So I had to go and get the car inspected today. And well, it failed. I kinda thought it would because my back breaks were a bit more worn then the front, go figure right? In any case this covers my butt for the next while but more to the point. I would love to know how they come up with almost $900 to do a brake job, pads and rotors (she's got 107k on the original rotors so it is time). But still 900 that's crazy so I took it upon my self to look online and easily found the parts for cheaper and that's not even going with better performing parts. In any case I ended up on eBay and was looking at a set of rotors + pads from R1 Concepts and they had this nifty thing so you could chat to them live over AIM on the page. Hadn't seen an embedded AIM chat like that before so I shot them a message, I had been running HPS and wanted to see how their eBay offer would match up to those pads. To make a story short they cut me a decent deal, the price went up a bit but I got a set of drilled rotors and Hawk HPS pads for a good price and free shipping so I thought it would be kind to give a mention here.

I looked and noticed we don't have a section to report the good experiences we may have so General Topics it was. Now for you RX-7 guys out there, they have some nice stuff for the FB's too and also well priced.

Good day and peace out

 

yes, brake jobs are their bread and butter (according from stealerships ex-workers). got charged 400+ for brake pads and rotors for the front only... i should have gotten 4 new slotted rotors and better pads and done it myself...

 

congrats.....prob charged u a ton for labor that's why 900 was the price...most likely charged like an hour or so for each rotor (which takes maybe 5 min each)

 

Why did the car need to be inspected, and who gave you a $900 quote?
Did you take it to the dealer instead of a inspection station?
That is insane!!!! I could fly to NH and do the job for ya for less than that.

 

wow, yeah do the job yourself, it ISN'T hard at all. you may need a friend with air tools tho. however you could probably do it with just hand tools depending on how tight it all is

 

dealer quoted me 900 also, I bought the pads and had my friend put them on, I still need rotors however, the car shakes a little when braking. I got 72K on mine.

 

Why would you need air tools for a brake job? I've been doing my own brakes for decades, and never needed anything other than hand tools.

Amazing how shops can charge as much as they do for brakes. Disc brakes are one of the easiest DIY projects.

Ken

 

For some people removing 20 lug nuts with hand tools is too much work.

 

u mean jack the car up is too much work

 

I am doing it myself. I know exactly how tight they are too :p I always put them on with 90ft-lbs of torque. My new brakes and all should be in Friday. A set of cross drilled and slotted zinc coated rotors and a set of Hawk HPS shipped for $400, which I don't think is that bad of a price all things considered.

In NH we have an OBDII emissions inspection, not a tail pipe thank god, and a safety inspection every year. Inspections include, visual inspection of lights, brakes, tires, frame/body for excessive rust, and emissions equipment. Then they scan your car for any codes or other abnormalities. And the way the state regulates it all shops cost the same, except a few shops charge more to turn a blind eye so my RX-7 sometimes costs a little more to get through but if you fail they can't charge you again for 30days so in essence you have 30 days to fix the issue and get the car back to get the sticker put on.

 

When I get mine inspected I honk the horn, turn on head lights, hit brakes, and show that blinkers work and I'm done! 90% of the time it's free too because I send him business.

 

The shop probably goes by the "book" which means you are likely dealing with flat-rate pricing. Flat-rate pricing is not your friend. Flat-rates are almost always advantageous to the shop, not the customer.

Flat-rates are not limited to the auto industry. It is also pretty common in the plumbing, HVAC and other service industries. Don't get me wrong, I'm not totally bashing the flat-rate scheme. I used to be in the retail electronics service industry and flat-rates, if used properly and fairly can work pretty well while rewarding a competent and motivated technician. However, I have personally been the victim of flat-rate abuse with both auto repairs and plumbing repairs.

I'm more careful now with who I call and I pay very close attention to the details (and get your old parts back!).

-1.3L

 

When I was growing up in New York City, if you went someplace where they knew you that was pretty much it. They'd also look at tire tread. Pretty much anything that would be visible to a cop.

If you went someplace where they didn't know you, you'd get hosed.

It was a major cultural shock to me when I found that almost everyone I encountered outside of NYC does inspections straight.

Ken

 

Wow! They actually make driving vehicles safe?

What a revolution.

 

Yeah, what a novel idea! Sometimes I see such crappy cars on the road I almost wish there was a requirement to have cars inspected on an annual basis, something like aircraft annual inspections. And those inspections are extensive. Of course, it will never happen with cars because of the expense and inconvenience of being without your vehicle for a few days, or longer.

-1.3L

 

When I moved to SoCal I was stunned that the self proclaimed wise people in Sacremento (who I can proudly claim to have not voted for) were more concerned about their smog checks, and assbackwards things like window tint and a clear windshield than things like cracked windshields, protruding items, functional brakes, and turn signals. Oh and lets not forget the smog failing items and ticketable like non-CARB approved engine parts.

I guess I'm not as smart as they are.....

 

California has always been special.

I lived there for a bit over six months back in the mid-70s. Not long enough to get a safety inspection (if they had them) or to vote (whew!) but I did have to get an emission inspection. As I recall it cost somewhere between $10 and $15 (a lot in those days) and consisted of them putting a sticker on the windshield and telling me that I did not have to buy an aftermarket spark retarding device.

Ken

 

Ya I'm glad we don't have smog checks and all that, just an OBDII scan and visual emissions check. haha I know so many cars that can't pass smog because of gutted equipment and so on.

 

no inspections for me in Iowa
then again, it is Iowa, that sucks in itself, lol.
it's not that bad I guess, I'm just getting sick of the winter....3 degrees F out today.