Front Brakes Cost

[shagnat]

I have owned Toyotas and can tell you they are very reliable as a brand. That said, not every model is that way and none of them are as much fun to drive as my R-spec.

I also dispute your ascertain that a vehicle with almost 100K miles "rides every bit as good" as a much newer car. That is simply untrue unless your newer car is a real piece of junk or has been abused or damaged.

I can appreciate where you're coming from, but, I know my two cars, and have no reason to state my Highlander rides every bit as good and solid as my Genny except for the fact that it does. Since you don't know if it's true or not, you cannot say it is untrue.

 

[SNSN]

$320 is not horribly bad if they are turning the rotors. IMHO, I would not put new pads on rotors without turning them, so you made the right decision. A rotor will always have grooves and ridges worn from the old pads. These need to be gone before the new pads go on.

I have been doing my own brakes for years, up until I bought my Genesis. I may continue to do the brakes on the Genesis too, but that depends on how much Genesis wants to charge and how much time I have when I need to do them.

I would never let a Just Brakes, Meineke, etc. touch my brakes unless I knew exactly what parts they were putting on, and even then I would be nervous. A brake job is mechanically very easy-- I might even rate it easier than an oil change, since I don't have to get under the car. But, if a cheap brake shop uses low cost parts, it can ruin your driver satisfaction with the car.

A good set of high-end (non-racing) ceramic brake pads will be $80 - $100 per pair. Hyundai charges a small premium for their pads at $111, but that is totally consistent with every other dealer I have seen. Throw in another $50 to turn the rotors, and you are up to $160 in materials. Another $160 for labor is high, but not outlandish. You got then down to $256, so that is on the order of $100 for labor. That is a good value for a dealer brake job.

I would hate to know what kind of garbage pads that a Meineke would have put on your car for their dirt cheap quote. They fail the price reasonableness analysis.

Meineke said they would use Bendix pads...and they give a lifetime warranty.
But Hyundai is also offering a lifetime warranty...except for labor..

 

[shagnat]

That has not been my experience. Worn rotors always have grooves and ridges from the old pads. Typically, there is a tall ridge at the outside edge. I have seen people notch or shave the edge of the new pad to fit the lip worn on the rotor. This ranks up there with the dumbest thing I have ever seen. True, the rotor will cut the new grooves into the pad, and eventually the pad will wear into the grooves on the rotor. But, would you want your new brakes to start out like that?

Cannot say "always" because it's impossible to know that. I've had cars with worn pads that did not need turning of the rotors and have had the opposite. We should be careful with "always and never".

 

[Mark_888]

That has not been my experience. Worn rotors always have grooves and ridges from the old pads. Typically, there is a tall ridge at the outside edge. I have seen people notch or shave the edge of the new pad to fit the lip worn on the rotor. This ranks up there with the dumbest thing I have ever seen. True, the rotor will cut the new grooves into the pad, and eventually the pad will wear into the grooves on the rotor. But, would you want your new brakes to start out like that?

Sometimes they botch the rotor turning, and it is worse than not turning them at all.

 

[GenesisCaptain]

Cannot say "always" because it's impossible to know that. I've had cars with worn pads that did not need turning of the rotors and have had the opposite. We should be careful with "always and never".

Do you do your own brakes?

In my personal experience, I have never seen a rotor with 40K or so miles on a set of brake pads that did not have grooves and ridges. And given how pads wear into the rotors, I cannot imagine a situation in which you would not at least have a ridge on the edge of the rotor. Given most people typically replace brakes in pairs, and each rotor has two sides that wear, the odds that all four sides are clean are pretty stinking low. I'm just saying... I get your point about "always and never," but the odds are stacked against you.

 

[homeofstone]

No need to resurface if there is no warping.

Not true. With new ceramic pads the rotors need to be resurfaced to assure quiet braking.

 

[Philth]

Not true. With new ceramic pads the rotors need to be resurfaced to assure quiet braking.

Good luck with that. Resurfacing rotors = less material to dissipate heat = prone to warping. Might as well buy new ones.

 

[scottdk]

Good luck with that. Resurfacing rotors = less material to dissipate heat = prone to warping. Might as well buy new ones.

+1

I was going to mention this earlier.....I have been doing my own brakes since 1999 and have experienced the changes in brake pad material etc. I would not pay someone to make a part thinner that is designed for safety. The idea of paying for this seems excessive, but then again, this is a luxury car forum. Glad I have drilled/slotted rotors. They dissipate heat so quickly I have never warped or exceeded the integrity of one pair, no matter the vehicle.

 

[1FstYota]

Well nothing wrong with turning rotors they have specs on how much meat is acceptable when turning rotors.

320 don't sound bad at all, depending on brake pad material it will eat rotors faster would you really want to buy cheap pads and not have all the braking power you need to stop a 4000lb car?

It's weird seeing some of the mentality on this forums regarding "wearable" parts its like their made to last the life of the car.

 

[homeofstone]

Article on resurfacing rotors is below. As to my point, I do not care for noisy brakes and installing new pads on a rotor that does not have a smooth no ridges surface may cause noise and squeal. As the article says "some people are cheap"

RESURFACING ISSUES
In some cases, rotors may not have to be resurfaced when the pads are replaced. If they are relatively smooth with minimal grooving, they may not need to be cut. However, most professional brake technicians won’t take a chance on not resurfacing the rotors for fear the brakes may be noisy or not feel right until the pads are fully seated in.

Resurfacing a rotor obviously removes metal, making the rotor thinner and reducing its remaining service life. Because of this, some consumers as well as some vehicle manufacturers say rotors should not be resurfaced every time the pads are replaced (unless the rotors are badly grooved or uneven). Okay, some people are cheap and are trying to save a buck. We’ll grant them that. But do they really want to cut corners on their brakes? Resurfacing restores a flat, smooth surface that provides the proper friction characteristics, minimizes noise-producing vibrations and allows for maximum pad contact.

Installing new pads on a grooved rotor causes the pads to ride on the high spots of the rotor. Eventually, the pads will wear down and make full contact with the rotors as they seat in. But this increases pad wear and decreases overall pad life. So it could also be argued that not resurfacing the rotors is counterproductive to maximizing brake life.

The surface finish on the rotors also is important because it affects the friction characteristics of the brakes, pad seating, break-in, wear and noise. Most new OEM rotors today have a surface finish between 30 and 60 inches RA (roughness average), with many falling in the 40 to 50 RA range. Some OEM specifications say that anything less than 80 RA is acceptable. If rotors are resurfaced, they should be cut to meet these specifications using sharp lathe bits and proper rotation and feed speeds (not too fast!).

Composite rotors (those with a stamped steel center hat and cast iron disc) that are being resurfaced must be supported with bell caps or adapters to prevent them from flexing while they are being cut. A vibration dampener should also be used on all types of rotors to reduce noise and tool chatter.

______________________________

Help support this site so it can continue supporting you!

 

[1FstYota]

I've done brakes with no resurfacing and with and difference in feel is almost non existent. If it's warped then resurfacing won't help just change it at that point.

Under extreme like swapping pads on the track then a good bed in sessions is all you need to trasfer a layer of material on the rotors.

 

[gameday22]

I replaced mine with premium dimpled - slotted and ceramic pads all the way around from Brakeperformance.com

They were on sale when I got them for $199 front/rear including the pads. They come with a lifetime warranty against warping, cracking and defects in materials + workmanship. The increase in braking performance is great, they require no modifications and meet or exceed manufacturers specifications. The only thing I don't like is when they are cold they will squeak some until heated up.


Here's the link:

http://brakeperformance.com/brake-rotors/Premium-Dimpled-and-Slotted-Brake-Rotors.php

 

[homeofstone]

I replaced mine with premium dimpled - slotted and ceramic pads all the way around from Brakeperformance.com

They were on sale when I got them for $199 front/rear including the pads. They come with a lifetime warranty against warping, cracking and defects in materials + workmanship. The increase in braking performance is great, they require no modifications and meet or exceed manufacturers specifications. The only thing I don't like is when they are cold they will squeak some until heated up.


Here's the link:

http://brakeperformance.com/brake-rotors/Premium-Dimpled-and-Slotted-Brake-Rotors.php

From the above website:
If your brake rotors have sufficient metal remaining with no hard spots, cracks, severe grooving or rusting, then the rotors could be resurfaced. Some have the opinion that unless the brake rotors have surface issues needing to be fixed, the rotors should not be resurfaced every time the pads are replaced. If the brake discs are still smooth they may not need to be resurfaced, but most professional brake mechanics will not install new brake pads without resurfacing the rotors. Resurfacing restores a flat and even surface that minimizes vibrations and allows for maximum brake pad friction. Installing new pads on a grooved brake rotor will not allow the pads to make full contact with the brake disc, and eventually the pads will wear down and fully seat themselves into the contours of the brake discs, but this will only decrease the life of the brake pads.

 

[Philth]

Funny its from that website....Have you ever tried to resurface dimpled or slotted rotors? Not going to happen.

 

[GenesisCaptain]

Funny its from that website....Have you ever tried to resurface dimpled or slotted rotors? Not going to happen.

I agree. I consider drilled or slotted rotors a disposable, throw-away, wear item. I would not have them turned-- I would just replace them with the pads.

 

[scottdk]

I agree. I consider drilled or slotted rotors a disposable, throw-away, wear item. I would not have them turned-- I would just replace them with the pads.

+1

I've never had to actually replace drilled or slotted rotors before as they seem to last a very long time.