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My 2008 3G TL has 50,500 miles. I got new tires couple of years ago and now it looks like i will need new brake pads (3 mm in the front and 2 mm in the rear remaining on the current pads) My question is, considering the miles about how much can i expect to spend on planned services and common repairs in the next 1-2 years considering I drive about 7-8k miles annually?
you can never be sure exactly what repairs will come up. with your low miles, some rubber components can either be in pretty good condition, or in need of replacement. One example is the drive belt, compliance bushing, or PS pump seals.
My 2008 3G TL has 50,500 miles. I got new tires couple of years ago and now it looks like i will need new brake pads (3 mm in the front and 2 mm in the rear remaining on the current pads) My question is, considering the miles about how much can i expect to spend on planned services and common repairs in the next 1-2 years considering I drive about 7-8k miles annually?
Thank you!!
Brake jobs are pretty cheap and your tires should be fine. I wouldn't be too worried about the next 14-16k miles. It's also strange that your rear pads are thinner than the fronts. Call some shops in your area to get an idea.
No crystal ball here, but on our '04 with 95k miles 2 brake jobs, last at 72k miles, driver's side seat belt buckle and driver's side door lock. That's it, so if you're as lucky, no additional costs except an oil/filter change every year.
If you're not going to do the brakes yourself, check around as you'll find prices vary greatly, both with the parts needed (brakes/rotors), quality thereof, and labor.
No one can predict what repair costs will be...period. One can predict maintenance, sort of. You're looking at 2 or 3 oil changes. If you do the breaks yourself then under a $100 bucks for the pads, and if you only have 2-3 mm left then get em done soon. You're maintenance costs will be lower than probably any other near-luxury brand out there. You have a very reliable car, who's lifespan can easily be 200K miles with prper care and maintenance. Why are you worried about the costs?
If you have been keeping up on your maintenance, then your repairs should be relatively minimal. Tires and brakes are not repairs, they are normal wear and tear items that need replacement, just like oil changes. Have you done your fluids? Coolant? Brake? AT? PS? What about filters? Cabin? Engine?
You could be up for a new battery depending on how old your current one is. Possibly an AC recharge. It is hard to predict and obviously varies based on driving style, driving climate (desert heat, winter snow and salt) and as I mentioned maintenance. Not to mention Mr. Murphy and luck or lack thereof.
I have an 08 TL-S with 59K on the odometer and have paid nothing out of pocket for repairs, but have spend $$ on regular maintenance. Now with that being said, I'm reasonably sure my PS seals are going as the pump is starting to complain like paperboy42190 mentioned above.
Spend some $$ on maintenance (get those brakes done) and enjoy your TL
My 2008 3G TL has 50,500 miles. I got new tires couple of years ago and now it looks like i will need new brake pads (3 mm in the front and 2 mm in the rear remaining on the current pads) My question is, considering the miles about how much can i expect to spend on planned services and common repairs in the next 1-2 years considering I drive about 7-8k miles annually?
Thank you!!
Brakes - Max $500
Tires - Max $1000
Trans fluid changes - $200
Brake Fluid Changes - $150
Filter Changes - $100
oil changes - $100
That's a basic list with prices if you go to a shop to get it done. You can do a lot your-self and save a ton. Filters are $10 each from amazon.
Just changed front and rear pads on my car myself. Rotors still looked good so a total of $110 for ceramic pads at all 4 corners and less than an hour to swap them out.
With how relatively few miles you drive, other than oil changes and doing the brakes, if it isn't ready for the timing belt/water pump service in the next few years your car should be relatively inexpensive to maintain baring any unforeseen issues.
No one can predict what repair costs will be...period. One can predict maintenance, sort of. You're looking at 2 or 3 oil changes. If you do the breaks yourself then under a $100 bucks for the pads, and if you only have 2-3 mm left then get em done soon. You're maintenance costs will be lower than probably any other near-luxury brand out there. You have a very reliable car, who's lifespan can easily be 200K miles with prper care and maintenance. Why are you worried about the costs?
You can make it farther than that with no care and maintenance apparently also. Lucky I know but my brother just gave me his 04 TL with 280k. He never did one thing besides oil changes. Trans fluid was done once in 280k, was on original timing belt (took care of that as sown as I got the car), original suspension, original everything besides tires and brakes. Needed under 2k in maintenance and she runs like a top. Every single thing in the car still works perfect. Just drive the car and don't worry about what maintenance costs may arise. Look at my brother. Got 280k out of it and did nothing and it's still running strong.
Thanks for your responses. The 2mm and 3mm is what the SA at the dealership told me when I was there for an oil change. I am not handy enough to do the maintenance myself so I will prefer to get it done at the dealership. They quoted $620 with parts and labor. I just wanted to get an idea about what people are paying the keep their TLs running and unsurprisingly it doesn't sound like much.
Thanks for your responses. The 2mm and 3mm is what the SA at the dealership told me when I was there for an oil change. I am not handy enough to do the maintenance myself so I will prefer to get it done at the dealership. They quoted $620 with parts and labor. I just wanted to get an idea about what people are paying the keep their TLs running and unsurprisingly it doesn't sound like much.
You can buy better parts online and have any place do the labor to install them. If you are prepared to spend $620 I suggest Racing Brake rotors. They will last as long as the engine and stop incredibly well. I'd also suggest Racing Brake ET500 or ET300 pads.
You can make it farther than that with no care and maintenance apparently also. Lucky I know but my brother just gave me his 04 TL with 280k. He never did one thing besides oil changes. Trans fluid was done once in 280k, was on original timing belt (took care of that as sown as I got the car), original suspension, original everything besides tires and brakes. Needed under 2k in maintenance and she runs like a top. Every single thing in the car still works perfect. Just drive the car and don't worry about what maintenance costs may arise. Look at my brother. Got 280k out of it and did nothing and it's still running strong.
Your brother should have played the $1.4 billion Powerball, because with that kind of luck, he probably would have won.
Thanks for your responses. The 2mm and 3mm is what the SA at the dealership told me when I was there for an oil change. I am not handy enough to do the maintenance myself so I will prefer to get it done at the dealership. They quoted $620 with parts and labor. I just wanted to get an idea about what people are paying the keep their TLs running and unsurprisingly it doesn't sound like much.
If you are inclined to have this done at a dealership, you can save a few $$, by having it done at a Honda dealer vs. Acura. Call around and check it out for yourself. You can save $$ on all the basics at a Honda dealer. It also makes sense to check both the Acura and Honda dealer's websites for service coupons/specials. I can catch a $19.95 oil change at my Honda dealer with their coupon and have done similarly with the Mrs. Lexus at the Toyota dealer.
Thanks for the suggestions. I got a second opinion from an independent repair shop this week and they agreed that the pads need to be replaced. However, they recommended changing the rotors along with the pads. Their justification for changing the rotors along with the pads is that machining them generally causes noticeable warping which will cause me to come back and pay for labor twice. How true is this? Should I just get the pads replaced as the dealer suggests or should I get new rotors too?
Also the independent repair shop recommended ceramic pads made by a manufacturer called centric. Any idea about the quality of these pads? Also are the OEM pads ceramic or semi-metallic? My original pads lasted 50K miles so if I will be happy if I can get a similar performance out of the replacement pads. I have read that the ceramic pads lack stopping power in cold temperatures and increase the brake system temperature as ceramic is a non conductor. How true is this? Which pads (semi metallic, ceramic or other) would you recommend for daily driving that is comparable or slightly better than OEM? What are the key differences in performance between ceramic and semi-metallic (or organo-metallic) brake pads?
The independent repair shop quoted $960 for pads + rotors while the dealer quoted $620 just for the pads. What is the typical charge for brake pad replacement? Approximately by how much does the cost reduce at a Honda dealership?
As always, thanks for all the pointers!!
Last edited by tl3097flnkr; 01-28-2016 at 11:38 PM.
Ceramic will dust quite a bit less, but "usually" has less initial bite. For daily driving you probably won't really notice the differences in Ceramic vs semi-metallic. As for Centric...I have no actual experience with them, but have read many threads with mostly positive comments.
I personally usually buy the upper-tier pads (Duralast, Wagner, etc) at my local parts (Autozone, O'Reilly, etc) stores. Neither my wife nor I drive our vehicles hard these days and have never had issues with our brakes. My TL has the Brembo brakes and I am currently running the Duralast Gold ceramic pads and have been very pleased with them.
As for the cost? Dear god....that is why brake jobs are one of the few things I will still do on my own. I don't even change my own oil anymore, but I do my own brake work. I have no idea what it "should" cost since I haven't attempted to ask in a long time. If you are not wanting to tackle it yourself, I would for sure get an estimate from your local Honda dealer as well as a trusted reputable independent shop. I have found in my parts that the Honda dealer is usually very close in price to the independents for some of the major maintenance that I am unwilling to do myself.
I am leaning towards going to the dealer and getting OEM parts installed. The SA said that the rotors are good and can be re-surfaced - I am not sure whether to take his advice or to ask him to replace the rotors as well (to avoid additional replacement costs in the next 1-2 years) any suggestions?
I had a very good indy shop and they flat out refused to turn / machine rotors for the same reason you mentioned. They said too many customers come back complaining about pulsing / war page of the rotors after they have been turned. I have had brakes turned at the dealer and for whatever reason did not have that issue.
Thanks guys! NB04TL4ME, are you saying that you have changed brake pads at the dealer and did not face any issues such as pulsing or warping thereafter.. in contrast to what the independent mechanic stated?
What I'm saying is that when I have had my rotors turned and pads replaced at the dealer, I did not have any issue afterwards.
Years and years ago, I had brake work done at Midas / Meineke (can't remember) but they turned the rotors and replaced the pads. I was back on a regular basis for pulsing to the point the franchise owner said, there was nothing more he could do and refunded all of my money. I went to the dealer and they did the same thing to the same rotors and had zero issues. So I'm not sure if it is how they turn the rotors or what but have had much better luck at the dealer. I never had rotors turned at the indy shop, because as I mentioned, they simply wouldn't do it. They explained that turning the rotors removes too much material and make the rotors thinner and more susceptible to repeat warping. So since then, I have either done new rotors and pads or had the dealer turn the rotors and change pads. As Taco mentions the option of turning the rotor is dependent on how much rotor you have left.
Now with all that said if you brakes are working well and you don't have any vibration or pulsing, you might only need pads.
I didn't read all of the posts. Issue may be resolved already. But my .02 is DO NOT BUY CERAMIC PADS. Use only oem pads. Will any pads work? Duh.. the ceramic will be noisy with humidity. They will eat up your rotors. (AKA pads are almost as hard as the mild steel on the rotors) also I've seen a lot of times that the ceramic flakes off when red hot. Sticks to the alloy Wheel and burns the clear coat... factory pads are soft. Very quiet. Fit perfect. They can dust and bit. And cost the most. Also unless you have a shake upon braking hard at high speeds then it's not necessary to turn them. Although at the honda dealer I work at. (Master tech at honda for 10+ years) we never pad slap a car. 90% of them we will turn. The other 10% get replaced. And if I had a plucking penny for every brake complaint that ends up it was from aftermarket pads... I wouldn't be working any more. The place that told you they don't recommend doing the researface is full of shit. Either they can't do it or their machine was down and they didn't want to loose the sale. Don't care... either way you do it.. for my sake and fellow master Honda techs please DO NOT use ceramic. Some of you haters that use them with no issues.. let me see your car. I dare you. Ul hate life after I point out all the bad things they caused that you were not aware of.
Ceramic pads will work just fine. If they had so many issues then the manufacturers would not be allowed to sell them.
I have been using ceramic on my customers cars for the past 6 years, also on my families 10+ Hondas, they perform exactly as they should. Many times better than the old pads I took off that were semi metallic or organic.
Also I live in Dayton, Ohio the nesting spot of high humidity so that is an invalid excuse/argument.
I would say the prices the op got for estimates are in the ballpark of what a typical shop/dealer charge but I agree that its a bit high. I do a full rotor/pad replacement for 400-600 on most vehicles. That includes greasing the slider pins and the corners of the pads and removing any rust that is present.
Last edited by musiclevelz5; 02-07-2016 at 07:40 PM.
01-06-2016, 11:14 PM
