Great Forum!

I'm new to the forum, not new to cars. The family 01 4x4 Expy has 38K on it and needs brakes. Being the family SUV I am considering paying a shop to do the brakes. I have always done all my cars myself.

Quotes run about $450 to $480 for front and rear out the door. One shop says they have to install their remanufactured calapers, which sounds odd as the truck only has 38K on it. Advantages, they do it quickly and they warrantee their work.

For the average mechanic, is it worth the time and hassel to do the brakes yourself? I've read horror stories about getting the rotors off, will I run into this on this low mileage west coast truck? For those who have done it, are you completely satisfied by the result or just happy you saved $330? Thanks for any input.

 

Hola and welcome.

I've done my fronts a couple times and the rears one time. Once the vehicle is jacked up and the wheels are off, the job shouldn't take more than 15-20 minutes per hub (assuming the rotors aren't completely stuck). At 38K miles you might not even need new rotors.

 

Thanks for the reply.

Will a standard floor jack work, or do I need something that will get up higher? I might not have to replace the rotor? Do they really go south that easily?

 

my .02...

I have an 01 Expy AWD. I recommend replacing the rotors because they are fairly cheap. My feeling is that its best not to skimp on the brakes! That being said, I can see no reason why you should need Calipers on a vehicle with such low mileage. Essentially, you are going to look for torn Piston boots, leaking, stuck pistons, or extremely unbalanced wear between the inboard and outboard pads. I strongly recommend the Bendix Fleet metallic pads. very durable, exceptional wear, low noise and fairly priced.

I have been a brake and front end tech for 15 yrs, you can do it yourself. A floor jack will work fine, though I recommend stabilizing the vehicle with jack stands once raised. Also, assuming you have ABS, when you push the piston back into the caliper, lightly clamp the brake hose and open the brake bleeder to allow the brake fluid to drain out, as opposed to the old method of pushing back into the master cylinder. ABS controllers are not too happy with that much fluid being pushed back through it. As well, make sure you refill the master cyl with a good quality fluid in a new/unopened container, and apply the brakes several times before moving once complete.

 

I have always done brakes myself. They are not diffucult to do and pretty straight forward. I once had a shop quote me $500 to replace 1 front caliper (which was frozen) both front rotors, front and rear pads. They could this during the inspection while rotating my tires. The guys chin dropped when I told him I would take care of it and just rotate the tires (LOL). Well the rotors and caliper cost me $125 from autozone and I already had lifetime warranty on the pads so those were free. Took me a little bit longer than normal brake job, having to replace the caliper, but it saved me $375.

You should not need a new caliper unless it is frozen or dragging. You should not need new rotors unless they have been turned past the minimal thickness, are always warping, have deep gouges past minimal wear point or you just want new ones.

I prefer to do all work myself where possible. I won't open the block/tranny/AC, but everything else is fair game. It generally saves me alot of time and money and when I get done I know it was done correctly. On top of that most parts come with a lifetime warranty so if you plan on keeping it a while, if it breaks again the repair is free.

Glock

 

As a side note, and not to get on anyones badside....


I don't use the Autozone/Pepboys/Kragen (Schucks) quality parts on my vehicles, or the vehicles I service. IMHO, discount parts have no business on my vehicle. Way too many sheared brake pads, blown relays, wrong stuff, Alt replacements, A/C compressors, PS Pumps, and things that just dont fit right and have had to be replaced multiple times. Warranty or not, its usually cheaper and quicker to do it once and have it last a while. The lifetime warranty on a set of $40 pads is worthless when you are coming down a steep grade with a trailer and the crappy glue on the discount pads melts or the junk chinese or tiawanese rotors give out..... Been there done that. Have Wife and kids I prefer to keep around.

I strongly suggest using the local reputable parts house or your local Napa, Car Quest, or dealer for parts. If in doubt, ask a mechanic where they get their stuff. I bet not one will say Autozone... they dont want the liability and hate rework too! The warranty doesnt cover labor ya know!

Heck, that isnt a bad price when you consider the cost of good parts, shop labor rates (no one is getting rich, believe me, with the cost of tools, equipment, insurance, and other overhead), but I ONLY replace calipers in sets of 2, sounds like he was giving you a "brake"!

 

By the way, is the vehicle in question here a 2WD or 4WD? Are the brakes grinding or is there a pulsation in the pedal?


For a low mileage west coast vehicle you should be fine. Tell me where you are and I may be able to give you a hand. I am in SoCal

 

I agree. I always check the boxes and make sure the critical and high dollar parts are made in USA. I'm sure the cheap asian parts meet or exceed oem standards (I'd bet there are laws requiring it to "protect" us) but I'm not comfortable with their products just yet.

 

I agree to a point. I do not purchase their brand of anything. They do sell higher quality parts, example Performance Friction brake pads. I also stay away from remans if at all possible. I never use the dealer unless it is dealer only. They cost way to much and don't provide KY .

I have a Napa in my town but I never use them. I may have to check them out.

Glock

 

As far as the Performance Friction Carbon pads go, they are very good. I still prefer the Bendix Fleet pads. Most people go to discount stores and look for the "Budget" way of doing things though.

Remember, the high volume discount parts stores are high $$ multi state corporations, and profit margins are # 1 priority. With the local places, customer service is generally #1.

 

By the way.. funny story..

I have a 89 Bronco, the MIL lamp kept coming on. EGR flow under or over spec. I check the EGR valve and it was good but the sending unit plunger was bad. I went to 3 different places and bought 3 different EGR sensors, none of them worked and the MIL stayed on. Went to the dealer and bought one. Bolt right on and go. Never a problem with it again. I would have saved $$.

Same story with the Fuel Pump relay on my old 91 Aerostar, many purchased, only one worked.. DEALER.

Have a buddy that I just did a A/C compressor on his 94.5 F350 Turbo Diesel. The .5 in that is important because he had a mid year production change that gave him the PS diesel as opposed to the 7.3 IDI Turbo. The compressor was close, but not exact. As such, it took 3 visits and 6 hours total to change a 1 hour part. Called the dealer while waiting for the last shipment, they had it, in stock, cost diff was $50. For $50, I would have paid it to be rid of the thing after 6 hours and all the irritation.

They know their vehicles, and oftentimes the prices are within reason. 10 to 15% isnt bad when it ways Motorcraft or Ford. Especially when you have done the same job 4 freaking times!

I only use OEM stuff on electronics now. Not for hard parts, but certainly for electrical and emissions

 

Thanks bphillman for the info and the offer to help. The truck is 4WD. I am in No Cal East of Sac, so too far for a quick hand.

I would have put a rag around the brake fluid resevor and pushed the fluid back up, but I will try pinching the line and letting the fluid drain out the bleeder. Suppose that means I will also have to bleed the brakes. I'll make sure my wife pumps the brake peddle and not the gas, like she did on my Mustang...it really did happen.

We do have a NAPA near by. I've asked three shops if they turn rotors and they all stopped doing it. I may just replace them as it will probably cost $15 each to turn them plus two trips to a machine shop.

Anybody use the vendors listed on this site? There appear to be pretty good pads and rotors for reasonable prices...although shipping on rotors may add too much to the cost.

 

Since it seems I am not at a lack of words on this.....

1. If you do not allow air into the system, you will not have to bleed it. Make sure when you are applying pressure to the piston, open the bleeder and as the piston is pressed all the way in continue putting pressure against it so it doesn't suck air into the system. Once the piston is all the way in, with continued pressure applied to the piston, close the bleeder.

2. Food for thought on rotors. Consider the cost of machined or new rotors. By machining them, you are taking off metal, which is what conducts the heat. Less metal=less heat dissapation capability which means more warped rotors.

Of course this is open for discussion, but I seldom turn rotors. If they are good for runout and thickness, you are better off just cleaning them up with a 80 grit sandpaper or a resurfacing disc than turning them. If they are gouged, warped or under spec, I replace them.

 

I Have the EBC dimpled/slotted rotors. They are a bit noisier when the pads grab them, but I think they work a little better. When i first put these on, i went with the EBC GreenStuff Heavy duty pads, and although they stopped me well, they made a real mess. My rims were filthy within 3 days. I just switched and went with the SatisfiedPro Ceramic pads up front and in the back, and I like them much better. They seem to stop just as well, and its over a week before my rims seem to get dirty. I got all of the above at tirerack.com, good prices, quick shipping.

 

I'm glad I used the Search feature before posting. This is exactly the topic I was going to start.

Anyone have any more recommendations on rotor brand/model? My pads are good, but my rotors are warped again. I'm not going to have them turned any more.

Thanks,

Chris