Car Help

[cris8762]

Hey guys,

I bought my car a couple months ago and have since put about 5k miles on it. It is a '97 Mazda 626 5spd. V6, very nice car. It currently has 67k miles on it.

Now here goes where the trouble starts. I took it in to Meineke (sp?) today to get the oil changed, my A/C serviced, and my brakes checked.

My father told me to get the brakes checked because he thought they might be worn and needed to be replaced.

An hour after i drop the car off, the guy calls me at my house and tells me the following information:

Brakes - Front: needs new Hardware (????), ceramic pads, shims, and new rotors
Back: needs new Hardware (????), ceramic pads, shims, and new rotors

Total: $799.90

A/C - needs evacuation and recharge, dye, 1pound of freon

Total: $125.10

Powersteering fluid is dirty, and some plate is caked in carbon and dirt (dont remember what plate)

Total: $96.90

Grand Total: $1091.90

Now, i havent been driving this car super hard or anything, and the brakes feel fine to me. Keep in mind that i'm not a very experienced driver, but the brakes arent squealing or anything when i brake. I've only stomped on teh breaks 3-4 times since i've owned the car.

I talked to my father and he talked to the Meineke guy about the brakes and the Meineke owner proceeded to treat my dad like crap so we paid for the A/C service ($35) and walked.

My car is now at another shop, one that my father knows and trusts. I'm curious if all of those brake parts seem to be necessary or if the guy was just trying to fix everything possible?

Thanks,
Cris Polilli

[Lone Wolf2]

id deff get everything checked and maybe look around at other places for different prices,but it sounds like the car just wasnt taken good care of b4 u got it.

[cphilip]

Sounds like the guy has a boat payment or child support payment coming due....

Never get that sort of thing done at a muffler place. Walk away like you did. Good idea to move it and have it reviewed. If it does need it then fine but it can be prioritized and safety first. That sort of thing. Its probable it does not need all that and or can be done more cheaply.

[FutureMagOwner]

why would brakes need a new rotor or shims and still be able to function to the level you describe to begin with?



i dont seems like he may have been trying to take you for a ride.

[cphilip]

why would brakes need a new rotor or shims and still be able to function to the level you describe to begin with?



i dont seems like he may have been trying to take you for a ride.

Its possible the rotors need to be replaced. If they measure too thin or are gouged too deeply they would turn too thin in the end... and perhaps have warped badly or been turned before already. And they not cheap. And the calipers may need rebuilding if they are tired and dragging and leaking seals. And sometimes its cheaper to buy rebuilt ones than rebuild them yourself.

[ASDadam]

Almost all brake specialty places like Meineke and Monroe charge OUT THE TAIL for parts.
They wanted to charge my friend over 150 a rotor for his 95 Diamante then 50 for the pads. After hearing this i quickly went to Autozone and got some quality rotors for 20bucks a pop and pads for 30. Its VERY easy to do your own brake job or take it to a quality shop that can do it for you. He was taking you for a ride on the fact that he was going to use "OEM Factory" Parts, which is a load of BS. Check around your local shops and see if they offer a free brake inspection. Get that done then you'll have a better understanding of what needs to be done.

[Machina123]

i believe meinike's (sp) mechanics make some kind of commission rate. a couple people have told me this. if this is true they of course would want to replace everything they could. my grandfather refuses to go there because he went into to go get new brake pads and they told him he ended up needing 600 dollors more in other stuff.

[cris8762]

*UPDATE*

Took my car to a local shop taht my father trusted (had done business with before). They told me that my rotors had no scoring or heat spots, and that my front pads were at 50%, all they had to do was replace my rear pads and change my power steering fluid and an oil change.

The grand total [drumroll].............










$110

Yea, i was amazed, 1/10th of the cost Meineke quoted me........

Unfortunately though i need a new clutch, the woes of being a new driver and learning stick, but $300 for a new clutch is better than $1200 for a whole new brake system then ANOTHER $300 for a clutch.

[Flow_Tech]

hey cris..har,thats what you get for taking your car to mienike..always take it to the hole in the wall places..BTW,i know you from BR..ever find that flex?

[AcemanPB]

Brakes are really easy to do yourself. I just replaced the front rotors and pads and back pads and it didn't take me long at all. The rotors cost me 20-30 bucks a piece and pads were about 40 bucks a set. I also replaced my back shocks after one of mine had busted. They were 60 dollars a piece. So I spent about 330 dollars on parts and spent one afternoon installing it all. The shop I had gone to earlier wanted to charger me nearly twice that and do the job with much crappier parts!

[cris8762]

hey cris..har,thats what you get for taking your car to mienike..always take it to the hole in the wall places..BTW,i know you from BR..ever find that flex?

yea, Crash from Mutiny accidentally got it.

Who are you, i dont remember?

[JIPED]

Best idea when working on cars:

Go to a local auto parts shop and find a service manual for your car. Haynes and several other companies make them. Do what you can on your car. Disc brakes are easy, drums are not hard either. Neither really require any special tools. A/c is more complex, but with the manual you will know exactly what the mechanic is doing. Same goes with all other repairs, look up the parts in the manual, call your autoparts store, then see how much the greedy mechanic is overcharging you. In the long run it'll save you a good bit of money.

[Flow_Tech]

har,the kid with the silver RT mag..soon to have a ULE and rogue vert frame..not very hard to notice me..im the ONLY person with a mag in most cases,besides clay

[skife]

Its possible the rotors need to be replaced. If they measure too thin or are gouged too deeply they would turn too thin in the end... and perhaps have warped badly or been turned before already. And they not cheap. And the calipers may need rebuilding if they are tired and dragging and leaking seals. And sometimes its cheaper to buy rebuilt ones than rebuild them yourself.

i like my grand am, rotors for the front are $24 a peice.
yay me