Is this a rip off?

[ebod]

My wife's suburban is at the dealer getting a bunch of little stuff fixed before the warranty runs out. The dealer says it needs: (i) parking brake pads (I know this is true); (ii) rear brake pads (this seems reasonable as we haven't replaced the pads yet in 35,000 miles) and (iii) a brake fluid flush (I don't know about this one). The dealer's price, parts and labor, for this work is $650.

 

Is it me, or is the dealer gouging me? How much should I expect to pay for this type of work if I go to an independent shop (I'm not good enough with a wrench to mess with the brakes on a ride used by my wife and kids)?

 

Thanks in advance for any thoughts or advice.

 

P.S. anyone know a good, reasonably priced mechanic in West Los Angeles or Culver City?

[dmc874]

$650? Do ya'll have any Just Brakes or anything around there. I hear them on the radio all the time advertising 4 wheel for $99. Don't know how much the additional would cost but I doubt it would be another $550.

 

Dave

[dukbludvl]

i'm surprised that you'd need rear pads already. mine are still good after 62K miles on my '00 Yukon

[asepgrad98]

would be about 250 at one of the chain brake places.Take it to a tire store that does brake work.

[Machine]

Hi -

 

Do your rear brakes really need to be replaced at 35K miles? That doesn't seem right. I ran our 01' Yukon XL to 48K miles and the brakes were still at 30%. Anyway, $650 is steep. How many labor hours is the stealer quoting? How much for parts? Dig into the details of that estimate. A rear brake job takes no more than 2 hours

[blue2kzr2]

Rear brakes on an S-10 are $400 plus labor, dunno if that includes P-brake shoes, that's with new rotors and pads though. Dealer price.

[Machine]

Also, proceed with caution when dealing with the discount brake places. They may say $99 but that's for the cheapest pads out there. Back in 97 I took my girlfriend's (now wife) Honda to one of those places to have the front brakes replaced and by the end of the dicussion they wanted $250 (Upgrade here, upgrade there, etc) No way, amigo. Honda ended up doing it for like $180 - but then again it was a litle Honda.

[Wingnut]

If your pads are worn out before 36k there is a problem, and it probably isn't your driving habits.

 

I'm over 55k, and even the front pads look good. My neighbors 01 has 80k miles, and the pads are just getting to the point where they need replaced...And he drives like Mario, and pulls a heavy a$$ trailer (6k lbs+) at least twice a week.

 

The dealer price sounds about right...For what they charge. But if you have all that done somewhere else, it will cost a pretty penny as well. Not as much, but it will set you back.

 

I would be more interested in finding out the cause of premature wear on the pads. If there is something wrong with the braking system causing them to wear quickly, then I would think that the warranty would cover the cost of all of it. Nothing out of your pocket.

[ebod]

The parking brake pad is worn because the parking brake release broke (in the middle of the night) and I had to drive (only a mile or so) with the brake engaged. To me, it seems that this was foreseeable and caused by a failure covered by the warranty so it should also be covered by the warranty. The dealer doesn't agree with me. To make matters worse, when I picked up the truck after the dealer "fixed" the broken brake release it felt like the brake was dragging (I even brought the car back to check later that day). I think that, in reality, the dealer never properly fixed the release and that the pads burned out while I was driving the car after it was supposedly repaired.

 

I have no idea why the main pads have worn so quickly. From what I'm hearing from you guys, they should have lasted MUCH longer even if we do a lot of stop and go driving.

 

I'm pi$$ed off about this. This is the type of thing that will make me steer clear of future GM purchases.

[ebod]

Sorry to continue ranting, but this just keeps making me madder and madder. I just spoke to the buddy that I was with the night my brake release failed and he reminded me that we NEVER drove with the brake engaged. He followed the broken cable to the lever to which it connected (on the front left of the area where the foot-operated controls are) and pulled it to disengage the parking brake. We parked the car after a short distance because the brake warning chime (which is really annoying, by the way) kept going off even though we released the parking brake. The next morning I took the car to the dealer to fix the release cable and to get the warning chime to stop going off.

 

This is going to be such a PITA to resolve, but, as a matter of principle, I can't let myself be ripped off like this.

[ness5575]

have you pulled a back tire off and actually looked at the brake pad? it is fairly easy to see if there is any meat left on the pad with just the wheel off. for $650, i wouldnt take the dealers word on it.

 

i did my rear brakes a few months back. bought the pads from the dealer, and just the parts cost $154.21. i didnt do the parking brake pads - though i should have, thats a project for this spring - so i dont know what those pads would run. but, thought it could give you an idea on the cost of the parts...

[JimG]

For what it's worth -

My GMC dealership gave me a hard time about the rust on the inside of my 03 Sierra's bumper ("this is normal, not much you can do about it"). Ended up calling GM (1-800-462-8782) and speaking to a customer rep. By the end of the conversation, they're fixing per the TSB I told them about.

Might be worth 30 minutes of your time to call them and explain. They'll get the dealership on the phone and discuss it with them. There's obviously no guarantee but you've got nothing to lose by trying.

[citydriver]

I know that I'm a day late on this 1,But if they are not grinding,You should take it for another opinion/estimate..the brake fluid flush is not really needed unless the fluid looks burnt(really dark) w/sediment float'n around the bottom of the reservoir.....try askin freinds,co-workers,family,neighbors if they can recommend a good shop...or look for ASE certified techs,check the BBB in your area,stay away from chains that work on commission(most chains and yes, some dealers) L.A. area traffic is tough on brakes(hurry-up & stop) You should try drivin a 18 wheeler thru there

[GM GIMP]

A local Midas told me I needed rear brakes badly. I took the

car home and pull both the rear wheels. The brakes had about

75% pad left on them. Lesson learned; don't take their

word especially if you have a way to check them yourself.

[dieselman]

 

$650 for a rear brake job is on the hi side. The brake fluid flush is a must on the newer trucks along with all fluids. The parts for the rear brakes plus parking brakes are $300.00 plus the fluid and labour.