Hi all I am brand new to this board, and unfortunately, pretty mechanically inept.

My wife came back from Friendly Ford here in Vegas and had her front brakes replaced. Actually the service order states "Front Brake Lining and Kit". This, with labor, was approx. $130. In addition to this, they "Machined the front rotors" for an additional $105 for a grand total of $235 for front brakes.

Does this sound excessive? IS the machining of front rotors always necessary in completing a brake job? The invoice states "Brakes noisy, machine front rotors".

Thanks in advance for any advice!!!

George

 

Hi George!

I too am in Vegas, and just happened to have purchased rotors and pads this evening for my X. We are headed to Fallon, NV this weekend for an Expedition get together and I wanted to get my ride ready.

You will get many responses on whether or not to turn the rotors on your X. I have always turned mine so as to have a new, finished 'square to the axis' surface. Also, if you develop 'high spots' in the rotors, they need to be machined to flatten them and remove the bounce in the pedal you may feel. This is why I am doing mine now - I turned them about 4 months ago and installed cheap pads. The high spots came back, as well as squeaking. I knew better, but had no options but to use cheap pads due to money constraints. The parts store is going to credit me for the cheaper pads, so I am really only into this by the difference of the pads and my time - oh, and the rotors too.

You may have cut into the rotors if your pads got too thin. I think most would agree that if you get grooves and bad scrapes in the rotor surface, turning them is a good thing so long as you can maintain the minimum thickness after machining them.

I think the charge for the labor seems reasonable, except that the turning of the rotors charge seems high. You can pay ~$20 per rotor to get a micro finish at most decent machine shops. $52.50 each seems high - probably just high stealership costs.

I will be changing my oil, trans fluid and filter, and doing a front brake job on my X Thursday afternoon.

I live in Summerlin and have driven my X over just about every pass there is in the western mountains. Four of us got together for a run over Wheeler's pass last March and had a great time. Two came from the LA area, and one from Fallon. We are all headed to Fallon this weekend for some off-roading there. Let me know if you are interested in geting together with the group in the future, as we are working towards getting a Best Coast group of X owners together for outings.

 

Greg hey thanks for the input!!!! I will definitely keep in touch with you! We are just around the corner from Summerlin :-)

Thanks again, George

 

Hey ya'll,
I just did the brakes on my 2000 Expy today. You should always have the rotors Machined, but it should not be that much $$$ to do it. I paid $6.00 per rotor at a local machine shop. I think most of the cost that you paid for was labor. Have a good trip.

Mazzoo
Houston, TX

 

I agree on the machining - but there was a long drawn out thread here a few months back where others had never machined their rotors over the course of 2 or more brake jobs. I forget the reasons for not doing so, but the person(s) had a few reasons as to why they chose not to do so.

I'll be BRAKE-ing mine apart this afternoon!

 

George, sounds like you got a pretty raw deal. I get my rotors turned for $8.00 each. Now about turning or not, Greg's right, you'll hear a lot of different opinions. Some say that if the rotors are true and you're not experiencing a vibration or pull, then you don't need to turn. Others are of the opinion that the rotors should always be turned. There is also a group that swears you should never turn rotors at all and just replace with new for around $40-50 each. Personally, I think one turning is OK then it's time for new. Just make sure your wheel lugs are not overly tight as this can possibly cause rotor warpage.

 

Finished my X in record time last night. Brakes go by quickly with the right tools. Oiled up the K&N this AM after drying all night outside. Should stop better and SMOOTHER now with the new brakes.

On another note - I picked up a front valence that had the cut outs for the tow hooks at Team Ford yesterday. Cost ~$70. They sent me to not-so-Friendly Ford to pick up a 'Front Tow Hooks Kit' for $50. I get to the other stealership and the 'kit' is a single tow hook with no hardware. Better yet, he has the captive nuts but not the bolts for them in stock. I let it go for another time, but sure wanted my tow hooks for this weekend's run in Virginia City!

 

Greg, I agree, tow hooks are it. I've always thought they make a truck look really tough. Good luck with your project.