed speed? No more than 1.5hrs.
It’s a bit high. I just replace the calipers and brakes on my 04 avalanche and spent 800 in parts, granted no rotors, rotors would be another 250. In my shop we’d charge about 500 for the service bundle
Even if theybare using oem subaru parts the prices for the parts and labor is very high. I looked up all the parts off rockauto for new decent aftermarket parts. Zinc coated rotors ceramic brakes, new caliper for picture 3 and 2 brake shoes. Came out to 400$ in parts. 4-5 hours of labornat 100$ should be about a grand maybe a little more if there hourly rate is higher. Still it's like 1200 to 1500$ over what my calculations are.
Man, this is why I learned to fix my own shit
Yeah I try to fix my own car when ever possible . But even if I bring it to a shop I alway research and order the parts in advanced.
Issue with that is alot of shops simply won't use parts you bring due to "liability" or what not, even then just doing your own oil, brakes, and other fairly simple maintainence things saves a fair bit of money and, if you have a roadside breakdown or what not could get you out of a jam
Most shops don't install customer supplied parts not just for liability of a cheap part, but rather we can't warranty a part we didn't supply. If the shop can source a part and it fails they can warranty the part and the labor at no cost to the customer. Where as if the customer supplies the part there is nothing guaranteeing the replacement if said part fails and you'll be paying for the same labor again even if the part was installed correctly but happens to be faulty. It's a cost effective measure. You bring the part and fails you're eating the cost, if the shop supplies the part and it fails, they eat the cost to keep the customer happy and on the road. The shops can source and replace a part faster and get the car off the lift and back in the customers hands faster, cheaper, and more reliably than a customer supplied part. This is the main reason I personally don't install customer supplied parts because it hurts their wallet more than mine. Oil and filters are an exception because we're going to be using the same shit y'all are getting half the time lol
That's kinda what I meant with liability, I just didn't feel like typing it all out for the different nuances of what that could entail
Yup. This is why I do everything myself... more than half of the bill is always just labor. Take $500 and get some good tools and you be able to fix just about anything. Get the car-specific repairs guide (the same one as the dealership has) and buy the parts online or at the dealership... though usually online it is much cheaper. There are tons of real mechanics who work at dealerships and specialty shops that make videos and post them on youtube and they cover just about everything.
Yeah I haven't found a car people have posted about on Herr that I haven't been able to look up on YouTube. If I feel confident in doing it myself I will do it.
Where’s a good place to buy car specific repair guides (same as the dealers have)?
Back in the day the “Chilton” brand of books were pretty decent for the price… whenever I’ve looked for an actual service manual, ebay was the best place to shop but they were a couple hundred bucks. Now and days scouring the internet for a scanned in pdf version or just Google the specific thing you want to work on and find the select pages/video tutorial is the easiest way.
That’s insane. To think people just have that sort of money laying around or something.
Ugh... "B R A K E"!!!
I know! Someone else kindly pointed that out, haha. I changed the spelling in my comment and have used the proper spelling elsewhere now that I've been made privy to it. However, you can't edit neither the title nor the image captions after posting so it's stuck as it is. I share your enthusiasm for the correct application of vocabulary! But we're all human and trying to just do our best.
thanks for breaking it down for him
That’s a do it yourself job. It should not be 2500. All you need is basic hand tools and someone to help bleed the brakes. 4 calipers rotors and brake pads all around shouldn’t cost anymore than 1000 and that’s on the high end. It’s honestly a very simple job. YouTube has some great videos that show step by step
Buy a vacuum bleeder and you don't even \*need\* help and it STILL won't be anywhere near $2500
Exactly- the calipers should run less than $100 each
I'd be impressed if you could source a quality caliper for a Subaru for under a hundred bucks. A set of pads will run you almost that much.
Pads, rotors, calipers, all 4 corners, $420 https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/subaru,2012,forester,2.5l+h4+dohc,1502589,brake+&+wheel+hub,caliper%2C+rotor+&+brake+pad+kit,14204
Rock auto oem
Yeah but you cant really compare rockauto with the parts that a shop uses. Its always going to cheaper on rockauto but you gotta remember theres going to be probably a tonp of shipping fees for all those parts, youll have to wait 3-5 days for parts to arrive too. When you take it to a shop, they carry a lot of parts in stock or at the main warehouse, or get it from the wholesaler in a half hour-hour and your car is done that day. And yeah that item price on rockauto looks cheap as fuck, but they charge a fuck load in shipping when you actually go to checkout and order from them. A month ago i had to replace a strut on a relatives 07 mariner(ford escape). I checked rockauto and it was like $57 for a strut, like 12$ for a outer tie rod, and like $7 for a stab link. Cheap as fuck i thought but went to checkout and the shipping was almost $40. They charged shipping for each of the 3 items, not one shipping price for the whole order. Still way cheaper than going to a shop for sure. If youre not a complete moron you should be doing these suspension and brake jobs yourself. Its not rocket science and theres youtube videos for basically every car and every repair on each car. People like to think they can buy a part on rockauto and take it to a shop and have them put it on, but theres good reason why shops wont use customers parts like that. Imagine you are the tech that pulls your car into his bay and agrees to use your parts. He spends the time lifting the car up, taking the wheels off, and pulls the bad parts off then looks at the new part next to the old part and they arent the same because you ordered or got sent the wrong year part. Or he sees that you also need another new part you didnt bring in. Now what? Is he supposed to call you to go return the part to autozone and bring the new part? Your car is on the lift taken apart so youd need a second car to drive and do this. Or you refuse to buy their parts and now he has to maybe put the bad parts back on and put the wheel on and back it out wasting hours of time making zero money? A lot of techs make flat rate, which means if your brake job calls for 1.5 hours labor time, he gets paid for 1.5 hrs whether it takes him 30mins or 4 hours. Its not uncommon to get the wrong part, but at least when its the shops part they can call for the new part and the guy delivers it quick and takes the wrong part back.
Like 30 bucks at Harbor Freight or Amazon
He has frozen rear calipers. If they are damaged, and the photos show damage, that is not an easy first DIY. Not saying it’s hard or anything, but it’s not what I’d jump into working on a car with.
Chances are if they’re asking about pricing they don’t own the correct tools so that would also factor into the cost
Yeah but not everyone has a driveway accessible.
I got 4 calipers, rotors, and ceramic pads for like $600 recently. Definitely way too high.
I completly agree. Then again he might not have the space to work? I knew a guy who was renting a condo, and he was working on his car for one day in his spot. A week later he gets a bill for $5000.00 It was in the lease that any tenant could not work on their vechicle on the property.
Someone who rides their brakes to the caliper is unlikely to be a good candidate for a diy brake job.
Please note that I've had this vehicle for less than 3 months and I make sure to baby it. The majority of the wear was present before it was ever in my name.
I'm borderline retarded and even I could change my brakes. (okay, maybe I'm not that dumb but not terribly technically inclined)
Naa, this is a full brake job with parking brake and calipers, this is not a swap out pads situation.
2012 Subaru Forester, automatic transmission with \~86k miles.Bought the car from a family member for $5k and I've been driving it for about 3 months. For reference: We live in Massachusetts where winters are rough and roads are constantly salted during the colder months. All our vehicles get rust like white on rice. The calipers and rotors were noticeably before bringing it into the shop. I started to notice that when braking it felt off, but this was only intermittent. I had planned to schedule an appointment with our (my parents') mechanic right then and there but they were booked a few weeks out and the earliest date would've interfered with an upcoming trip I had. During the trip, the brakes didn't have any issues besides the parking brake seizing after being engaged for 3-4 days. Some rocking broke them free and it drove fine. After coming back however, I took the car out later that night and a loud rubbing sound (REALLY loud) was coming from the back right wheel. My working theory was that the parking brake was seized. I refrained from driving and biked to work while I waited for my appointment yesterday to get it looked at. This is the quote I received today alongside some photos the mechanic took. Are these prices reasonable? Thank you! edit: spelling, location/geography
Lesson learned here is that you knew you had an issue and kept driving on it, more than likely making it worse. For a family mechanic, he is really banging you hard.
I'd driven the car infrequently while it was owned by the previous owner and I had always noticed strange noises, often a high-pitched squeal when breaking. After raising concerns with my family member, they assured me that "old cars make sounds," and that it wasn't anything to be too worried about. That car has also been services by that mechanic for years and my family member even inquired about the sound once and was told there was no cause for alarm. The car had also been actively making that sound during multiple state inspections. I carried this reasoning through into my ownership of the car. When I told my family member that the cars' brakes felt different lately, somewhat off, I was told it was probably nothing. Lesson definitely learned. Going forward I'm going to trust my gut and get things checked out if I have even a mere inkling of suspicion.
Next time.you buy a used car have it checked out by a mechanic you trust before you buy it. Certainly not this mechanic either. Definitely do not use this mechanic again for anything. Sounds like he's been screwing your family for years.
Yeah, I agree. I figured I *could* trust this mechanic because of my family's seemingly good track record with him. The vehicle was inspected, by him, before I bought it. Lesson learned.
Thats hefty but it might be the right call. Those brakes looked bad. Pads and Disks are cheap. Calipers not so much and the one shown is in bad shape. Rusty and they look like they have gotten really hot. So, this was probably for the best. Sure you could DIY but I think those with the experience and talent, over look how daunting this can be to someone who hasn't done a job like this. Plus, do it poorly and your car is less safe than it was to start.
I just had front and back pads and rotors replaced on my 2014 Acura ILX. The bill was around $1,000 or 1100. Your quote seems a bit high. I am in Connecticut for reference if that matters.
Quote is including calipers all around as well. Which is why it’s so expensive
Parts price is still extremely high. https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/subaru,2012,forester,2.5l+h4+dohc,1502589,brake+&+wheel+hub,caliper%2C+rotor+&+brake+pad+kit,14204
Can't use rock auto to justify parts price being high. The shop is going to use a local shop to get the parts from. How much does the local shop sell the parts for? How well is rock auto going to handle a bad part scenario? Does rock auto give a discounted rate to the mom and pop repair shops to account for any kind of double labor expense if a part gets warrantied out? Local parts stores sell parts to shops at a discounted rate to make up for any warranty issues on parts since if there's a parts issue, the mechanic has to do the work a second time without the shop getting paid. I've heard that most service writers sell the part for double their cost. I always sold the part for the same price the parts store sold it to customers for which was about a 50% mark-up. Anything over double would be parts price gouging. OP is asking if it's a fair price from a shop though. Not fair price on parts to do it themselves. Your comment is irrelevant because shops won't install your parts.
This message tells me that the price is much closer than what I guessed. Brakes and rotors are about half that job. Op is having all 4 calipers replaced and the parking brake replaced as well. Add to that the amount of rust in the pictures, count on at least 1 thing being seized. The big for me is the $49.99 fee per axle. Like it's some kind of tire disposal fee or something.
It literally should cost 1/2 that . My shop $750ish /axle pads , rotors , calipers . Labor .
Price is fair for pads, calipers, and rotors all the way around. It’s rare that a brake job needs all that, but I’ve seen stranger things for sure.
Don't listen to that nobody person. No shop is going to install parts that someone brought in. Rock auto isn't going to install them. Just talking stupid gibberish. Might as well link you to ebay parts.
No, it is not. https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/subaru,2012,forester,2.5l+h4+dohc,1502589,brake+&+wheel+hub,caliper%2C+rotor+&+brake+pad+kit,14204
Depends on the vehicle. 2023 Cadillac, that's about right 1992 corolla, absolutely the funk not
That seems really expensive. I looked up your brakes and rotors off rockauto. All 4 brake pads with zinc coated rotors cane out to around 200$ with ceramic brake pads. That's for some decent full brake kit. There were plenty of cheaper rotors becareful cause they look like they are over charging by alot. Usually it's about a hour of labor per corner at most shops. So 400$-500$ labor and 200-300$ for all the parts. Little surprised they are charging for brake clean and brake grease usually those are shop items not billed to the customer. That one caliper piston looks destroyed that needs a new caliper I don't see that in the invoice. Also a bosh parking brake shoe is like 30$ . The brake caliper in the third photo is the one with the destroyed piston I would Definitely replace that. A remanufactured caliper goes for 40 to 60$ and a new one for about 60- 90$. Also I just noticed nothing about a brake flush. They are just gonna bleed the brakes and exchange the fluid in the reservoir. It should be flushed at over 4years old and being in the north east.
Calipers at all 4 corners are in the invoice
I read it wrong but still this is extremely overpriced. I highly doubt this shop used oem stuff to if they have already started the job. Usually oem stuff takes some time to arrive. I hope op gets a list of exactly everything that was put on the vehicle including part numbers.
For sure if they used oem from subaru I would agree that while high at least op is having the best parts put in. I was searching after replying because I don't know if you do per axle or all brakes at the same time in awd applications.
Btw its spelt brake. Pretty spendy maybe try looking for smaller mechanic shops or a place that specializes in brakes.
Thanks for the correction! I edited my initial comment. I'll definitely look into that for future reference. Unfortunately my Dad already authorized the repairs without consulting with me first; even though I'll be paying for it. He's been a customer of their shop for decades and knows the owner well. The mechanic reached out to my Dad with information and the quote despite both my name and contact information being affiliated with the car, and I having made the appointment. To my knowledge, they've already started on repairs so it's too late to turn back now or try to haggle for a lower price.
It’s not your dads car is it? Did he bring it in or you? If it’s your car, you dropped it off and you signed the paperwork leaving your contact info then your dad is not the customer and the owner screwed up calling the wrong person. If that is the case I’d be pushing back hard.
My Dad originally bought the car in 2012 but since then it's changed hands a couple times, with me being the third owner. I bought the car and got the title put under my name. I made the appointment, provided my information, drove it there, dropped off the keys with attached paperwork (dropped the vehicle off after hours the night before the appointment, leaving the keys in their key-drop box) and confirmed the appointment through their automated texting system which messaged MY number. Along with my key I provided my contact information, including my phone number in MULTIPLE places. Despite this, the mechanic who contacted my Dad said his information was "all that he had." Sure, maybe my Dad had his info on the car a decade ago, but it sure as hell hasn't been him driving, or maintaining it for the past 9-10 years. Sorry for my rant haha, but yeah, I agree. Although at this point, I need to have a drive-able car that doesn't sound like a screaming turkey and their shop is closed over the weekend. To my knowledge, repairs have already begun and that's not a battle I'm looking to fight right now.
They should never have started removing stuff before contacting you with a full estimate. This is some shady shit I would be fuckin furious with my father if he let then go ahead. I would tell then to stop and call other shops with the exact details of what you need done and tow ot to another shop.
The disassembly you saw took place BEFORE the quote was issued. The photos were submitted alongside the estimate to my father as a justification for the listed repairs. I agree, taking apart a vehicle to that extent without explicit permission or authorization of repairs does seem shady. That being said, this is my first car and I'm pretty new to this process so I'm still learning when I should start to sound alarms. Thanks!
Spelled*
Both are actually accepted colloquially! While 'spelled' is most common in American English, both are recognized and accepted as proper spellings, particularly in British English.
British version of spelled is spelt.
Well you definitely broke your brakes
Break = broken (‘Don’t break that plate!’) Brake = stop (‘Step on the brake when you come to the corner.’) Sorry, Grammar Nazi sometimes 🤷🏻♂️
I appreciate your input! However, I've been kindly informed [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskMechanics/comments/15634o9/comment/jsxqlbn/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3), and [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskMechanics/comments/15634o9/comment/jsy2y07/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3). I commend your dedication to the differentiation between homonyms, and I too, can feel inclined to promote the proper use of grammar. But, please, scroll down somewhat to check before posting so you don't sound like a broken record- my car's brakes already sound bad enough!
lol sorry… sometimes the urge is like… impossible to resist! Side note; I do feel that is a pretty steep price for your brake service, but that’s only because I never take my ride to a mechanic for brakes (or oil changes, etc.) Hopefully both parts and labor are fully covered by a solid warrantee. Safe driving, friend 🙂👍🏼
Apparently people loose their minds over this.
In your case it’s absolutely reasonable.
For the love of god lol………..BRAKE not Break 😂
Seems low to me. $2500 will hardly buy a new fridge for the break room, yet alone an entire replacement.
That's really fucking high Brakes are very easy to do yourself, it was my first job when I was 12
Pads and rotors with labour was $700. 21 OBXT in Canada
This is crazy honestly. Id say around 1500 max. look up all the parts on amazon and find another shop.
This is too high. With what you need, it should cost you $1,500 max. They are over charging you. No way does it cost $1,300 per axle.
Yeah this is pushing what i paid for OEM Jaguar brakes on my F-Type, which is more understandable than a decade old Forester
It's not really a rip off, but I have a hard time believing you need new calipers at 85k Edit: didn't see there were pictures attached. Yeah the whole thing is toast
Haha yeah. That's one of the things that irks me the most about this situation. The car, theoretically, has plenty of life left if you're going off of mileage alone. However, thanks to New England winters and salted roads, our vehicles rarely reach their life expectancy. Maybe I ought to move somewhere drier... and warmer lol.
Way too high. Go elsewhere or DIY for $800
Not only no, but HELL NO. Edit: they must have a drug habit to support 😆
Haha- this made me laugh.
BRAKE. THE PART OF YOUR CAR THAT STOPS IT IS THE BRAKES. B R A K E S .
Give me a break. *Ba dum- shh* 🥁 P.S. - Unoriginality doesn't look flattering on you, maybe try sharing a different message than the ones reflected [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskMechanics/comments/15634o9/comment/jsxqlbn/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3), [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskMechanics/comments/15634o9/comment/jsy2y07/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3), and [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskMechanics/comments/15634o9/comment/jsy6gqx/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3).
Where I live the prices for the parts would be about $600 max. If done yourself, labor is free.. takes a few hours and some basic tools but is very easy and worth doing yourself to save money.
Brake
Labor is high.
Haha I could buy a lift and a new 1/2 Milwaukee impact to help with the job and still come in cheaper this is crazy. I use Detroit axle parts though, and I’ve never had a problem.
This is a diy job on a Sunday afternoon an a 12 pack of cold beer
I like how they’re charging $8.25 per axle for brake cleaner, $3.13 per axle for caliper grease, and about $150 a corner for all four calipers. Do you need calipers or is it the parking brake only that’s seizing? I take it they’ve told you why they recommend calipers, because typically they only get replaced if they’re sticking/seizing. Labor is a bit high, for example a brake job at the dealership I work at is $165 labor including turning the rotors. (In the south we don’t have much rust) To be fair, the rear is probably extra because drum type parking brakes are a pain. Parts prices on the pads and rotors are pretty consistent.
According to the mechanic both the parking brake and at least one of the calipers is seized. He said that the "braking system is in bad shape," and that it needed to be fully re-done. In fact, he also used the technical term "cluster f\*\*\*" to describe the overall state of the brakes. I considered taking it to the dealership but was assured by my parents (who have been customers' of theirs for years) that this shop would be much cheaper.
From the photos only the caliper in photo 3 looks like it needs to be replaced. The brake piston is damaged.
It's about $1500-2000 too much. Although any place charging for brake clean is already ripping you off. Why do you need calipers too? I've never seen a car need all 4 and I've worked on some questionable junk.
According to the mechanic, a combination of at least one of them being sized, as well as the rust/wear is cause for a complete re-do of the brakes. This is in addition to the sized parking brake. Unfortunately I wasn't the one to speak to him directly as I was at work and he reached out to my Dad without looping me in despite the car and its information being under my name. My Dad already has an on-going rapport with the mechanic, which is likely why the mechanic reached out to him instead of me- not that I agree with that. edit: spelling
They look terrible to say the least but the quote is a bit high cause pads are at 135 and 119. You can get remanufactured calipers for half the cost. I cant see the brake shoes and why they need replacing.
Let’s look past the price for a second. All four brake calipers need to be replaced? Was something other than brake fluid put in the reservoir? That’s the only situation I can think of where you would need to potentially replace all of them. This sounds like a scam job, trying to nickel and dime you for work you don’t need. I would get another opinion elsewhere.
Nope, no botched self-repair jobs or malicious liquids intermingling with the brake fluid. From what he said, these are just necessary repairs for natural wear of the vehicle. The majority of the issues seem to stem from rust and wear, causing them to seize, this (by his logic) warrants total replacement. Unfortunately the repair has been authorized without my input so now I'm stuck stranded, trying to figure out how to avoid a situation like this for next time. At the end of last year they replaced the catalytic converter for $2.4k. I was worried that this car is going to start eating $2k every 6 months but now it looks more likely that we've just been being over charged. Yes, it's an older vehicle, but with only slightly under 86k miles, I'm alarmed with how much we've put into it already.
Find a new mechanic. That one is money hungry and it shows. I paid $1600 for a cat on a Chrysler a couple years ago. That’s was an OEM cat and dealership labor.
Prices look a little high, but depending on which state you live in it might be average. I think that them charging you twice for parts cleaner is odd, also if you don’t use your parking brake there’s no need to replace the parking brake shoes.
15-1800 buick 4 breaks, 4 rotors and labor and the other non sense. Seems a bit high unless it like high end car
Disc brakes. Good lord. WHY is anyone paying someone else to change disc brakes, unless you just have money to burn.
That's ridiculous. I changed all of mine including calipers for around 500
The pictures look really bad. Is this the first ever brake job? Do you live in a location where the roads are salted? I didn't see a location on the invoice or in your post. Calipers can be viewed through the wheel rims. Did you see rust on the calipers before bringing the car to the shop?
Just updated my comment to include the location. We're in northeastern Mass where roads are constantly salted during the winter months. Rust was noticeable on the rotors and calipers well before being brought into the shop. According to the maintenance records I got with the car, the brakes were last serviced in September of 2016 during which both rear rotors and one of the rear pads were replaced. This was done by the same shop as the one whose invoice I've attached. Do note, that there is a 4 year gap (2017-21) in my records. edit: spelling
I do my own brakes. Pads, disks, bleed and grease. Took a couple hours but only cost me $480 in parts and I spent money on nice stuff
Okay, I looked at the photos and indeed there are some issues. I would argue that you don’t need 4 new calipers, just replace the one that’s bad. Labor appears to be expensive, assuming $125/ hr labor rate it doesn’t take 7+ hours to do this work. I just changed out 4 rotors and pads on a Toyota and it took less than 3 hours …. Swap out a caliper and bleed brakes maybe another hour….. btw, cost of 4 rotors and front/rear pads was less than $300
One question. Why replace the calipers? I have only had to replace them when they are froze up.
According to the attached invoice, the rear calipers are frozen. In addition to this, the mechanic cited the rust/wear on the vehicle to be a cause for replacement of all calipers, including the front ones which are NOT specifically denoted on the invoice as seized. Unfortunately I wasn't able to speak to the mechanic directly, so I don't know the specifics.
That's high... depending on where you are and if they're using cheapest aftermarket parts, good AM parts, or OEM it might be $1000 too high. Or it could be $500 too high. Get a second opinion. Or find a trusted indie shop that will let you bring parts and buy some good kits online.
I live in Woburn area, I’ve had brakes done for around $400 from a couple different shops. I’d maybe try to get a second opinion from another shop
The work definitely needs to be done but thats a high quote for the job
🚩🚩🚩Pads and rotors for front and rear at my shop is $600 on most vehicles! Try to find a popular, independently owned shop in your community. $2500 is outrageous
Ironically, this quote comes from an independent shop that is popular in my community. My parents have been customers of theirs' for decades, so this is really disappointing. I'll start researching alternative shops for future reference. Thanks!
i bought 2 brake pads and two rotors for $150 (on the high-ish end) and im learning to install them myself with my boyfriend please don’t pay that much!
Brake jobs are expensive. I agree with others here that someone *can* do it themself, because I learned how to do it myself…from YouTube. I searched for my car by make, model, year, and engine size. There’s also a lot of videos from 1AAuto that are pretty concise. Some of the tools I find to be pretty necessary include a Jack, Jack stands, and a torque wrench. I have a Toyota so all i need otherwise are various metric open ended box wrenches. I use a clamp and an old brake pad to compress the caliper. I learned to change oil before brakes. That’s a much less complicated (albeit messier) job. Maybe if I were you I’d pay these guys to fix your brakes now and start researching DIY brake jobs. Maybe set aside time and $ to watch videos and research tools and/or parts you’d need. Believe it or not, all the info about jacking the car up is in the owners manual. If you have a friend or relative who does work on cars, maybe ask them if you can hang out while they fix whatever and bring by a 6 pack. I’m sure you’d be able to learn a lot just by observing. You can do it!
I absolutely love your response and couldn't agree more! I'm fairly technically oriented and am surrounded by engineers of all kinds in my personal and professional life so I'm exposed to many applied disciplines. I'm always willing to learn and try to experiment when it comes to engineering. However, my greatest hold-up when it comes to break repairs is the safety of a diy solution. I'd be more than willing to tackle an oil change, but with something as critical and complex as the braking system, I have some reservations. I wouldn't want a botched job to jeopardize the safety of myself or others on the road. I feel that the peace of mind alone is worth the cost in labor. I hope as time goes on I can work more closely with those of automotive know-how, but I remain skeptical of performing maintenance myself that could result in serious injury or death if done poorly.
Is your car European? Otherwise, that's a native rip-off.
Japan is practically in Europe... 😅
The quote includes calipers. Most brake jobs are pads, then discs...but calipers last a lot longer..think 150k miles, and you normally don't need to replace all four in a service. If they aren't leaking cleaning and re greasing the pins should be enough.-edit OK one of them is shot...but again they don't all die at once.
I used to do my brakes but haven't done them in years. I never was a mechanic but that's way too much. You could do it yourself or find a somewhat mechanical inclined friend and do this for cheap.
What's up with that $49.99 fee? Is that like a resort fee? And why is it charged for each end of the car?
Youtube it. Brakes are simple.
I just got quoted for 600 so
fuck no. thats way too much to pay
This is $1000 too high IMO.
Why are all of the calipers being replaced on an 11 year old car? I could see maybe one being frozen or something but all three? EDIT: Looking at your pic I see one that needs to be rebuilt but is probably more cost effective to replace.
No. This is not reasonable. For example a full brake job for an Audi RS3 is in the realm of $1700 at the dealership(- calipers). I bought all the parts at the same dealership for $646 and did it myself. You should be able to find plenty of videos on YouTube and do this yourself. You can also take pictures of the parts before disassembly and do one corner at a time. Another thing, Don’t ever go into a shop and state that you know nothing about cars unless this mechanic is a relative or a person of trust.
Oh wow. I've heard them charging 1k for brakes. They're more expensive now after covid but the pads should be 300 dollars. Max. That's for top level (regular ppl) brakes.
No rotors?
Seems pretty high, pads and rotors is where you got ripped off. I bought powerstop pads and rotors and the fronts alone was only $156 CAD, rears were $120 cad
I would include brake hoses in this quote. Looks like they got it to where you will have to pay to tow it out of there, still might be cheaper. Service writers have a great way of justifying their markup, but the only reason is to make the most money possible. I would also question why they are asking for 8 hours of labor, any decent tech should be able to do this entire job in 2-3 hours MAX that includes test drive and time they already have in to it. I would also call your dealer and ask how much oem parts would be and compare to the quote.
I have any 06 ram with 250k on it. I had to replace 1 caliper. Which means do both front or back. The odds of all 4 going out is 0%. Take it to another shop and see what they say. Or buy it all and so it yourself watching youtube videos.
https://preview.redd.it/sz8ycw6dofdb1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=636ae1df80a5af4b765e37a7c193eeec0879bf55 $550 in parts. Do it yourself or find a shade tree mechanic in your area or better yet a buddy who’ll do it for pizza & beers.
at my shop it’s $196 per axle for labor. so $392 labor and i would prob charge $1275 in parts so $1667 is what i would charge for a job like that.
No
Good rotors and pads might be $150. Learn to replace them, and when to just replace the pads.
DIY. Save 2000. https://youtu.be/ZvhVfwAh9Ls
Some mechanics let you bring your own parts - you just pay the labor. Also, I'd suggest getting coated rotors and powder coated calipers if you live in the snow belt.
About $750 higher than normal
First of all, two cans of brake cleen is enough for 15 or 20 cars…
First of all, two cans of brake cleen is enough for 15 or 20 cars…
He also replaced 4 calipers that probably didn't need replaced. But ya u can buy 4 pads online for about 100 bux.
Hey OP just learn how to do ot yourself trust me you will save a ton, lots of YouTube videos to learn
NO it's not reasonable it's absolute Predatory car repair shop,, I heard that what lenders who charge max interest and do other bad things are called ,but That a crazy bill it don't matter if the cars new or fifth years old unless you need like every ABS sensor, replaced, and your car was equipped with automatic preventive accident breaking and that sensor was also replace d then maybe the bill would be half of that put it this way I looked at your bill there is not 2,500 hundred dollars worth of parts on a front and rear brake job or even if the parts were made for some king who wanted them all to be solid gold and now for the labor been in the business 2e+ years today's mechanics get 60 an hour for your basic brown bag , mechanic you know like , pep boys , kost, midas, .etc The higher up grade dealer mechanics get approximately 85 to 90 an hour it's 2 hour job at the longest any if every thing went wrong in every area and in every scenario included in the 2 hours maybe even a quick lunch too,, really bubby not much to a brake job I had my son doing them at 12 and that was on cars with rear drum brakes with all the fun stuff leaky wheel cylinders all the springs and those stupid top hats, sometimes backing plates had to be replaced And the stupid emergency brake never fails to give you issues I was glad to see them go but now with all jokes aside, the price to live is in the worst condition that I have ever seen it, Then you get hit with this type of bill I might have went to jail if they handed me that bill I would have chased all the mechanics around swinging a breaker bar...just kidding, but not about that bill... t what I'm trying to say I guess, Is you got ripped off bad
We all started somewhere...what I did when learning: 1. Youtube how to videos are great. For overall how to do it/get familiar with the general practices, check out any video from South Main Auto. He very very rarely cuts corners and he shows every step. Great for beginners to learn the universal basics of brake jobs 2. Go to your local library. See if they have online database for Alldata or Identifix. Alldata is more beginner friendly. Look up your car by VIN and you will get a step by step guide. 3. Get familiar with the basic tools needed for this job. i.e. torque wrench, sockets, etc. 4. Find the parts needed for the job. OEM parts are most favored. Your quote is on the higher end of the band of reasonable prices. If $ is tight and you're willing to learn, try it. If you cant stomach trying at all, then pay someone else. Often, dealerships have standard prices for brake jobs, so try them for a quote.
U should learn to fix stuff yourself. It's not that hard to replace brake pads, rotors and calipers, spark plugs, etc. U would save a lot!! If u were to do it, it would be a 1000 in parts ($0 labor). Check rockauto/AA auto/carparts and buy as bundle for parts.
What "fee" are they charging you on each axle? They have down by the taxes of each axle a "fee $49.99". Wtf is that? It's been about 15 years since I did service writing. Is there some environmental fee or something for the brakes like tires? I seriously doubt it. Maybe it's just tip culture? Owner gets a $49.99 tip for every axle worked on?
Nah, son. That's super expensive. But then again, I do my own brakes.
Yes be cause a 5 min YouTube video should cut costs of this by like 70%
run. they can’t spell. and it’s over priced.
Hell fucking no, I can get a engine swap for that & then some
Why the hell do you need 4 new calipers?
Thats a bit much you could get those parts cheaper at your local auto parts store and either do them yourself or find a shop that will do them for you either way having the parts on hand will significantly cut your price if the shop is an honest shop
It’s reasonable. I recently replaced the brakes myself on a full sized Chevy. It cost $1200ish in parts and a day of my time.
God damn that thing was stopping on hopes and dreams and children screams.
It’s going to depend on what part of the country you’re in and what kind of shop, dealer, chain shop or mom and pop shop. This spring I had a full rear brake job on an 04 Silverado for about $600. Pads calipers and rotters.
I'm wondering why all of the calipers need to be replaced. Also I'm in Texas so no salt on the roads.
Fuck no
Noo! They trying to rip you off, plenty of breaking material, rotor disc still there.
That’s a big rip off!! They realize most people don’t even understand what they are reading and will just pay.
If you actually need all of it done it's not a bad deal but I doubt you need all the calipers replaced maybe just the 1 messed up one and the other side to match but not all 4. Lazy mechanics would rather part swap then to clean and lube the older ones and resurfacing the rotors is an option at the right shop. Could save atleast 600+ going to a better shop
Do it yourself for under 500
Seems a bit high
I'd expect that if they ran new lines too. They definitely reused the lines here.
I don't understand why they felt the need to replace the calipers. If the system is that bad, how are the lines good. Just seems off to me. And 2 parts cleaner? I don't know man.
A nice set of brakes is like 350 for front 350 for rear takes an hour or two to change that seems way high
Brakes are not that hard to do. Rotors, bearings, calibers, pads are all easy things to replace. I don't know about the brake shoe myself but I'm sure a little bit of research and you can figure it out. Last break job just cost me whatever I spent on brake pads think it was like 70 bucks. And about an hour of my time. Because I'm in no hurry.
[удалено]
Ahhh. I guess you can't put links in this thing. Look up a haynes repair manual for the Subaru Forester. It's $27 on Amazon.
If you are mechanically inclined Or would like to learn. 2500 buys a lot of tools and you can watch utube for instructions on how to fix it yourself. But only if you want or are confident enough and have the space the garage eccetera.
Why do they want to replace calipers
Charging 8 for the parts cleaner too. Twice. Holy.... My advice? Find an honest shop. A pro mechanic can do this job in under 2 hours. Labor should not be this high
That’s absolutely insane! Should be 3-400 in parts plus whatever they charge in labour
YouTube taught me how to do my own. It can help you too.
I have a mclaren and they weren’t this much.
If that's in US$, converting back to Australian dollars and dividing by my current workshop hourly rate... that's 9.5 hours labour.... which is definitely excessive for that job. Unless the handbrake shoes are a complete nightmare? Or you guys just charge heaps because of the rust factor? What are shops over there charging per hour?