Hi -- total tech no nothing but after being told I need to repair the left rear on my '06 TL after getting all 4 done 17 months ago, I'm going to try and learn more.

The shop where I am going to have it repaired asked if I wanted to go OEM parts (P&L 403.00) or aftermarket parts (P&L 245.00). I had no freaking idea so thought I'd join here and ask.

Sorry for what probably is a pretty simple question for most of you but I simply have zero experience or knowledge in the area. Thanks very much.

 

Yeah, great way to make a first impression, spell "know" "no."

 

What are you referring to that needs replacing???

 

left rear? you mean your rear bumper?

if P&L mean 'parts and labor' for $403 total (bumper,paint,install) then i'd say go for it.

 

I know what "p&l" means but didn't know what he was referring to. Suspension, brakes , or what

 

^samesies.

 

Apologies, folks. Busy day and I posted this in the midst of apparently a bit too much chaos.

Was referring to my left rear brake pad. As mentioned above, after having all 4 done at 50k 17 months ago I was surprised to find this needed to be done at 61k.

Thanks very much for the assistance.

 

^you just wanna replace a brake pad? go to autozone and get ceramic cmax pads w/ lifetime warranty and with the right tools, you can do the job yourself and save $350.

oh and if you just had them done a few miles ago, why do they say you need them now? something doesnt seem right...

 

if a shop wants $400+ to change to oem brake pads....they are ripping you off badly....

 

just buy the pads yourself and take it to an mechanic to install. you should save $300 that way

 

Always wondered about bringing your own parts. Don't shops consider that similar to bringing your food to a restaurant and asking them to cook it?

Appreciate the DIY suggestion but considering how incredibly mechanically challenged I am, that's just not going to happen.

Regarding the price, maybe there's something with the rotor and I missed it.

 

i do that all the time

might be why i get strange looks.

 

Just talked to the shop and they are saying the rotor should be replaced as well. This really does tick me off considering I had them done 11000 ago, and the car isn't driven terribly hard. They say they don't deal with Autozone products but that I could bring in the part and they would fix the brakes, although he sounded less than thrilled about that prospect. This is an object lesson for getting educated because it's all to easy to feel like you're at the mercy of people who DO know, and it's not a good feeling.

 

Brakes aren't that hard. I've kind of helped replace pads before, and will be doing my own the first time this weekend.

 

That doesn't sound correct-- it sounds like you might have a bad caliper on the left rear; otherwise, new rear brake pads should last longer than 11K miles/17 mos.

Is this the same shop that changed the brakes last time?
If so, I'd be worried, and I'd want to know the condition of the RR v. LR, both for pads and rotors.

Welcome to AZ.

 

No, it's not the same place. Refused to go back there. And, yes, you're right, he did mention the caliper when we discussed it this morning. It didn't mean anything to me, but he did mention it.

 

That sucks, I'm changing everything this weekend 4 rotors, pads, brake flush and so far its about 500 in parts and fluids. Good luck with everything. and so what if they look at you weird if you bring them parts to get installed.. it's your car not theirs', you should be involved with the planning of the maintenance and parts replacement. Cause if you aren't happy after the maintenance or repair is done, you will be dealing with it for the 1000s of miles after that.

 

I'd check the parking brake adjustment too. Whoever did the last job may have adjusted it too tight so that the pads were dragging.

 

Good suggestion, thank you.,

 

The parking brake pads are seperate from the regular brake pads. The parking brake is a drum system and uses the inside of the rear rotor as a drum. So an out of adjustment parking brake would not cause the "regular" pads to prematurely wear.

More likely that the rear caliper is frozen, causing the premature wear.

 

wow, that sounds really expensive.. i would take it to another shop and have a second look.

 

Why don't you try asking them exactly WHY you need to replace those parts? Certainly not an unreasonable question - since you just had the brakes worked on recently.

 

OP couple things:

1> are your brakes squealing ??? do you hear any other noise coming from them ?
2> do you get a steering wheel vibration when you brake at high speeds ?

if you answered NO to both, your brakes are most prolly fine....they are trying to rip you off....

 

You can get re-manufactured Centric brand calipers from AutoPartsNetwork.com for $43 each in the rear. You have to pay a $60 core deposit for each one. That deposit gets refunded once you send your old ones back to them. Centric also makes a quality rotor for $44 each (you need 2).

Part numbers are:
- Left - 141.40538 http://www.autopartsnetwork.com/search/?q=141.40538
- Right - 141.40537 http://www.autopartsnetwork.com/search/?q=141.40537
- Rotor - 120.40046 http://www.autopartsnetwork.com/search/?q=120.40046

OEM Brake pads are $46 + shipping from OEMAcuraParts.com. Part number is 43022-SEP-C00. You can use 50% off shipping code "Galaga" and shipping should cost ~$5.

http://www.oemacuraparts.com/index.p...C00&make=Acura

So there is a complete rear brake system rebuild, and only costs ~$226 for HIGH quality parts. Also this guy is a site sponsor and can probably get you a better deal on those Centric parts: https://acurazine.com/forums/sponsored-sales-group-buys-10/brake-rotors-pads-bbks-lowest-price-online-check-here-first-828921/