how much would it be to get brakes and rotors done?

Question

i have looked up information and i have come to the conclusion that i cannot remove rotors myself. yes there are those of you out there that will say that it is easy, but i'm not mechanically inclined and don't want to screw anything up. i'd rather have someone else do it. i don't know any mechanics, i don't have any mechanic friends, my friends don't have any mechanics they know. and yes i know it will be an arm and a leg but i just want to know. i only need the front done, as they are grinding incredibly bad. please don't be rude, i'm only asking a question.

i have a 92 ford ranger, and the front brakes are disc.

Answer 1

I am not a mechanic but I have done enough that I can help you, this answer may be lengthy, but it is worth you knowing so that you dont get screwed over , alot of shops will take advantage of you being a woman because they think you have a lack of knowledge. Prices range around the $90 to $140 per axle depending on you vehicle, ( which you say you have a Ford Ranger, disc brakes (rotors) on front) First, if you are grinding, your pads or shoes are shot and you have metal to metal contact that will definitely destroy your drums / rotors and needs immediate attention. if you dont want to tackle this yourself being you dont have the experience, the best thing to do is price around who will do a GOOD brake job if you dont have a friend or family member who can do this for you. Todays cars have brake pads or shoes that need to be replaced with the factory recommended replacements, please please do not use a cheaper grade brake pad or shoe. second, the drums / rotors will need to be inspected, and if they are at their minimum wear limits, they MUST be replaced........if they are ok , they will have to be "turned" meaning that they are resurfaced and straightened to where they will turn true, and with rotors, their biggest problem is warpage, if they are not warped too bad, the warpage will be removed as it gets resurfaced. the purpose of that is to "seat" the new pads / shoes so they will work effectively. Most repair shops has this machine to do this. If anyone tells you that you do not need to "turn" the drums / rotors, then you don't need to take any futher advice from them because they are trying to do a "cheap" brake job, much less do it right. third, along with all this, all of the hardware associated with your brakes are inspected and replaced if necessary. (remember, brakes generate a tremendous amount of heat very quickly, and over time the repeated heating and cooling has its effect on brakes and its components, the pads, shoes, drums / rotors take the most punishment of the heat) and if wheel bearings are involved, they will check, inspect and replace them if necessary, and repack them in new grease. (note, not all cars now have wheel bearings in the drums / rotors, they will just slide off the axle) Very Important!!!..... when they put the wheels back on the rotor type brakes. watch them very closely when they torque the wheel lugs, be sure they finger tighten ALL wheel lugs before putting a impact wrench on them. rotors get warped from this before it even leaves the shop. Remember, these are your brakes, you depend on them every time you drive and should not be taken forgranted. It could very well be a costly repair, but think about the dependability you get from them if you have to slam them to keep from hitting somebody that pulls out in front of you.

Answer 2

Ok I just replaced my brakes and rotors on a full sized 88 Ford Bronco. These prices should be about the same. Brakes $20 and Rotors about $75. Parts alone should cost less than $100. PERIOD. A shop usually charges the same amount for labor as the parts cost. Give or take about 20 bucks. So all in all this should be less than $200. DON'T let the TELL u different. Remeber you are paying them, they work you, and your personal safety is involved. Be sure to watch all the work that is done, and a brakes job should take less than an hour. I did mine myself and also changed my callipers in under an hour. And yeah I'm a girl that is not a mechanic, I have auto repair experience but not in mechanics. Good luck, and remember they work for u or they dont get paid.

Answer 3

Well, to take it to somewhere like midas, you pay $29 for the pads, which probably cost them less than $9, as they will be aftermarket items, and then they charge about $85 an hour for labor. Then they will tell you that your rotors are no good, and try to sell you a $250 set of those, which they paid $49 for. If you go to the dealer, they will charge you $60 to $120 for the pads, because they are factory items, with no discount, then upwards of $300 for the rotors, then charge $85 an hour for labor. Now think about that, you pay lets say the dealer $440 to fix your brakes, you could take that money to sears, buy a $250 tool set that would have everything you need, buy a service manual for $20 on your car, read the book, learn how to do basic things like brakes, oil change, things like that, and still have more than 1/2 of the money left. then, instead of paying $440 every year for brakes, or other maintanence items, you can read the book and learn it, use some of the money you would have spent to add to your tools, and still save hundreds of dollars. If I had no mechanical skills, what cost me maybe $4000 in tools, parts, and doing things myself, would have cost me untold thousands more, and I never had any formal mechanic training, and i have done CV's, brakes, rebuilt my engine, lowered my car, painted it, and kept it running for the 9 years I owned it....

Answer 4

Since you have already condemned yourself to a life of "I cant" 's, I won't try to talk you into doing something you "can't" do. I am not trying to be rude...sorry. The best advice I can give you is: Take it to Les Shwabb. Watch them like a hawk when they start "torquing" the wheels back on. I have found them to be in such a hurry to get your car out, and another one in, that they get a little sloppy. I have gotten warped rotors from not checking their work. If your rotors are "turnable" they can be done right on the vehicle which cuts down, down time. When they are one, they will "power bleed" your brake system, which is about the best way to do it, not to mention, if you have anti-lock brakes, the only way to do it right.

Answer 5

Since you don't want to tackle this yourself, the best thing to do is call around to repair shops and get estimates. They need to know the make, model, year, and engine type (auto or shift) before they can give you an estimate. Some cars are rather inexpensive about 75.00 a wheel, others can run up around 200.00 a wheel. It depends on the price of the rotors. The best thing about doing it yourself if you can buy lifetime parts that you don't have to buy again if you need them replaced. The thing about a repair shop, they usually only give you a 90 day or so warranty.

Answer 6

It depends. You might want to talk with nearest brake shops arround your area. Just look up brakes in the yellow pages. Also depends if you have disc brakes or not. roters are easy to do your self. I would say for 2 new roters and pads and installing your self it may be about $80 - $90. If you go to a shop it might run you about $200.

Answer 7

if its a truck, its about 100 per rotor and 80 altogetherfor the pads, that is if the car has no drum brakes, i would expect to pay about $500 max on parts alone, then another $200-$300 labor. expect to pay a nice wad of cash.

Answer 8

sorry honey that a nice girl like yourself doesnt have any mechanic friends!!! well lets see now. since you say that you hear grinding now leads me to believe that your rotors are probably shot?? maybe not?? ask the mechanic to mic them?? he will be impressed enough to maybe try to turn them if possible saving you about 50$ a piece for new ones. if they can turn your old ones? you may be able to get new brakes for < 100$. take a male friend with ya even if he knows nothing about cars. mechanics are bad about taking advantage of nice girls like you!! CAVEAT EMPTOR!!!

Answer 9

I'm a Ford guy, I can change the brakes for you. Parts,$150. I charge $75. Driving knowing you can stop,priceless.

Answer 10

i know how you feel,.. i don't know what type of car you have,. front rotor might coast you some 35 to 75 dollars depending on model
pads might be another 20bucks,. take all of this parts to a friendly shop. they are going to charge labor only and it might save you some bucks..a front brake job might coast from 200 to 350 depending on damage..