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my brakes need replacing
I just got my car serviced and they told me that I needed to replace my brakes, front and back. I asked them how much it would cost and they told me about 450 dollars. Well that is a lot of money for me because I only work part time and I rent an appartment. Does anyone know if they are trying to rip me off or is this the normal price that they charge to replace brakes?
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Maybe give some free advice about: Cars?
Check for a Just Brakes location near you. $99.88 to replace pads and shoes, machine rotors and drums, and check the balance of the brake system for any other problems. If there ARE other problems they can fix those as well at a very reasonable price. If you can, get a list of all the work you need done and drop it in my inbox or e-mail and I'll see if you're geting a deal or the shaft.
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well what you need to find out is what you're getting charged for. replacing pads, discs, shoes, rebuilding rotors, rebuilding calipers, cleaning brake lines, abd checking every other braking mechanism from the emergency brake to the brake pedals and the pump for the brake fluid. it's a bitch of a job. i hate working on brakes and suspensions but someone has to do it. you've got to lift the car up and spend hours down there. and mechanics charge based on this: parts, and labor. it takes about 2 and a half hours to do the standard brake job (replacing of pads and shoes and machining rotors and calipers) and most mechanics charge somewhere between $50-$100 an hour. now tack onto that the cost of parts. new brembro performance brakes cost about $1200 a piece. now granted we aren't all getting those sometimes we just get the brake check brand brakes and call it a day but even those run around $150-$300 based on the size of your car. a friend of mine drives a cadillac fleetwood (a massive car) and it cost him about $1000 to replace his pads, discs, machine the rotors and rebuild the calipers. some people would say he got ripped off but with a lifetime warranty on all parts, with a car that can stop safely once again, and with a car that doesn't squeak all the time i think he got a deal. i've seen what some drivers do to their cars. i see it on a daily basis, it's not pretty and not cute. there's a reason repairs are so expensive. because of the condition people run their cars in.
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For just break pads - yes it's too much. But if they are actually replacing the rotors, caliper and front and back breaks, then yes, sounds fair to me. I think it was $650 for me. But I think they did my break lines too.
Sorry, but cars are expensive. Actually $500 is a cheap repair lol. I always ended up spending at least $750+ when my car needs something.
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If they're replacing the drums and/or rotors (whatever applies), $500 or so is the usual price, at least here in New England.
If they're just replacing the pads, the cost should be MUCH less, and they're ripping you off.
But if the drums or rotors are damaged, you would probably have been hearing a rumbling or grinding noise when you applied the brakes. In the future, make sure to change your brake pads on schedule, and you'll be able to avoid this expensive repair.
Incidentally, my car is probably going to need the same repair - it's booked for Monday morning. :(
Word of warning: DON'T go to Sears for car repairs. I did, once, a long time ago, and they actually left my brakes in a non-working condition - I was nearly killed on the drive home. They'd left air in the brake fluid system, which is (I'm told) a really stupid mistake, and takes only seconds to fix. Then when I brought the car back to have them fix it, they actually disconnected my muffler and exhaust pipe and left them LYING ON THE GROUND under my car in the parking lot. When I protested, they claimed that I must have driven the car IN that way - said I was trying to get a free repair.
Good luck!
PS (added Monday evening) - I ended up needing to have my front rotors replaced. It came to just under $350, but that was with some extra work - for the rotors only, the total was about $200. If I'd had my brake pads replaced on schedule, I'd have saved $140 at least.
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It depends on the kinda car you have. $450 is way too much money, unfortunately that is the kinda price a lot of shops will try to rip you off for. My advice to you is to go your local car part store, Im not sure where you from, in Canada, its Canadian tire, and in the states i believe its auto Zone. Either way, go to one of this stores or look around and you can find set of brakes from like $30 dollars. Ask one of your friends or acquanintances, Im sure somebody knows how to do the brakes. You could also buy a book that shows you had to do all this kinda repairs to your car on your own. There is no reason why you should have to pay more than $150 for new brakes and labour. Be smart and shop around.
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