Full Brake job for '99 Saturn SL1?

Question

I was told I need to:

Replace the Front pads
Replace the Front rotors
Replace the Rear shoes
Replace the Rear wheel cylinders
Resurface the rear drums
a Hardware kit
and flush and bleed the brake lines.

The asking price is 700.00.......is this fair?

Answer 1

Fair?

I could do this at my house for about 250 dollars. With parts from autozone.

About 500 or so at a local Independant shop with aftermarket parts.

For 700.00 you should get dealership with Saturn parts.

Answer 2

That is VERY attractive price, but I do not recomend resurfacing the rear drums they are too thin to begin with, go ahead and get new. the brakes are worth it. I don't ever recomend turning drums or rotors unless the person is flat broke, even though they can legally be turned. they were not designed for that purpose.

If you want tosave cash, ask the shop if you can supply the parts. I let folks do this but if I need a part they forgot I call the then go get it. You can save some serious cash this way. Since I don't sell the part it takes my guy time to pick up or pay a delivery charge. I tell the customer what they need and they go get it.

Answer 3

the price is fair if you really need all that has been listed.
You must have had some serious brake issues!
I can some what understand the back brakes, a leaking wheel cylinder will cause you to have to replace brake shoes, brake hardware and resurface the drum and bleed brakes.
Now if your front rotors will be out of specs if they we're to machine them, I could see them wanting to replace them.
My question is, how many brake jobs has it had since you've owned this car?
But if your skeptical about the recommendation that they gave you, always get a 2nd opinion.

Answer 4

It sounds like a normal shop price for the work, yes. What they do is charge you full price for the parts, even though they get discounts on them, and the book cost for the hours required even if it takes less time to complete.

I changed the drum brakes, and disk brake on my 2000 Ranger without any knowledge of brakes a month ago. It was somewhat frustrating I'll admit!

I bought a repair manual for information on what to do, and also joined an online forum for my specific vechicle. With all that help, I was able to do the job over the weekend taking my time and getting it done correctly!

I did a full brake job, and it only cost parts. NEW drums, pads shoes, springs, adjuster, hardware kit, rotors, and whatnot. Once you get into it and understand how things work, it is easy!

If you want to gain knowledge on how to do this for now and the future and save money, do it yourself. Not only will you save money now, but next time you have to do it. The rotors, and pads on the front are very easy to change. You may have to pack the bearings, but that is easy as well.

MOST important is you take your time, have a repair manual, and get help from a good online forum for you SPECIFIC vehicle.

Hope that helps.

Answer 5

I used to drive a Saturn, and you can run the bloody things a half million miles without a problem. I've also had a Mercury, and it stayed in the shop as much as it stayed on the road. And with gas going for $4 a gallon these days, do you really want to swap out 24-25 mpg for 19-20?!

Answer 6

i agree with michael08. but if the rear wheel cylinders were leaking it can all cause excessive premature wear on front brakes. also front brakes could be metal to metal causing deep grooves in rotors, too deep to machine. the pricing seems fair provided there is a 12/12 warranty included.

Answer 7

That's not actually a bad price if they are replacing everything like you say they are....the parts are pretty inexpensive...the labor is usually what costs the most.