What's the cost of this job? - Do I go through with it?

IrishCannon

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I just noticed an issue with my brakes and took it in.

Told me I need to replace:

pads
rotors
calipers
and do a flush

$1600 OTD was the quote on my 2003 F150.

Truck has 125k on it.

I'll be leaving town for an extended period here shortly. I had even debated selling it prior to this. IDK what to do at this point. Kind of seems pointless to repair it and let it sit there.

Q1: Is that a fair or average price for that job?
Q2: Should I sell the truck, or repair it when I come home?

I've got a couple other issues on the truck, but nothing serious that are in need of repair.
Replaced tires at 100k, along with upper/lower ball joints, plugs, belts, and other 100k services.
 
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I did the brakes on my wife's van a while back. Pads and rotors were about $100 in parts I think. My neighbor helped since he has a decent jack and more experience. Not a hard job

The quote seems about double IMO. Think they quoted me $600 for the van. Knocked it our for $100 plus I bought beer and lunch for my neighbor.
 
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Yes....i just saw a kit for a 2003 f150 4x4 (excluding lightning models) for $135. Rotors and pads for 4 wheels. Its really unlikely your calipers need replacing and at 125k......maybe not your rotors either. Disc brakes arent too difficult. If your are anywhere near north davidson....i can walk you through it. These werent the high performance pads and rotors, but most people dont use them unless its a sports car or luxury car.
 
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Dude....They are sooooo bending you over! Even if you replaced all 4 calipers..Which is unlikely by the way...You wouldn't spend that much. I think $250 per axle is about right if I remember @mikeoverlay.


DS

Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk
 
Hell NO. That is absurd. Damn rip off, period, end of discussion.

Whats the issue with the brakes?

And for $1600, you better be getting all new everything less hard lines
 
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Use rockauto.com to check for parts prices.
General rule is to double for labor.
 
Unless the calipers are leaking, I don't see why you should replace them. If they are sticking that's another reason to replace them.


I replaced the calipers on a 69 Camero I had years ago, but it had sat for 10 years before I got it. The seals around the cups were terrible. It had 4 wheel disc because someone pulled them from a totaled Z28 in the early 70's.
 
Unless the calipers are leaking, I don't see why you should replace them. If they are sticking that's another reason to replace them.
That's what he told me was happening. He said the front left caliper was seizing up which was causing the grinding/rubbing.

I don't notice it until I come close to a complete stop, say under 10mph. Starts to rub/grind real bad and I feel it in the pedal.

I really appreciate all the responses. You guys are a huge help.
 
Use rockauto.com to check for parts prices.
General rule is to double for labor.
So the kit x 4 is 650. So $1300. Is that what you're saying?

If it's that easy of a job I'd obviously rather do it myself.

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk
 
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That's what he told me was happening. He said the front left caliper was seizing up which was causing the grinding/rubbing.

I don't notice it until I come close to a complete stop, say under 10mph. Starts to rub/grind real bad and I feel it in the pedal.

I really appreciate all the responses. You guys are a huge help.

you are describing a very thin pad. They tend to groan/growl/scrub when really thin.

As far as "leaking", any fluid spots where you park? Red brake warning light coming on randomly when stopping? Inside of the wheel "wet"?

And future reference, always ask them to show/prove your issues. At my shop, a cutomer is shown regardless if there is a problem or not.
 
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Could also be the sliders needing to be lubed up, had this happen a couple times on fords. Do you smell hot brakes when you've been driving around town? Does it pull to that side when your driving down the road without touching the brakes? Have an infrared thermometer? Go driving and check the temps on that side to see how the temp compares to the other side.

Brakes are easy, add in a pressure bleeder and your in high cotton for the flush.
 
you are describing a very thin pad. They tend to groan/growl/scrub when really thin.

As far as "leaking", any fluid spots where you park? Red brake warning light coming on randomly when stopping? Inside of the wheel "wet"?

And future reference, always ask them to show/prove your issues. At my shop, a cutomer is shown regardless if there is a problem or not.
He showed me, I just had no idea what I was looking at. All I was thinking when he was talking was "Damn I need CFF right now."

The check engine light is on, but I think that's a gas cap issue. I believe the seal is broken on it. No red brake light. IDK if it's wet or not.
 
He showed me, I just had no idea what I was looking at. All I was thinking when he was talking was "Damn I need CFF right now."

The check engine light is on, but I think that's a gas cap issue. I believe the seal is broken on it. No red brake light. IDK if it's wet or not.

Can you make it to Gaston County tomorrow around noon?
 
You can have Autozone check the light for free

No you cant. They dont know how or use the correct equipment.

However, they can tell you what code is stored as current or history. Never will they be able to diagnose it, correctly..

:cool:
 
No you cant. They dont know how or use the correct equipment.

However, they can tell you what code is stored as current or history. Never will they be able to diagnose it, correctly..

:cool:
I was thinking to get the code then google it
 
I was thinking to get the code then google it

Google wont diagnose it either. They guess, just like autozone. You get a list of options, it could be this or that, to choose from.
I love the folks that do this , then finally come see me...scan tool with data is the only way to fly. Fixed right the first time

:cool:

I charge a "I googled it" fee or "youtubed it first " fee nowadays
 
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I got a "flush" recommendation once too. I have never in my life heard of a brake fluid flush. Took auto tech all 4 yrs of high school, and do all my own repairs(save tranny situations). I felt like the place that told me that was taking me for a ride

Another story, I worked for jiffy lube in the late 90s. They wanted us to upsell everything. My trainer told me to open the radiator and point out that the coolant looked dirty and they should get a flush. Brand new coolant in a radiator looks dirty through the cap hole. Just a scam.

My opinion is to tackle it yourself. YouTube and google has great info on DIY stuff like that.
 
Google wont diagnose it either. They guess, just like autozone. You get a list of options, it could be this or that, to choose from.
I love the folks that do this , then finally come see me...scan tool with data is the only way to fly. Fixed right the first time

:cool:

I charge a "I googled it" fee or "youtubed it first " fee nowadays

$50 per hour to repair
$75 per hour if you watch
$100 per hour if you offer suggestions
 
OK, let's go over a few things.

First of all, you're paying for parts from their sources and then labor costs. If it's a dealership, then you're paying for factory original Ford parts, which is going to cost more than the parts store down the street. If it's a brake shop, you'll be paying whatever they pay for the parts from whatever store they get them from. Labor is based on how many hours the books say a certified mechanic SHOULD be able to do the job it. If the books say it takes 5 hours, you get charged for 5 hours...even if their guy is a whiz at F150 trucks and can do it in 2 hours.

Break pads/shoes will last about 50,000 miles, give or take depending on what pads/shoes you got and highway vs town mileage. So it's not unreasonable for your truck to need pads, depending on when this was last done.

Rotors are not unreasonable for a 2003 anything, especially if they've never been replaced. With 125,000 miles, it would not be unreasonable to need new rotors if they've never been replaced. The question here is whether there is enough metal on them to allow them to be turned, or if they're warped. It's a tradeoff here on cost of replacement vs cost and time to turn rotors, if they're turnable. Turning a rotor will run you about $15 to $25 per rotor, plus the time and transportation to take them to a shop to have them turned. Also, in my experience if you've got a warped rotor, just replace it even if there is plenty metal left to turn it. This is because a warped rotor WILL warp again after turning, because the warpage will result in uneven metal thickness on the rotor when it's turned. It doesn't mean it'll fail...just that it'll warp again, and likely sooner than it did before. It's a nuisance.

Calipers: I find it difficult to believe that ALL your calipers need replacing. But you need to inspect them to be sure. After about 10 years, it's not unreasonable to find that a caliper may need replacing. Look for degradation of the rubber piston boots and uneven wear of your brake pads (inside vs outside on each wheel). If the boots are rotted/damaged, replace the calipers. If you've got uneven wear of break pads, likely the caliper itself isn't bad but it may not be "floating" on its bolts/sleeves properly, which could mean it needs to be replaced. Also, does the truck pull to left or right when you brake? This could be due to several issues, among them being a caliper that doesn't squeeze down properly when you apply the brakes or release properly afterwards.

Flush: This is about a $100 job, if you pay someone for this. But you can do this yourself (preferably with a partner to make it easy) when you bleed your brake lines after a brake job. Start with replacing all the brake fluid in your master cylinder reservoir with new brake fluid. Then bleed each brake line as you would normally to get the air out, except keep doing it until you see the clean, new brake fluid come out. Keep an eye on your fluid level as you do this and top off as required to be sure you don't suck your reservoir dry and introduce air into the system. That's it.

Now, material cost. The internet is awesome here. Not knowing the full details necessary to look up your exact parts, I went to AutoZone's website and plugged in a random 2003 F150 and looked up some prices:

Rotors: About $50 each, give or take. Call it $200.
Pads: About $40 per set, give or take. Call it $80.
Calipers: About $60 each, give or take. Call it $240.
Brake fluid: About $8 a quart.

So you're looking at about $528 for parts, give or take, depending on what you need for your specific truck and what you choose among the various prices available. That's to do everything they want to do.

Looks like you've an offer or two here to have someone help you do the brake job, if you need. It's not difficult, really. Just take a little bit of time and some common tools. I'd take one of them up on the offer.

QUESTION: I'm not familiar with the F150 truck brake rotors. Are they JUST rotors, or are they rotors which require bearings? If they have bearings (like the rotors on my wife's old 2002 Explorer 4WD), then you'll need to either buy new bearings and grease to install in your new rotors, or remove the old bearings, clean and inspect them to be sure they're not damaged or burnt, then repack them and install them in the new rotors.
 
Oh...another thing...

You mentioned the front left caliper seizing and causing grinding/rubbing.

If it's "seizing" you'll notice because you're truck will pull left when you let off the brakes. This is because the caliper isn't fully releasing. This could be cause by one of two main problems:

1. The caliper is sticking.
2. The flexible brake line has degraded and "collapsed" inside, which will restrict the flow of brake fluid back out of your caliper piston when you let off the brakes. (I had this happen on a car once. Had to change that brake line in the parking lot of the parts store.)

If it's simple grinding/rubbing, you may be down to your squealer (which doesn't always squeal when you get down to it) or may actually have worn your break pads down to the metal. If this is the case, it may simply be a case of replacing the brake pads, unless you've got other indications that the caliper itself has contributed to this. (See my previous post.)
 
Watch a few youtube videos, you will get an education and if you have the work done by a shop
you will be in a better position to make a decision.

You may not be the fasted but you will be the lowest bidder when you do your own work and will have fun doing it.
 
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