Mods: Please move this to the appropriate forum if necessary. Thx.

i am not very familiar with brakes and how much should it really cost to have them repaired so would like to get some feedback from you guys.

i have about 50k on my tC and on my recent visit to the dealership for regular maintenance, they recommended me to have the rear brakes done [Rotors and shims for about $600]. also, to have the front rotors and shims replaced for about $300.

in addition, the recommendation included that when i get the above work done i should also have the brake pads replaced [from inspection: Left+Right Front BRake Lining was found to be 4-5mm and Left+Right Rear BRake Lining was found to be 3mm]

i have had the front brake pads replaced along with having the rotors resurfaced at 30k for around $250. the pads came with the lifetime warranty (with free labor i believe).

i do not think if the parts cost that much and most of the price seems to be for the labor. is that normal? is that how much you guys would pay??

here are a few pics of how the brakes look:

 

yeah the dealership charges you up the ___ with labor, like 80 bucks an hour IIRC, if you can do it yourself just buy everything and do it

 

yeah i thought about that for a second...this is not something i want to practice doing on my own car. ;--)

 

Brakes on the tC are seriously cake. Even replacing the rotors is nothing to sweat about.

I'd rate changing the pads a 2 out of 10 and the rotors maybe a 3 or 4 out of 10.

 

You can find tC rotors online for as low as $25 each, pads about the same, so compare that to what the dealer is trying to charge you for parts. Both really are an easy DIY, as ack said, but you could get the labor done lots of places for less than a dealership's rate (mine charges $100/hr.).

 

Indeed. We have rotor options for CHEAP!

http://www.dezod.com/cat-brake-rotors.cfm

Pads too!
http://www.dezod.com/cat-brake-pads.cfm

 

w0w, thats alot of rust.

 

^yeah, it looks nasty.

i think i will go with the axxis ultimate brake pads and stoptech premium rotors and see how much would a shop/mechanic do it for.

 

yo does anyone have the 411 to take off the rotor????? do u jus pull it out after u take of the caliper????????? are there any other bolts u gotta take off b4 they slide out??????????hit me up asap

 

the stoptech rotors are a great choice to go with.

MAVALLE - there are no bolts necessary that you must take off before removing the rotors. it might be tough pulling them off though. i believe there is a little spot where you can use a bolt to help u push the rotor off but i dont' remember using it when swapping out rotors. if you search, i believe someone has a DIY writeup for rotors.

 

I thought the exact same thing. I figured I could screw up just about anything and maybe the car wouldn't run. But if i screwed up the brakes, the car wouldn't stop. Big difference.
But I found a write up on here, I believe, and followed the directions and did it in a couple hours. Just make sure you have everything you need before you start, because if you need anything you might be outta luck.

It is seriously easier than it seems, anyone who can change their oil can change their pads.

 

go with Hawk and do it yourself

 

Holy rust batman!! They are cake to do yourself.

 

yeah the dealer's prices for what they do is ridiculous. It's better to look through the DIY here and the service manual (get it from toyota or d/l the brake section from Toyota Info System online, about $10). You'll be kicking yourself for spending that much at the dealer.

PLEASE DO NOT FORGET (if you do it yourself) to get yourself a runout dial gauge and measure the run out of the new rotor when you install it! You can put it on but if you want it perfect meaning no vibrations, then a run out dial gauge is a must. I picked one up with the mounting bracket at Harbor Freight for $20 total! Worked great! You measure the outer (10mm) from the edge of the rotor and if it doesn't measure out as ZERO, then you move the rotor one lug and measure again until you find ZERO movement. Dealerships NEVER do this, it's probably why so many people have vibration issues!

 

Can you find a link to using one of these gauges? I'm very interested in one but never actually used one. Sounds like a good idea but it just never crossed my mind.

 

yeah it's a must if you want rotors to have almost zero run-out. no problem, here's the link of what I bought.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...Itemnumber=623

and the base that holds the run out dial gauge

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...temnumber=5645

i was at the harbor freight store and went through a couple of run out dial gauges, some were "sticky" when i would slightly push down on the stalk that measures the run out. The needle movement of the gauge was slightly sticking, but then got one that was perfect. So definitely try it out at the store before you buy it. Sears wanted $92 for the same exact china-made tool! and here harbor freight had it for $20! gotta love that!

i see you're from melbourne? yup they have a harbor freight in your town, i looked it up
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...l_Store_ID=133

 

anybody recall where some topics are that tells step-by-step how to change the TC brake pads? thanks

 

I too am ready for brake pad change, for those who have the hawks or axis ulitmates, how are they on dust and noise?

 

https://www.scionlife.com/forums/sho...ght=DIY+Brakes

This DIY is a good one at the above link, except he's leaving out the run out dial gauge (a must!) and i wouldn't compress the piston into the caliper without opening up the bleeder valve. (it is an 8mm wrench that you need)When I did mine I opened up the bleeder valve attached to a hose into a glass jar and let the fluid escape through that. I had heard mixed results of damage to the ABS modulator by pushing on the piston. Better safe, than sorry, as they say. And I did find air in the system from the factory! amazing. Brake pedal feel much more firm now! Plus would be good to learn how to bleed the brakes yourself when it comes time to replace all the brake fluid with new!

Also Harbor Freight has a really nice $5.99 brake piston compression tool at their store I picked up.. All steel, no plastic!

http://www.harborfreightusa.com/usa/...o?itemid=34304

You just use an old brake pad to be an insulator between this tool and the caliper piston.

Later I will make a post of all the stuff I used, and outline it all. I just saved about $300 or more in labor! And the brakes are doing great now.

 

i finally got around taking care of this. i just received Ate premium one pads and premium one Slotted Rotors from tirerack (front and rear axle for $171 with shipping: i get a discount). The pads seem to be rated a little bit better than the OEM ones in terms of dust and noise.

i found a local shop and they would replace them for $95/axle.

is there anything in addition which i need to provide to the shop?