I went in for an oil change and I had them inspect my brakes and it turned out that I needed some pads in the rear b/c they were down to nothing so they made it seem like I couldn't make it another day like that. So instead of paying $29 for my oil change the ticket checked out at $222 bucks, which is about $185 for pads and labor. So my question is should I have tried to go somewhere else or is that about normal, and is it better just to pay extra and have it done right or go to a brake shop and it not come out right??

 

What you could of done is bought the pads from Acura and did them yourself It would have taken you maybe 30 min. I do all 4 corners in 30 min on my own in my driveway. Im not sure how much they cost, but they cost more, but last longer, and dont make any noise usually compared to anything that you buy from a store.

As for ease of doing then, jack the car up, take off your wheel, unbolt 1 of 2 screws that hold the caliper on (closest to the middle of the car), swing it up, take off the old pads put the new ones on, press the cylinder back, swing it down, put the bolt back in put wheel back on and repeat on the other side. Before you drive anywhere, make sure you start the engine and pump the breaks until they are hard again. the first time the pedal might fall to the floor. And when i did it the first time, i had to adjust the parking break. Just get under the dash and you will see a cable with an adjustment screw on it. i forget which way to turn it, but it has to tighten the line. Its not that hard to do. And this way, you save A LOT of money.

i show you pics sometime soon

 

ouch, but you should know all dealership charges a premium on parts and expecially labor.

did they machine your rotors?> maybe thats why it cost abit more then it should, but im not sure.

 

Bring it over to my house next time and I'll do it for $20.00 plus the price of the pads. I always do my own brakes and this post is the reason why.

 

OH, it is simple if you know what you are doing, but best to have some help the `1st time!

 

There's a way to tighten the feel of the brake pedal?

 

Umm no... he was talking about the parking brake pedal on the left of your car, the cable stretches over time or what not.

 

Why would you have to adjust the parking Brake? The parking Brake is a completly seperate drum style Brake that has nothing to do with the Brakes and no adjustment should be needed when swaping out pads.

 

No they didn't do the rotors b/c I already had that done before.

Luke7- Only if you were closer, I'd let you do it and give you a tip too for that price. LOL

 

rear brakepads cost $25 (raybesto)
my mechanis charges me 20 to install

 

I thought the parking brake simply pressed the rear pads against the rotors back there. I've never heard this explanation before.

 

On the TL, It does press the pads to the rotor. Rotors were also replaced by me and they do not have any drums in them unlike our Explorer. It has 4 wheel disk breaks, but the parking break is a drum break in the back. I have never seen this before and was suprised when i took them apart to replace the rotors. Speaking of which I need to replace the rotors on my CL too...

 

machining rotors is only like 5 bucks a pair by my house... i dunno where the hell they got such an outrageous amount

 

The rear pads I cost anywhere from $30-60 depending on brand and it is just 30mins. The dealer charges a minimum of 1 hr at around $120/hr. So there charge is about average for most dealers. Next time take it to an independant mechanic. Mine only charges $60/hr.

Also, new parts are 10mm thick I believe. Next time ask them how many mm are left. If you are at 2mm or even 1mm you could probably wait till the weekend before getting them done.

 

Yeah I wanted to wait but it was less than 1mm left and they wanted me to sign some waiver about if I had an accident that they would not be liable. So I said what the hell and let them change 'em. I think may just buy some in advance one day and then I can find somewhere to do it cheaper the next time they need to be replaced.

 

Thats where your wrong, the rear pads arent operated by parking brake. The TL Does have 4 wheel Disk Brakes, But it also uses the inner hub of the rear rotor as a drum brake for the Parking Brake.

 

is there a way to adjust the bake pedal feel? my moms i just drove last week has immediate action when i touched the brakes, mine, the pedal travels a bit and then friction? i have already replaced the pads, new rotors, and bled the system?

 

Im sorry but if you were **** enough to bring your car to the dealership to change your oil and inspect your brakes, you almost deserved to get screwed up. I thought everyone these days knew that dealerships overcharge customers. I guess I was wrong...


Oil change = 30$
Pads = 30$
Labor = 30$

TOTAL that you SHOULD have paid: 90$

Dont ever bring your car to the dealership unless it is NECESSARY.

222$ is fucking ridiculous.

for that price you couldve had a synthetic oil change, new PERFORMANCE pads all around, labor included.

 

Yeah, "Hind sight is 20/20". I won't be going around there again though. The problem though is that I haven't lived in Houston a long time so I don't have a good ol' trusted mechanic like I would back home, so at least I know its done right versus going somewhere cheaper and it be f'ed up later. Once I get into my house I'll be doing it myself.

 

yeah... well be aware that even though the mechanics there are suposed to be "certified", i found some to be....

you'll be waaaayyy better off doing the work yourself