Hey guys, I just got my brakes inspected because they were starting to squeal. Turns out I was told I need new brake pads and i think calipers (or was it rotors?) Idk, I have the paper but it is in my car. Either way, could this job be done by an average joe or do I HAVE to spend the $800+ the shop wants to get them fixed?

 

Probably pads and rotors, but even if the calipers need replacing, the whole business is cheap--try pricing them at one of the on-line parts stores for an idea. This is a job that you can do with a few basic hand tools. The amount the shop is asking is out of line.

JamesC

 

I agree. Normally squealing is the indicators on the brake pads, meaning the pad is starting to get thin. Brakes are cheap for our cars even calipers are around $20 for reman. ones for the normal single piston fronts. This last brake change I just put reman'd calipers on too since the OEM ones had 100k+ miles and I wanted to paint them.

Remember to get inner and outter wheel bearings and a inner seal when changing the fronts.

$800 is far too much for a brake job IMO. My sister got quoted at $400+ to have disc brakes done on her G6. I was able to do the entire job in 2-3 hours and spend 1/2 that including the gas tank fill up on the car used for parts run.

Remember shops normally charge anywhere from $30-$70 per hour. That's where the majority of the price comes from.

When I price things I use AutoZone, Oreily Auto Parts, or Advanced Auto Parts websites. I can get prices depending on store locations I select then I know where to go to get the parts the cheapest.

There is a sticky at the top of the forum that describes how to replace the front rotors.