Did I just get ripped off?
 

I have been dealing with our local service station for years. They do a decent job but it always seems that their prices are just a tad high.

Well, when I got my inspection in the fall, the Ford dealership told me that I would need new brakes sometime this year on my 2003 Ford Focus ZTW wagon.

Sure, enough yesterday my brakes started making a grinding noise.

I took it to the service station, not the dealership, because the dealership had told me that their parts department charges $100 for rotors.

The service station called me and told me that it would be $450 for front and back with new rotors.

The dealership price for front and back with one set of new rotors was $480. An additional $60 if the rear rotors had to be machined.

I picked up the car and immediately returned it because the brakes are soft, so they have it for another day. Looking at the bill, they charged for machining the front and back rotors, not replacing them.

Here are the charges.

Labor Disc brake pads (front?) - 65.00
Labor Machine rotors front 42.70
Labor Disc brake pads (rear?) - 97.50
Labor Machine rotors rear 42.50

The front and rear with question marks are because the charges do not specify front or rear for the replacement, only for the machining.

Parts Disc Brake pads 96.89
Parts Disc Brake pads 66.99

Totals - Labor 247.90 Parts - 163.88\

SHOP charge 12.35 (What the heck is this?)

Subtotal 424.13 + tax 25.45

The mechanic told me new rotors, which is why I thought $450 was ok.

Are these charges out of line? This is near Chadds Ford, about 30 miles outside of Philadelphia.

At first I thought it was high but if I divide each figure by 2 thats $32.50 per front at say $75/hour is 25 mins/brake which is about right. The rear wheel has the parking brake so is more complicated. The parts look a bit high but that's because they are "factory" parts. You could check your local Schuk's or equivalent autoparts store next time your out but remember the workshop will mark them up. As it's a Ford Dealer they will have published times for all jobs so ask what the Ford approved time is for the work. Ask what their labour rates are and ...... Shop charge not sure, could be for all the misc. pins, washers etc the used when they replaced the pads or grease for the parking brake. Whatever. 12.35/4 is only $3 a wheel!

Overaul I thinks it's par for the course.

Thanks, but this was the local gas station and not the dealer. That's why I thought the parts were high.

This from the "Bikes" thread.

and you think YOU got ripped off.

To me it's high, but I have always done my on brake work. Just take rotors, drums somewhere and have turned. Guess I'll faint if have to go to shop.

Me again again.

Does your Focus have the 2.3l Duratec or whatever engine? Check out www.cosworth.com and sales and performance parts.

UT these don't fit GTI's

I just need new A/C. Taking it in next week I think.

Small independant specialist shop. Preferable recommended by a friend. Get 3 quotes, consider a rebuilt compressor if you need one.

450' s not bad for turning all 4 and replacing the pads. you're well over 600 for all new rotors and pads. i dont like cutting them cuz they get thin and warp easier, but it is cheaper

lj, so would it be better to just buy aftermarket rotors with new pads? j/c.......

edit: doing the labor myself.....

I do my own brake work....always.

pads - $25/set
rotors - $18 ea
"shop charge" - $5

satisfaction index knowing the job was done right and the car WILL stop when called upon - Priceless.

The shop charge is a miscellaneous charge meant to cover consumables such as degreaser, fresh grease, rags etc. Things that are used up, but cannot be put on the bill because you don't get it all. This can really add up sometimes.

I admit that my cost for parts is less than your cost for parts because I get the shop discount. Eat your heart out! It is still cheaper to do it yourself as you save the labor charge but eat the time it takes.

Brian

Are brakes that easy? Do the rotors and pads just bolt on, or what? Is it just a matter of jacking the car up, taking the wheels off, and... ?

Rich, the price sounds about right to me. When I had brakes/rotors put on Rho's Geo Metro 3 years ago, it cost almost $500 at Midas.

I was wondering the same thing. Here's what I found. With these instructions and a repair manual for my car, I might actually try to do this to save a few hundred bucks.

If you do your own brake work, who do you sue for damages when they fail?

Get a repair manual and if not sure take a few photos of each step of disassembly. On some cars it does no good to look at the other side to get out of a jam, because it might be ass backwards. I guess you still need a large c-clamp to compress the caliber. Wouldn't hurt to be sober while going it.:smack:

Sober when you put the parts on, drunk for the first test drive, in case you screwed up.

Anyway, disk brakes are supposedly easy. Drum brakes aren't, everything which needs to move will be rusted stuck. I'll pay the money.

Naw just get a few cans of cleaner & spray hell out of it before you start. BUT the springs on rear drums are a tough sob. You really need a tool for that. About 4 or 5 bucks. And the cables that do the self adjusting thing are a pain. Little clips that whole rear shoes in place are fun!!

BTW Last brake job on my old f-150. Only guy I could get to help me is almost deaf & his light went out long ago. I guess everyone in town heard some of that. When we were bleeding the system. PUMP CHARLES WHOA PUMP SLOW DOWN ON THE PUMPING WOHA and a few other choice words.

Yes UT, they are that easy. Most modern rear disc brakes now require a special caliper-compression tool (pricey) because they SCREW in, not just compress in. I borrow the tool for now, but there's a tool store in W-B that sells one for about $100 that I might just invest in. Drum rears are easy too, if you're careful and remember where everything goes. It takes me about one hour per axle to do my own, once every other year. Bleeding is usually not necessary as long as you don't disconnect the brake lines.

If you need help sometime, email me and I'll pop by. The Haynes service manual for your car is an invaluable reference and I always buy one as soon as I buy a car. It stays in the trunk so I don't lose it and I refer to it whenever I need information. I also keep my OBD-II code reader handy too, for those annoying "Check Engine" lights.

Brian

BrianR. Tell me more about the OBD-II code reader. What do you do w/code once you get it? Should that be OBC? For computer. Maybe D for data? Wtf do I know about this? nada.

Hot Damn! That's the funniest thing cause it's TRUE! UT, take note to choose your brake bleeding partner accordingly! :lol2:
:lol:

OBD II stands for OnBoard Diagnostics v II.0. When my code reader gives me a code, I translate it here. Then I know what the problem supposedly is. Sometimes it doesn't tell me squat.

Like now for instance. My Check Engine light tells me that the System Mixture is Too Lean. Say what? Does that mean too much air or not enough fuel? Since I see no sign of excessive exhaust temperatures, hear no detonation and haven't noticed any significant change in mileage, I'm betting this means I have a bad sensor somewhere...possibly the MAP sensor. I ignore this trouble code mostly. Other times it told me my O2 sensor was bad and it WAS!

My car is going to have to go in for major work soon anyhow so I plan on just having a new engine put in to compliment the new transmission and new suspension. I will put in new brakes as well. My new engine will be massaged some to give me more horsepower and the transmission (God willing) will be a manual for better control and reliability. If I go to the trouble to get more power and install a transmission that can handle it so as to handle the mountains here, I might as well get more WHOA power to stop me again.

The Cat won't be a "hot rod" or really even a "sleeper" but it will have about 30% more power and torque and since I pull a trailer now and then, I want more braking power as well. The factory Cougar leaves a lot of room for improvement. That's really the only reason I'm keeping it at all. That and I *like* it. :)

Brian

PS Oh yeah, a code reader will run about $100 for a basic one to $250 for a really good one. Check your local auto parts store.

I prefer the factory manuals because they break down the trouble code to possible causes, how to check further and the scope of system the trouble is in. It appears there are random sensors all over the engine bay but actually they are grouped in sub-systems. The trouble code should indicate which system to start checking if not which sensor.

Don't forget new rotors and drums should be trued(cut) before they're used.

Digital cameras can pay for themselves over the cost of polaroids for recording what you're doing...or rather undoing. This works for non-automotive projects too, so if you need an excuse to convince your partner(or yourself) for buying............ ;)