New Brakes - $800

[Joshua]

My Mazda 3 has 82K. Brakes were worn. Took it to the dealership. They changed front rotors and pads, machined rear rotors and changed pads - total $810...

Everyone tells me I was overcharged. I went to the dealership for peace of mind and oem products.

Now I am hearing a rattling / clunking noise when I break at 20Km/h.

Taking it back to the dealership... not very impressed.

Any thoughts guys?

[Rob23]

take it back to the dealership to check the noise. $810 is a high price but oem is pricey and the work is expensive. next time buy the parts and take them to street performance.

[mazdabetty]

ouchhhhh.... I figure $600 max for a full rotor and brake pad replacement.. it isn't difficult to change the brakes so labour shouldn't cost a ton, my pops did the full swap pretty quick in our driveway lol.. get a breakdown of the cost, that is just ridiculous.

[gabbygenier]

the price sounds about right, got my rear done, car got towed with parking brake one, and it was 400 for pads and rotors. that was before i knew friends that could help me with it and the second time i did it, it cost me 150, with hps pads and blank rotors.

as for the noise, i would for sure go back, specially since they just swapped them.

[zmz3]

Actually, $810 is cheaper than what I was quoted at a popular Mazda dealership for both pads and rotors. my quote was $856. The OEM parts with TM3 arent so badly priced, but the labour is ridiculious. and the funny part is, I dont know why it's so expensive [other than the fake smile, shiny walls, and large over head]. Most of the time I look behind the window into the garage of that dealership, the dudes are just chilling chatting to each other. Load of BS.

You did pay a lot, but then again, going the OEM parts (TM3 discount) + aftermarket labour ~ $600 including taxes.

If you hear rattling/clunking, take it back asap. Your parts/labour should be covered for 12k/1 year? not too sure. But for $800, the car brakes should be working well.

Good Luck!

[klspeed3]

sounds like a similar issue I had...are you hearing the noise from the rear when braking? and only when slowing to a stop (i.e. you don't hear it if braking at higher speeds)?

[bluemazda3]

$800 sounds about right for dealership price.. they need to make money too

[zmz3]

$800 sounds about right for dealership price.. they need to make money too

Agree on making money. Not by rounding off labour hours when the so called mechanics are chilling in the garage. That's where you get upset that they are ripping you off in front of your eyes.

[Joshua]

Thanks for your comments guys!

So I took it back. They machined my rear rotors again and said it was fine. I tested the car. The noise was worse! We did a second test drive and the mechanic confirmed the rear rotors have to be changed! I did read that machining rotors is not a v. good idea.

They'll do that for free because they guarantee their work 20K Kms or 2 years - whichever comes first.

I went to Mazda because a lot of people get after market and they regret it because of problems down the road.

Canadian Tire would have done the same job with top of line parts for $50 less.

I'll go in on Thursday to get new rotors. This better give me perfect brakes!

[Flagrum_3]

First of all you got RIPPED! $800 and they didn't even change the rear rotors? C'mon man you should have come here first and asked about this stuff, nothing you can do now, except demand 'new' rotors....You could have gotten a comparable system for $360 all in at one of our Sponsors...lesson learned I guess.

_3

[Rob23]

First of all you got RIPPED! $800 and they didn't even change the rear rotors? C'mon man you should have come here first and asked about this stuff, nothing you can do now, except demand 'new' rotors....You could have gotten a comparable system for $360 all in at one of our Sponsors...lesson learned I guess.

_3

all 4 rotors and break pads for $360 total, what sponsor will do that... i don't know how much id trust those parts.

[baymoe]

all 4 rotors and break pads for $360 total, what sponsor will do that... i don't know how much id trust those parts.

Lesson learned after buying 3 various sets of rotors for the previous car I had. Warping, pitting, excessive rusting around the vanes. Bottom line is they're not all made the same.

[Flagrum_3]

all 4 rotors and break pads for $360 total, what sponsor will do that... i don't know how much id trust those parts.

You can say the same for 'ANY' parts you purchase (seeing as most are fabricated in the same place), but the Sponsor I talk about is offering just that.Also several people I've spoken too have testified that they've had no issues with said brake packages.When it comes to brake packages, unless you go high-end it's all a crapshoot.

BAYMOE; I don't think it's exactly fair to 'throw' our sponsors package into your analogy, unless you are talking from first hand experience with the sponsors brake package directly.


_3

[k13]

At $360 all-in, it might be worth the gamble...

[standsideways]

Dont be so cheap guys

My new brakes were $360 for 2 front rotors

120 for track pads-front

200 rear rotors

70 rear pads

Thats at cost+10%

[standsideways]

Yes thats performance oriented parts but not that much still.

Thats with me doing the labour.

[r4BBiT]

Dont be so cheap guys

My new brakes were $360 for 2 front rotors

120 for track pads-front

200 rear rotors

70 rear pads

Thats at cost+10%

With those prices I would expect ceramic pads and sloted and cross-drilled rotors. I can get Brembo OEM front rotors (high quality) for about $62.

[Kwokalobster]

You definately got over charged. I paid $500-600 for brand new slotted cross drilled rotors and hawk HPS pads.

[bluemazda3]

Agree on making money. Not by rounding off labour hours when the so called mechanics are chilling in the garage. That's where you get upset that they are ripping you off in front of your eyes.

should have brought it up to the service manager..

[ParsM3GT]

I bought front rotors from the dealership @ $95 each and bought hawk pads from nextmod for $90 and Jimmy @ SP installed them for $60.

[Darkice]

Wow mine were only 160$ rotor and pad gold plated ;)

[Darkice]

I thought jimmy quit from sp?



I bought front rotors from the dealership @ $95 each and bought hawk pads from nextmod for $90 and Jimmy @ SP installed them for $60.

[Darkice]

Thats why u paid so much , u went to the stealership lol



My Mazda 3 has 82K. Brakes were worn. Took it to the dealership. They changed front rotors and pads, machined rear rotors and changed pads - total $810...

Everyone tells me I was overcharged. I went to the dealership for peace of mind and oem products.

Now I am hearing a rattling / clunking noise when I break at 20Km/h.

Taking it back to the dealership... not very impressed.

Any thoughts guys?

[mazda72]

Yep, thats what a stealership does, i paid $1200 for my back brakes. I learnt my lesson, never again will I go to that dealership again.:bang

[ParsM3GT]

I thought jimmy quit from sp?

This was back in June.

[JonsMazda]

Yep, thats what a stealership does, i paid $1200 for my back brakes. I learnt my lesson, never again will I go to that dealership again.:bang

HOLY BATMAN!!

[vinnierap]

Why do people think going to the dealership is a "safe route"? The mechanics that work at dealerships are not any better than smaller garages. They charge $100/hr for GARBAGE work. If you want "oem" parts you can buy the parts and get them installed at a different shop. I personally would NEVER bring my car to the dealership or crappy tire for service. Unless it is a warranty issue.

FIND A GOOD MECHANIC.... If you dont know one ask around im sure members on the forum will be willing to assist anyone find a good mechanic.

[Qwest905]

i paid $450 for my slotted powerslot stop tech rotors all 4..and 2 front stoptech street performance pads and 2 posiquiet rear pads

[xxSlidewaysxx]

$200 front rotors and pads out the door with a truck/coach mechanic looking over my shoulder to make sure i did it right............ Front rotors were a F#$kin' biyatch to get off thou, 20 minutes each side with a 3lb hammer..... You might have had the same issue..... but were paying someone else's clock time.

[Charlie S]

Jason,

Any comments about this whole Brake service issue ?

We appriciate your opinion.

[Matr1x]

Odd... my dealership quoted me $400 to replace my brakes.... or maybe it was just to machine the rotors and replace the pads. Either way I thought that was expensive so I went with aftermarket parts.

[TheMAN]

$200 front rotors and pads out the door with a truck/coach mechanic looking over my shoulder to make sure i did it right............ Front rotors were a F#$kin' biyatch to get off thou, 20 minutes each side with a 3lb hammer..... You might have had the same issue..... but were paying someone else's clock time.

it wouldn't be so hard if you used a bolt to push the rotors off ;)

[TheMAN]

Thanks for your comments guys!

So I took it back. They machined my rear rotors again and said it was fine. I tested the car. The noise was worse! We did a second test drive and the mechanic confirmed the rear rotors have to be changed! I did read that machining rotors is not a v. good idea.

They'll do that for free because they guarantee their work 20K Kms or 2 years - whichever comes first.

I went to Mazda because a lot of people get after market and they regret it because of problems down the road.

Canadian Tire would have done the same job with top of line parts for $50 less.

I'll go in on Thursday to get new rotors. This better give me perfect brakes!

late reply, but I'll say this in case anyone else in the future encounters a similar problem...
the idiots at the dealer either didn't know how to turn the rotors or had the improper equipment to do so

firstly, mazda requires that rotors are turned using an on car brake lathe... this requires attaching a machine to the car and turning the rotors while they are still on the car.... it is more time intensive to do this, but it has far less problems doing this because there will be less run out than using a bench brake lathe

secondly, rotors that were turned must be scuffed out to have cross hatches, regardless of which method was used to turn the rotors... I've found many shops don't have this "accessory tool" which is supposed to be part of the brake lathe equipment, but either the dealership elected not to purchase this crucial tool (or did and didn't buy a replacement when one broke) or some idiot lost it... cross hatches are necessary for the brake pads to bed in easier, and the most important thing is, they prevent the pad from dancing around in the caliper assembly... I'm very sure that this is what you experienced....

this is why it happens: when you turn a rotor on a brake lathe, you use two steel blades to grind off metal on the surfaces of the rotors... it doesn't happen all at once, and it is machined from one point from the inside out... this creates "record grooves" (like on a vinyl record), and when the brake pad rides on top of it, it will follow the grooves and one edge of the pad will push against the brake caliper, then bounce off when it can't go further... cross hatching eliminates the grooves and eliminates this noise concern.... brand new brake rotors will have cross hatching already machined into them... you sometimes might not see that because there is a rust protective coating paint on top of the entire rotor, but once it is worn off after a few stops, you will see it

[Shawn]

it wouldn't be so hard if you used a bolt to push the rotors off ;)

How do you do that?

[Locust]

Prices seem to be the same I paid for my 2003 Civic Brake job.

Front pads & rotors $450.00
Rear pads & resurface $284.00

[kckev99]

I haven't to pay anybody for a brake job in years. Brakes are worth learning to do on your own as you tend to go through lots of them during the life of your car especially if you drive an automatic. I noticed ppl who drive auto tend to go through brakes a lot faster.

Front Brakes on my last car had an average life of 100K+ kms... rear brakes last quite a bit longer. This is likely not the case anymore with modern cars equipped with EBD. When I sold the car with 270K kms on it it still had original rear rotors. I'm sure they were very thin but still looked in excellent shape with no etching, rust or warping.