I recently got my ENTIRE brake system redone and I would like to know EXACTLY what BRAND and MODEL # Brake calipers, Rotors, and Brake disc shoes I have..

Obviously I would ask the mechanic but I SERIOUSLY feel $160 for 2 brake pads is WAYYYY OVERCHARGED!! and I now I obviously don't believe a word they say.

There appears to be codes on the edge of the calipers that I can see from outside.. Are those just casting #'s? or can you somehow decode them? There has got to be a way to find out exactly what a person has on their car...

Thanks.

 

Without having first hand knowledge or seeing your car up close I doubt anyone here can do what you're asking. Can you post up some pics, boxes, reciepts, or anything?

Ed

 

Here are pics of the rear brakes from outside the car. I don't trust that the shop put CHEAP ones on and charged me 3X's more than what I can get Monroe Ceramic 3 year warranty ones for more than 1/2 the price!

I want to know exactly what they put on!

http://www.camarosource.ca/temp_files/brakes/

No boxes.. Receipt just says $161.99cdn for the rears.. What are they gold plated??

 

They look kinda like these actually...

http://hawksthirdgenparts.com/index....OD&ProdID=1858

The front brakes look stock... which doesnt relaly make sense... but...

 

Perhaps except for the fact the calipers were seperate at $74.44 (Front) and the $209.38 (Rear)
----------
my bill:

(Canadian currency)

PARTS

(1) Front brake pads $127.99
(2) Front rotors $135.00 (Total)
(2) Front calipers $74.44 (total)
(2) Brake Seals $11.02
(1) Rear brake pads $161.99
(2) Rear rotors $110.00 (Total)
(2) Rear calipers $209.38 (total)
(1) Brake Fluid $11.02
(1) Center Link $216.99
(1) Steering Alignment $89.95
(1) Throttle Intake Cleaner $9.25 (sprayed some in throttle to fix AIC)
(1) Brake cleaner $4.50

LABOUR

(2) Replace Front pads, rotors, calipers, seals, and repack brearings $134.92
(2) Replace Rear pads, rotors, calipers, seals, and repack brearings $134.92
(1) Replace Center link $125.93

TOTAL LABOUR: $395.77
TOTAL PARTS: $1,161.04
SHOP SUPPLIES: $21.77
SALES TAX $110.50 : GST 78.93
FINAL TOTAL: $1,768.01

TELL ME.. What do you think of this bill??
__________________

 

Those arent good shots (You cant pull the wheels off for a decent pic can ya?) and Im not knowledgable enough to know, but the front caliper looks stock, and it cost me all of $10 with a core





These look teh same to you?

$10 with core, $25 without. Each.

My new caliper on the opposite side isnt the same nifty gold color, unfortunately.

 

WOW! PLEASE could you see if there is any codes on the outside of the front calipers.. Such as 2530 and 180.. for example..
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I'll get pics of it all tomorrow when I get my work to remove the wheels for me..

 

"Codes" aren't going to be of much help. Most likely, any numbers you find cast into calipers, are going to be date codes and such as that.

It's MUCH simpler than that.

These cars only have 2 possible options for the front, and 3 possible options for the rear.

On the front, the calipers are either cast iron, or aluminum. If they're cast iron, then they're the same as 99.999% of all the other ones (those are what's on InfernalVortex's car). If they're aluminum, they're the 1LE version; shown in the "books" as "high-performance" or similar verbage.

On the rear, they come with either drums (85-90%), cast-iron calipers (probably 60% or more of all discs), or aluminum calipers (the remaining discs). You could get drums in any year, and they're all the same, except that 82 & 83 had SAE threads for the lines, but 84-up had metric. Yours of course would be the metric version. 82-88 rear disc cars had the cast-iron calipers, so you don't have to worry about those. 89-92 ones had the alumium calipers.

So there's ALL your possibilities, unless of course someone has swapped something.

Tell us which calipers you have on the front, and whether your rears are discs or drums, and we can maybe comment more nearly intelligently about the pricing.

 

Ouch but, outside of the pad prices, the rest of the parts looks about right. Those PBR aluminum calipers on the back are expensive to replace, that's why I rebuilt mine. The pad prices do look kinda high though depending upon what they put on. Do they work well?

 

1,768.00 CAD = 1,721.74 USD

For what you paid you could have had a C5 or WIlwood front brake kit and new rears just like you have. IMO, it was very high but as mentioned, you got good rear discs...but the fronts are no better than what you had, just newer. You did get overcharged on the brake parts at least, IMO.

You have stock front and rear J65 setup for a 1991-1992 car, 10.5" fronts, 11.6" rears with PBR aluminum calipers (rear).

No need to know brand and model, any "new" or rebuilt front caliper will be iron and the rears aluminum by PBR. pads, who knows.

Ed

 

Ok. Got LOTS of pics of the front and rear calipers.. I WOULD have had better if it had not been discovered that the stupid mechanic at the shop that did my brakes did NOT give me back my Wheel lock!

So Unfortunately I'm stuck with these pics..

http://www.camarosource.ca/temp_files/brakes/March_31/

 

N/A

 

Looks like standard Moraine(sp?) iron calipers on the front and aluminum PBR calipers on the back. Looks like all new/rebuilt stuff and that they replaced everything they said....well I doubt they repacked the rear wheel bearings.

Here is a pic of my rear driver's side caliper. I painted mine when I rebuilt them instead of leaving the aluminum bare, but it's the same type as yours. They're made in Australia by PBR. I haven't installed new pads yet, I'm letting the old ones clean up the surface rust from years of sitting. The calipers look way better in real life, they're actually red.

 

Nice! What is the difference between the STOCK rear calipers, and what they put on? Are they really any better like they CLAIMED? ("Upgraded").

Are those really worth $209/pair?

 

Nothing is different that I know of. You either got drums in the back or disk. Everyone that got disk got the same exact setup in the back. The rear disk are all PBR single piston aluminum calipers.

The fronts are the ones that can vary. 1LE cars got fancy PBR dual piston aluminum calipers up front, everyone else (you, me and many others) got the standard iron single piston calipers. As for the price, I rebuilt mine because it was going to cost me $250 for replacements in the rear.

IMO, they didn't way overcharge you on the actual calipers, but the pad prices make me wonder. OTOH, there are expensive pads out there, until you know exactly what brand they put on (or claim to have put on), it's impossible to say. For example, at one popular vendor site, new pads can run from about $25 up to $220 per set of 4 pads.

 

I don't think so. This is the rear end from a 1982 Trans Am with stock cast iron calipers. I intend to upgrade before long, but these are on my 89 RS. BTW, those are $78 apiece at NAPA with a core of $88, I suppose they really want you to turn in the old ones.

 

Yes, they did.... in any given year.

As I told him a long time ago, 82-88 is one style, and everybody with the 82-88 system got those crappy ones; and 89-up is the other style, and everybody with the 89-up system got the PBRs.

The OP has a 91 car. It has either drums, or the 89-up system, which is the PBRs, NOT the crappy Saginaw ones like those 82s. Those are not an issue here. He has the same system that every 91 with rear discs got.

 

Thank you for that clarification. Just needed to make sure there was no misunderstanding and I'm sorry if my comment was out of place....

 

Nope, you're fine and dandy picking it up as you go along as we all do. I have asked the same question in my time.

You a boomer guy, Al?

Ed

 

Thanks man.

Spent 11 patrols on three of them.
USS Casimir Pulaski out of Kings Bay, USS Alabama and USS Ohio out of Bangor. Been retired now since 1999.

 

(1) Front brake pads $127.99 -- $46
(2) Front rotors $135.00 (Total) -- $44
(2) Front calipers $74.44 (total) -- $36
(2) Brake Seals $11.02 -- $6
(1) Rear brake pads $161.99 -- $54
(2) Rear rotors $110.00 (Total) -- $42
(2) Rear calipers $209.38 (total) -- $160
(1) Brake Fluid $11.02
(1) Center Link $216.99 -- $120
(1) Steering Alignment $89.95
(1) Throttle Intake Cleaner $9.25 (sprayed some in throttle to fix AIC)
(1) Brake cleaner $4.50

I think you got hosed on prices mate. All of these prices are from Checker/Autozone here in the states. And I didn't cop out for the cheap stuff either. Raybestos rotors, hawks HPS pads up front, raybestos semi-metallics in the back, moog center link.

 

 

You guys could at least try to be a little more graceful about it. I thought it an awful price too, but I think the same thing every time I hear how much someone has paid for automotive repairs. I figure it's just par for the course.

I haven't replaced my pads yet (going with Hawk HPS I think), but I barely have $150 in my brake overhaul AND I got all new hoses to boot. Of course I spent quite a few hours working on it; not that I really mind all that much. It's kinda therapeutic, especially after reading a thread like this.

I think the OP got an ok deal on the rear calipers. OTOH, I'd sure like to know what kind of pads they used that cost that much.

 

I think he paid a pretty fair price for those parts as a customer who has just walked in off the street. A shop has to charge a certain amount to remain profitable, and of course parts bought from a shop are always going to cost more. but you will get a warranty on the work done, and have the luxury of having someone service your vehicle.

I, like Camarosource, also live in BC and the main source of parts comes from LORDCO Parts. Here is a breakdown of the suggested list price for the parts that were used (I used all stock replacement parts to get the prices)

Front Pads - 98.78
Front Cal. - 96.00 Each
Front Rotors - 67.5 or 100.3 Each
Rear Pads - 132.21
Rear Cal. - 62.22 Each
Rear Rotors - 104.69 Each

so as you can see, he paid far less for his parts than the suggested Retail.
Lordco total - 890.43 (using cheaper rotors)
His Total - 818.42

I think Camarosource needs to start working on his own vehicle, or start driving a vehicle that is more in his price range for being serviced and looked after since he does not do any work himself. (which is awful, as thirdgens are so simple to work on.)

 

Good lord why are the stock front calipers marked up 400 percent!?

I understand paying for labor, and even to an extent upcharging on parts for the privelege, but when a stock front caliper costs $25 without a core at any auto parts store, how do you get away with charging $100 for it?!

 

that caliper isnt even marked up 50% here in canada