Back in January, my 04 TL had been making some noises coming from the rear. I also felt a grinding sensation when I applied the brakes. At that time, I had the rears redone at a local shop. Then, in March I was due for some other maintenance, so I took it to the dealer mostly as a convenience thing. All the maintenance was done, and the dealer said at the time that they had to reinstall the caliper shims for the right rear. The also said I needed front brakes at some point soon.

Today, two months later, I went back for the front brakes, which were done, but the dealer informed me that the right rear caliper is stuck, and the pads which are only about 5 months old are worn down. They quoted me a small fortune to redo all the rear brakes. When I asked why can't they just do the right side, he said that they won't do it unless both sides are the same......he then proceeded to tell me that the car could fishtail, etc.

I didn't argue with the guy, but this is what I'm thinking......wouldn't the antilock system prevent that anyway ?. I mean, if one side is more worn than the other and I panic stop, the side with less wear would naturally brake better....no ?. That is the situation I have now anyway....no ?.

So........assuming I am able to do just one side (new caliper and pads, and resurface), what do you guys think is a fair price ?.

The concern with price is twofold : a) the stupid economy b) the car has 93K miles on it already and I don't want to sink a lot of $$$ into it.


Thanks.

 

You can't do one side only. The braking force between the two sides will be different, causing you to have less control of the vehicle during braking. This is especially worse in the rear, since you cannot steer the back of the car to compensate.

Please don't mess around with brakes. Do it the right way and replace the pads on both sides. You don't have to replace both calipers, but pads, yes. And if you're going to refinish one rotor, then the same rule applies. Resurface both of them.

 

Couple of questions so we can pinpoint wtf is going on.

- Back in Jan, how many miles on the vehicle when making some noises in the rear?
(Had the same grinding sensation and was told my rotors were warped... dealer replaced it while I watched)

- How many miles on the vehicle now since this problem?

- I dont have much experience with redoing the brakes on a 3G TL, however I think probably less than $200 will suffice for just the one side.

Remember, the economy is affecting the dealership aswell, they may be inflating prices to makeup for lost money and etc. Use common sense and always find a ''rough estimate'' of things your self, and consider DIY tutorials on AcuraZine.



The theory you have with the antilock system is basically to prevent the vehicle from skidding all over the place in cordination with the VSA, I really can't tell you much else if the car will fishtail, I really don't think it would though... I've slammed my brakes more times then ever and my pads are still pretty thick...

 

I called a different shop (a guy I consider family), and he told me that being the "good" side is only 4 months old, those pads should be practically new and he thinks we may get away with one side only.

I understand the concern with the brakes. Believe me I don't want any issues with this, but also, I don't want to throw money away.


The original problem started at around 89K miles. The car now has 93K miles.

I would say 75% of those miles are highway miles.

 

You can probably get away with it then, if anything you can always try it out and see exactly where you get... try depressing your brakes while driving slowly and see if you handle the vehicle and compensate for any difference in the rear brakes...

 

Don't know of any place you can purchase the pads for just one wheel, so if you buying the set, why not change out the other side and be done with it.

 

^ That's an excellent point, Turbonut.

I say replace both pads and resurface both rotors. This way it's done right and you don't have to worry about it.

 

I'll probably go that route, but not at the dealer.

Thanks, guys.

 

wait a minute.. the dealer said your right rear caliper is stuck and is quoting you how much for a full rear brake job?

Basically this is all price dependent..This shouldn't cost much and you can do it all yourself. You can get a rebuild kit and fix the caliper yourself or get another one fairly cheap. Check the pads.. either way.. $50 for pads.. cheap. The rotors depend on the condition of them. Are they smooth or are they warped? If they're fairly smooth I say don't touch them.

Worst case

 

The dealer wanted just over $600 for 1 new caliper and both pads plus turning rotors. I felt that was over the top, hence the call for help. The other shop said 1 side complete for just about $200, so even if I do both complete, I am still far, far under the dealers' quote.

Just drove the car home and whatever they did, the caliper is not sticking now. I hear, nor feel, nor smell anything. I will have it all looked at with me present the day after Memorial Day. The car will not be driven much between now and then, so I'm not overly concerned.

 

BTW, the dealer quote me over $200 for the caliper. I think it was $230.

 

OK, so today I got around to bring the car into my friend's shop, and the end result was:

Replace both rear line hoses, replace both rotors (too warped to cut), and new pads in the back.

The caliper was apparently working fine. They could not make it "stick", so the caliper(s) was / were not replaced.

The dealer quote was $560 plus tax, my friend did the job for $380, so now I have new brakes all around, since the fronts were done 2 weeks ago.