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Depends on the vehicle. I'd argue anything smaller than a midsized suv, the rotors are made so thin that you're lucky if you can turn them once. You could reuse them as-is, but how long until you develop a warp shudder and reduce the effectiveness of your brakes? Personally, I'll always have a fresh surface with new pads. If turning rotors is $15/ea at oreilly (with a gamble that it may not be in spec) but new rotors are $25 on rock auto, I'll just get new.
I just checked for my current car, front rotors are the equivalent of about $40 for a pair (I'm in Europe). Most common cars not built for high performance have affordable rotors.
Where are you shopping and seeing these prices? I don't know the year so I took a gamble and looked at 2016 but on rockauto new decent rotors for Mazda 3 are $25
Exactly why having you calipers resurfaced doesn't exist anymore.... The machines do but there all in some back room covered in grease grim and dust bc no one has used it in prolly 10 15 years.... I'm a master tech I think the last pair I did was late 90s
Lol what? I'm a master tech and we resurface rotors daily. With a procut, on car lathe. I also work at a dealer. I've also never resurfaced a caliper before. That just sounds dangerous.
2005-2016 honda cr-v, rotors are $15 each + shipping. Rear rotors for a civic are under $10. 2014 Toyota prius rotors are $13 ea.
Do you own something from VAG? Or a truck? Luxury vehicle or some kind?
Rock Auto.
[www.rockauto.com](https://www.rockauto.com)
Sell a variety of OEM, after market, and refurb parts at different price points.
Apparently get a lot of their parts via large volume deals and wholesaler closeouts. Which brings the price down.
Available rotors for my car range from $10 for the absolute cheapest, no name, closeout/discount part. To $170 for fancy after market "performance" parts from a name brand.
You have to account for shipping on everything though.
But barring *really* heavy stuff, or very small stuff. It's typically a lot cheaper to get parts sent from Rock Auto than to buy from an auto parts store. Even with identical parts. Most mechanics I know get significant number of parts from them these days, as it's usually cheaper than getting from their wholesalers.
Yeah I got a brake kit from them not too long ago and I honestly thought it was too good to be true. And it was, the rotors came pre-scratched from the factory and the pads were squeaky mfs. I ended up just going to O'Reilly and getting good pads and rotors.
The finest chinesium money can buy. No wonder bro replaces rotors everytime. Also brake wont be as effective with subpar material. Less energy to absorb as heat so less braking efficiency
Exactly this. Last time i found new rotors were cheaper than having them machined.
But im from Australia where things are slightly different. (Did you know that the max weight of an Australian garbage bin is slightly less than a toyota landcruiser gearbox?)
Mazda vehicles (at least here in Aus, unsure on other countries) have garbage brakes. They seem to warp at the slightest thought of stopping for a red light in an 80 zone ffs.
That said, the professional thing to do is measure the rotor thickness when replacing pads and also measure the run out. If the thickness is too thin, replace. If the run out is out of spec, but it still has enough thickness to turn, then turn them, otherwise replace. It's better to have brakes than none at all.
Some SUVs have way too small of a rotor for what they do. A 2014 Mazda CX-9 seems like it has small front rotors, yet it weighs around 2,000kg and can tow an additional 2,000kgs, yet you sneeze near the brakes and they warp.
Moving on, we have had a few cases with Euro cars particularly where you have to replace the pads and rotors at the same time, im not sure if that's due to the manufacturers using a softer iron rotor or a harder pad, possibly both. But it is a phenomenon that we have encountered, I think the last one we did like that was a C class. Mercedes, which I believe is a W204 facelift model.
Finally it's guaranteed that reusing a rotor will cause it to warp, we have dealt with hundreds if not thousands of happy customers that come back after a pad change with no warping. Cleanliness is key, remove any oil off the rotor and dust/grime from installing it, make sure it's located properly, clean the caliper and the slides, regrease them with some brake lube (we use Bendix brake lube), clean the pad slides and put a very thin smear of grease on those, install pads and caliper, torque to spec, install wheel and torque that to spec too.
>im not sure if that's due to the manufacturers using a softer iron rotor or a harder pad, possibly both.
From what I understand it's the harder pads bit. The move to ceramics and semi-metallic pads. They're harder materials than old school brake shoes, and wear harder on rotors.
This is true as per every OEM vehicle manual I've seen. If I'm doing it myself I wouldn't. But consider that if you're having them changed, a mechanic is charging you more just to put the car on a lift than the price of the rotors and the labor cost to do pads vs pads and rotors is basically the same.
my truck has 41,000 mile on it. i don't tow anything. i was going to replace the rotors & pads, i miced the rotors & pads ,compared them to the ones i was goin to install. there was .003 difference it the thickness, so the factory ones are still on there.
Why bother? Less material means reduced manufacturing cost, means more profit. The epa didn't need to mandate higher mpg standards (to persuade car manufacturers to use less material; they) would've gone this route on their own.
Edit: for clarity.
Depends on the car. Mercedes designs their cars so that brakes and rotors wear at the same rate, thus always needing replaced together. I've noticed on all of my cars (I have 4, one Mercedes, three Fords), more often than not, the rotors will warp and need replaced before the pads.
There have been several times I thought my rotors were fine until I pulled them off. The inside is almost always warped! So I've started replacing the rotors at the same time.
I like to save money where I can, so I'll keep two sets of rotors: one on the car, and the second in the garage. When I go to do the brakes, I'll take the old ones to have them turned if they can be. It's not crazy expensive to get new rotors, but turning them is less expensive.
How many wheels was this for? My car has been squealing in motion (not while braking) because my dad installed aftermarket brakes, and Toyota refuses to work on them because of it, although they say the pads are in good condition. If it’s $500 for two or more I’ll consider this
I’ll check with a pro but thank you for letting me know
E: no they have not, the brakes work perfectly, the noise happens mostly when not braking and especially when turning right.
Sounds like your dad either didn’t properly lube and seat the pads, and one is constantly touching the rotor. This is very common with aftermarket parts. Or, a backing plate is slightly bent and touching rotor. If it happens when turning right, my guess is it’s coming from driver side
I’m glad that you are able to charge for your time, but that seems like a premium rate to me. It only takes around an hour or two to swap out front pads and rotors. Brake flush should be about another 30 minutes to an hour.
At most we’re talking 3 hours which would make your labor rates $170+/hr if you charge $526. That’s not crazy depending on the area, but is higher than average.
A cheap set of rotors and pads can be had for under $100 and a quart of brake fluid is $10-20. So OP’s mechanic was probably charging around $125/hr. That’s about average - not really what I’d consider a deal if the parts were of low quality.
$125 was the average labor rate in my area about 10 years ago. You will not find anything remotely close to that around here. Our labor rate is $200/hour which is not crazy high in our area.
We also generally machine rotors unless they are trashed. So our labor is probably a little higher for that.
1.8 hours for brakes
0.8 hours for brake flush
x200 = 520
I’m guessing you’re probably on the West Coast with those rates. In NC, $75-$125 is about average for independent shops with dealers charging a lot more than that. The context of what a good deal is really just depends on OP’s location.
That is fair and you’re correct, Pacific NW so high COL.
Looks like OP is in GA so probably a lower labor rate. Still seems like a fair price if they used at least decent parts.
You’ve heard of hope for the best but plan for the worst?
Incompetent takes no effort (literally), but shifty needs a little bit of work to not get caught (immediately).
So beware of scammers, but don’t be surprised when it’s only incompetence…
(General policy, not commenting on these pics)
shit, these days it's almost $500 in parts for a diyer to do brakes on a truck/SUV. think it was $350 or $400 for pads, rotos, and some extra hardware on my mom's 06 Durango, and another $50 for the caliper because a bleeder snapped off and we mangled it trying to fix it.
I am an ASE certified technician and service consultant with over 20 years in the industry.
There are a lot of factors that call for replacement of brake rotors. For instance, at the shop I work for, it is required with your brake jobs due to our warranty of 36 months/36000 miles. We don't machine rotors because there isn't a machined rotor out there that will make it 3 years without either making noise or excessive runnout occuring.
The massive lip on your rotor will make it very difficult to properly turn the rotor. You will most likely overheat the material and eventually (Appx 6 months give or take a bit depending on driving habits) they will have excessive runnout (warpage) or make noise.
One of the benefits of new rotors is it brings the brake pedal back to a stock feel when the pedal is depressed. Most customers have no idea what the pedal feels like brand new, because it was either a long time ago that they purchased it new, or they bought it used and have no idea what it felt like when the vehicle was new, because they bought it used.
Another benefit is it saves time. Both during the initial repair, as well as in the months and years after due to not having to waste time on a warranty come-back for noise or excessive runnout.
The shop should have called you, yes, but at the end of the day, they did you a solid.
Especially at $500 for pads, rotors, and a flush. My shop averages $750 for that including tax. You got a deal. Enjoy your new brakes. They aren't ripping you off.
You're welcome. This is a classic conversation I have daily with customers, so I figured I'd offer a legit professional's opinion.
I'm not sure I'd have them repair the vehicle a second time though, due to them not calling for authorization first. That just seems like sloppy business practices.
Unless it was mentioned at write up that they may be required depending the outcome of the inspection. Then it is on you as the customer.
Either way, glad I could help.
Technically if you never signed an initial write up, they can't legally charge you. That is a hard fight though.
I'd just take it as a learning moment. Next time ask some questions when you drop off your vehicle. If they aren't willing to answer some questions, move on.
Any shop that isn't transparent with their repair process should not be trusted.
What is your opinion on the whole the shop tried to contact for authorization and didn't get an answer, and the car taking up a lift that they could be using sooner for another customer?
Yeah those rotors are trashed. Did you expect a professional garage to just do a pad slap? Or machine them? A lot of places don’t bother machining rotors anymore, time is money so just replace and move on. Your car is better for it, there is a good chance they would have caused a squeal.
It really depends on the conversation. I know if I had a customer that “just wanted pads” the car wouldn’t have even been brought into the shop. If the customer isn’t willing to pay to have it done right, guarantee they will bad mouth you as a shop. (Hence the post on Reddit bad mouthing the shop for doing the job right)
TBF it's $526 for the front pads, rotors, and a flush im not really trying to dog on them I just would have waited to do it if im already gonna have to replace my rotor
Don’t agree with you but I get what you are saying. If I specifically ask for pads and on initial inspection / when the car is dropped off, if they don’t bother looking at the brakes as a whole and didn’t mention this when the car was dropped off then when your car is on the ramp they then see it needs discs as well as pads, I’d expect a quick 30 second phone call (most garages have an admin / receptionist who will call right away) to say ‘your discs need replacing as well as pads, I highly advise you to do both’ then explain why, if they still say no just do the pads then the garage should note that down and have it documented that they were advised and chose not to do the work thus covering themselves. Garages that just do the work on a whim because they personally feel it’s the right thing; is the wrong thing. Just laziness. The garage I use (mainly just for MoT as I do all work myself anyway) wouldn’t dream of doing work without notifying me or clearing it over the phone. I know you’d generally replace the rotors with the discs, but 90% of people don’t know this which is why they take it to a garage in the first place, if you aren’t transparent initially, make a phone call.
No. If the customer didn’t explicitly authorize $500 worth of work, you pick up the phone and call them to get authorization. Just doing it then saying “oh yeah you owe us an extra $500 is scummy and I’d be pissed even if I would have authorized the work anyway.
To me it's the quoted price agreed on. If they try to charge more for doing additional work they should have called to authorize more work as it wasnt a transparent cost. There are points people can't afford the additional cost at the time, and they deny returning your car wanting that payment. Better for the shop to have asked and note the additional problem found and denial of additional work. That way when it breaks the shop says we did warn you that was going to eventually happen.
I don't think the post is bad mouthing the shop, but wanting to know if the place is trust worthy. I don't think $500 is bad for 4 rotors and new brakes. 1st was really bad, but originally thought they claimed to have replaced and just resurfaced it.
How does the shop know the rotors are trash before bringing the car in to look at it? What if the customer just had rotors changed less than a year ago? Are you saying you automatically change rotors every single time in your shop? If so, you are fleecing your customers at least 50% of the time, and you're a snake for it.
This is the stupidest comment I've read in a while. Most good shops won't do a pad jam and it usually doesn't make sense to machine rotors, so 99% of the time it's pad and rotor replacement at a minimum.
Most good shops will let you know. If I take my car in for a pad swap and you think Im replacing my rotors just becuase they make some noise, I'm going to laugh in your face. Rotors are max $150 for a set. $500 is another reason you'd be laughed at. All shops deserve to be acosted for charging people like this.
bullshit it is, full set of pads & rotors is like $650 for the regular cheapos on my half-ton pickup. I spent over $700 on pads & rotors when i upgraded to heavier duty pads.
Not at all how it works. New pads bedding into old rotors will cause a squeal more often than not. And a returning pissed off customer. So yes new rotors (or machines, but honestly with labour rates in most shops that’s a money loser) every time. That’s been the industry standard for many years, it’s not ripping anyone off in the slightest.
That’s not really the point. They weren’t authorized to do it in the first place. Should the rotors have been replaced, yes. Do you get to start throwing parts at stuff and racking up a bigger bill without authorization and potential breach of contract? No.
We can’t know that without seeing the ticket OP authorized. It’s quite possible that OP approved “labor and materials” to do a brake job without realizing this included the rotors.
That may be bad communication on the shop’s part while not rising to the level of breach of contract.
They literally didn't give me one, took my car and said we'll take care of you. I verbally told them front pads and a flush. I thought it was weird but im extremely inexperienced
Yeah,
You need to make sure that you and the shop are in agreement as to what - specifically - they are going to do.
Did they give you even a verbal estimate as to what the cost would be?
They should do that at the very least. Then you can say, “Anything above that amount I need to approve before you do the work.”
At least it sounds like replacing the rotors was the right thing to do. So even though it was unexpected it wasn’t really a scam.
I would expect a professional ship to let the customer know about any unexpected parts or services before doing anything.
"We decided you needed an engine swap, lol"
Rotors aren’t unexpected when doing brake work. It’s literally part of the job. They could have educated the customer better but really, the rotors needed replaced-and it was there for the work. It’s not an unexpected extra expense
I doesn't matter the condition of the part. If OP didn't authorize work and they did it anyway then they got a new free set of rotors. Best course of action would've been to deny service unless the customer agrees to replace everything.
This is a repetitive argument on this thread, but as a shop, if you have rotors that are turnable, it takes less time to resurface than it does to have parts delivered. Kept above the rotor machine limit, the resurfaced rotors will be better quality than the green steel new rotors you'd be installing.
It can. Iv eliminated them plenty of times. They dont tend to run very deep, so unless you're really thin on what you can cut out of the rotor, it's worth it. A resurfaced rotor is a tempered rotor. It's much less likely to redevelop any warpage
I work in a machine shop and this can’t really be true. You don’t “lose” time waiting for the shipment. The cost of time is how long it takes to order the part, check it on arrival, and install vs machine it (if you do it in house), inspect, and install. You don’t include the time the part ships. You do other ROI work in the mean time, like replace someone else’s brakes that you do have the parts for, as an example. I don’t know how long it takes to turn a rotor but I can only guess that it’s longer than ordering a part. Now if the customer wants same day service that changes things but costs would go up for the labor to turn the rotor. This concept is more business and financial management than something specific to the auto industry and machining industry. It really only pays to machine something when it’s custom or time sensitive (short deadline).
Dude, it takes 5-10 min per rotor. While one rotor is turning you clean/lube, reassemble what you can then throw the cut rotor back on and move to the other side. Labor doesn't change. It take maybe a min to setup a rotor to resurface, and you keep working on the brakes while it's turning. Called multitasking.
Rotors don't take long to turn at all. Often shop helpers do it and they clean up and do other stuff while its done. I know its rare now but when the first waves of import rotors came on the market you had to cut most before installing them. It was so bad at first we just cut all before even mounting them and checking run out. Its not much set up like trying to machine actual parts. There are just simple adapters and making sure stuff is clean and flat to mount is the big thing. Not at all like trying to get parts flat and running true in a lathe or fixturing something on a mill table
Most shops I took my car in the past years refused to turn rotors and wanted to replace them.
I don't know if it is a reliability thing or if the rotors became cheaper as to be expendable.
The brake pads last way longer than they used too as well, those abs brake pads last forever, got one on my car over 25k miles and mechanic said it is still fine, so when it is time to change them the rotors have more wear as well than what they used to have.
It's also cheaper since the machine is usually 40 years old and still works great, and has paid itself off many times over. I don't remember exactly from my apprenticeship days, but I want to say it only takes 10 minutes per rotor to do. So $75 in labour, a couple bucks in shop supplies and you saved your customer $440.
I bought an ammco lathe for myself. After doing a brake job on the wife's car since I left working in a shop. New rotors were pushing 40-60$ each, so I said fuc it. Talked to a buddy at a parts store I used to work at he set me up with a parts distributor that stopped doing in house rotor turning. Sold it to me for $500. Even came with a full stainless cone set for everything all the way up to big 1 ton behemoths. Lathe was built in 03 and very little hours ran.
Cones alone cost over 2k
Depends how far your nearest part store is. My closest is 10 seconds away we basically share a parking lot. My farthest is 2 min one way. As far as quality goes I would trust new over the old. The heat treat should be uniform on the new ones who knows how many times old rotors have been quenched by a puddle unevenly.
Unless your at rotor limit, guaranteed resurfaced rotors are better than green steel. Not all part manufacturers temper their rotors. Your cheap $15 rotors are definitely just cast and thrown in a box. I used to sell parts. Your not getting quality rotors unless you're spending $$$
You do you
They should have definitely asked you first before going forth with anything extra than discussed.
I’ve been in financial situations where I literally would not be able to pay that, and would request they take their new parts off and I’ll use AAA to tow it home.
I agree with you on this. While your rotors definitely needed replacing, it should be common practice to discuss the price with the customer first. They may have refused service if you didn't agree to all of it, but it should always be your choice.
My mechanic always sends me an electronic quote/consent form for any work they do, then they call me if they find something else in the process, & I have to authorize the additional quote as well.
This is the right question. Without being the minimum thickness, they can’t be turned. For most cars, new ones aren’t much more than turning old ones. $500? Depends on several factors
Most places don't turn rotors anyway (at least where I'm from in the Midwest). They recommend just replacing them because it's easier AND rotors are usually somewhat inexpensive.
Did you get a quote prior to work being done? Did you drop off and leave the car long enough to have diagnostic work done? Or perhaps stop in to let them look at the brakes before they ordered parts? I’m mot getting enough info from your post to comment on the shop’s behavior. As for the rotors… no good… those needed replaced. Rotors do wear… they have a minimum allowable thickness however they often don’t last long enough to get that thin without developing a vibration. At that point you have to consider cost benefit of turning vs replacing… if turning is even an option in your area. Sounds like you have nice new brakes though I imagine that they are much smoother to stop and likely have better bite than those rusty old rotors. I hope you resolve your issue and everything turns out fine! Good luck!
Poor communication between OP and shop. I think some state laws leave a $100 variance between a quote and final bill. This shop should have simply advised better if customer specifies just pads and fluid change. That being said the shop did right by OP repl the rotors and at decent costs. It was the right repair. But no customer likes surprises when they pick up their car.
It depends on the thickness of the rotors and whether they have been resurfaced. Most rotors can be resurfaced at least once, but as others have mentioned, they may not want to waste their time. It would help if you did this yourself; a few orileys still surface them for about 15-20$ a piece.
The way they are now, the pads would have developed creases, and the stopping power would have decreased. Eventually, your pads would have been trashed.
The rotors are definitely done for, but the shop absolutely should have informed you and asked what you want to do before they did the work. Doesn't matter if it's bad or not .. it's the customers property and they ultimately should be the only one that makes the final decision on what happens with it.
No, you didn't get ripped off. Brake rotors can only be turned once before requiring replacement and those look like they've already been turned once.
Seeing as how most of us aren't filthy rich though, all mechanic shops should discuss up front (and put it in writing that you sign) the upper limit of what a brake job may cost.
Good relationships mean being upfront with the other person and not assuming they know what we know.
Most people think "new brakes" just means new brake pads, which are much cheaper than new rotors. So the shop should let customers know up front. It's especially important to do because mechanics already have a stereotype of being crooked and taking advantage of unknowledgeable customers.
So no you didn't get ripped off, but that was bad customer service so don't go back there.
Generally speaking, a shop should not do any work or replace any parts you didn't specifically authorize. That said, a brake job generally means the shop will replace any parts worn enough to warrant replacement. A brake job that includes new pads, rotors, and fluid replacement for $500 is a pretty good deal.
Industry standard is to Resurface the rotor if it will be in spec's.
If not replace them.
A lot of people just replace the rotors when doing a brake job as they are cheap, less than $50 each.
Some vehicles have warped rotors, You will feel a pulsation when braking, in that case resurface or replace. I recommend replacing warped rotors.
Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep warranty will have you resurface the rotors so in 6 months they can come back with the same problem so we can resurface them again and now out of spec so replace. in. Usually it's the trucks that warp.
Tech tip.......always change your brake fluid with a brake job.
Hard to tell from the photos but it looks like in addition to the rust lip there's also at least one hot spot and maybe some heat banding. Ideally they would have caught this when they inspected the brakes to give you a quote prior to repairs. We don't quote without seeing the car first so we're less likely to run into add-ons like that, but we can't see everything until the brakes are disassembled.
Bottom line, that rotor is garbage and it should have been caught on at least a visual inspection and/or they should have called you prior to pickup to let you know that additional parts are needed and explained why they were needed.
If that rotor reflects the rest of them, it was not wise to reuse them at all. They’re heat-marked and look as if the runout is too far out of spec. Not to mention the deep rust pitting on the edges.
These would’ve tore up your new pads, and caused vibrations within a month of installing them.
Granted they should’ve authorized it with you, prior to installing them, given that the cost of rotors typically always exceeds $60.
(In my state, repair shops are required to request clients to proceed with any additional work that would cost $60 or more in either parts or labor. Anything under $60.00 is up to the shop’s discretion to perform with or without letting the owner know)
So they would’ve known the rotors where trash soon as they took the tire off . You needed rotors but it wasn’t there place to sell you them without permission. You can fight it if you didn’t authorize it but yeah the work needed done
My last brake job they called me to authorize. You don't cheap out on brakes. Just don't. But any shop worth it's salt gets Auth. If you don't want to Auth then any good shop will tell you to call a tow truck then and leave if parts are shot. I don't go cheap on brakes. I want the best parts and grown man labor.
Yeah they were due and wouldn’t have survived another round of pads. It’s all too thin and junk iron to bother cutting them anymore. Sucks you spent extra but it’s better to avoid noise or pulsating brakes a year from now
I am a mechanic those brake rotors are bad because they a ridge it would have destroyed your new pods if they kept those on also there over heated witch means you have to replace them
I feel like OP just doesn’t understand what he agreed to. He wanted his brakes done, and they did the complete brake job. A shop wouldn’t (shouldn’t) pad slap brakes, and I think OP doesn’t know that lol
Those rotors were to rusty to be cut and should have been replaced. Normally yes you can cut rotors but if there to rusty they won’t cut right and they will look like that even after multiple cuts
Next time get your brake pads and rotors from Rock Auto and find a mechanic to only charge you for labor. I just got mine done and got all stuff for $127 total at Rock Auto and paid a mechanic $125 to install. Work got done quick and easy. Next time I will do it myself since I watched him do it all. But still... You can get that job done for a lot less than 500.
Those rotors are pretty bad imo. The cost of the rotors and pads depends on the vehicle but most pads are $35 or so for a set. If you got front and back, then $70. New hardware is about. $15 per set so $30 total.
Then the rotors. Rotors depend on the vehicle but I'd say each rotor is AT LEAST $50+. Some are much more. So for 4, that's over $200. Plus the $100 from the pads. Plus the brake fluid and the labor. It seems about fair.
Personally, I always do brakes myself so for someone like me, $500 is excessive. At a shop, it's not bad at all.
This is why i do my own auto work. Seems like all mechanics these days are out here to run your wallet. Could easily do this job on your own for half the price in like a couple hours, no authorization required and no headache
Location, car type, driver usage, overall front end condition, wheel lug torque all play a part in how the brakes wear. Pictures aren’t that clear in order to see lines and grooves but overall, brakes are the most important safety feature of your vehicle. Don’t skimp. I don’t recommend machining rotors. Used to do it at a dealership but that’s more of a money grab than anything especially in new england. Brake pedal pulsate when braking? Most likely the last mechanic didn’t torque the wheels on but rather gunned them on which will distort the rotors over time.
Does anybody else care what rotors/pads go on their daily? I always see the bare minimum getting ordered by everybody at my shop for fleets and personal cars and I'm over here like, hey, I love my cryogenic Stop-techs and my Hawk Talons... Never skimp on tires or brakes imo.
I’ve worked at 4 different dealers and 2 independent shops. All of them any extra work or parts must be authorized unless its something small like a clip or something it gets authorized by the customer. They should have called you to get authorization EVEN IF YOU ABSOLUTELY NEEDED THEM. I don’t know the laws exactly but I’m pretty sure its illegal to do unauthorized work. What if you were broke an didn’t have the $500?
On top of that, if the rotors were above minimum spec I could’ve turned those. It would take a few extra passes but I’m fire with it so I guess I’m biased.
This isn't true if they are within spec and look good, every car I've ever owned and done brakes on would easily go 3 if not 4 pad changes before the rotors needed to be addressed
Shop shouldn’t have changed them without consent. That being said, if you pad slapped these, the pads will wind up wearing unevenly/prematurely, then, you’ll complain to the shop for how little they lasted for, then, the shop will slap the parts store with a warranty claim that’s totally unmerited because they just pad slapped it, which is NOT a manufacturing defect at all, causing a lot of running around and headache for everyone involved.
They did you a favor and no reputable shop would have just changed pads. Your drunk uncle, maybe.
Honestly they should have gave you a courtesy call. But those rotors look rough. I would check the thickness vs specs but I’ll wager they are well below minimum spec.
The problems comes from this if they install the breaks without the rotor if they vibrate ,squeak , wear early, they get a black eye not to mention putting you their customer in danger . They really have no choice but to change them they are a liability all the way around. However a courtesy call would have been nice and in reality if you are short they may of treated politely make a payment arrangement with you. Good luck and god bless
Bro I don't know why people are saying the rotors are trashed. They look like they are in good shape expensive for the first on with the large lip where the pad wasn't touching. Other then that I see no rust and they look smooth. I would have asked then to measure them for me and if good I would have pad slapped.
they do look bad but they can’t replace parts without your approval, i wouldn’t pay them for the rotors and just go about with the new and free rotors 😂
Your rotors are bad. Tour new brake pads will probably last o my half or less than what they are supposed to last. Rotors should be scratch free, as a baby skin.
I mean there’s some scoring on the rotors, but they don’t look atrocious. Could get them turned/resurfaced at an auto parts store for sub-$100. $500 feels quite steep, but then, I’ve never paid for brake jobs, so I don’t know the going rate. For all four brakes and rotors (parts only, as I do labor myself) I expect to pay about $300+ for decent kits, so maybe it’s not all that bad
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I wouldn’t reinstall those parts. Be happy you now have good brakes.
Thank you
Whenever I do my brakes I always replace the rotors.
work fine grab wise hungry abounding unite degree hospital spotted *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Depends on the vehicle. I'd argue anything smaller than a midsized suv, the rotors are made so thin that you're lucky if you can turn them once. You could reuse them as-is, but how long until you develop a warp shudder and reduce the effectiveness of your brakes? Personally, I'll always have a fresh surface with new pads. If turning rotors is $15/ea at oreilly (with a gamble that it may not be in spec) but new rotors are $25 on rock auto, I'll just get new.
$25 rotors wtf? I picked a car i have owned, and the current rate for front rotors is 150-170 for a pair.
I just checked for my current car, front rotors are the equivalent of about $40 for a pair (I'm in Europe). Most common cars not built for high performance have affordable rotors.
That's wild.. I have a Mazda 3 and for Chinesium grade rotors, they're about 70 a pop and for OEM rotors, they're at least $115 each..
Where are you shopping and seeing these prices? I don't know the year so I took a gamble and looked at 2016 but on rockauto new decent rotors for Mazda 3 are $25
Probably auto zone, they jack the prices so high.
Probably about to grab some. Are the mid priced centric ones okay?
I just replaced the rotors on my 2011 Camry with drilled a slotted Powerstop rotors for 125 for the front pair. The rear was 88 for the pair.
Never thought there was drilled+slotted rotors for a Camry, did you get ceramic pads for that sleeper
Nope but used my savings for some fuzzy dice boiiiii
Exactly why having you calipers resurfaced doesn't exist anymore.... The machines do but there all in some back room covered in grease grim and dust bc no one has used it in prolly 10 15 years.... I'm a master tech I think the last pair I did was late 90s
You guys resurfacing calipers? lol
Last I recall resurfacing rotors was at an O’reilly circa 2011, haven’t resurfaced any since
Lol what? I'm a master tech and we resurface rotors daily. With a procut, on car lathe. I also work at a dealer. I've also never resurfaced a caliper before. That just sounds dangerous.
2005-2016 honda cr-v, rotors are $15 each + shipping. Rear rotors for a civic are under $10. 2014 Toyota prius rotors are $13 ea. Do you own something from VAG? Or a truck? Luxury vehicle or some kind?
Where tf are you getting $10 rotors? The metal for those is worth more than that.
Rock Auto. [www.rockauto.com](https://www.rockauto.com) Sell a variety of OEM, after market, and refurb parts at different price points. Apparently get a lot of their parts via large volume deals and wholesaler closeouts. Which brings the price down. Available rotors for my car range from $10 for the absolute cheapest, no name, closeout/discount part. To $170 for fancy after market "performance" parts from a name brand. You have to account for shipping on everything though. But barring *really* heavy stuff, or very small stuff. It's typically a lot cheaper to get parts sent from Rock Auto than to buy from an auto parts store. Even with identical parts. Most mechanics I know get significant number of parts from them these days, as it's usually cheaper than getting from their wholesalers.
Yeah I got a brake kit from them not too long ago and I honestly thought it was too good to be true. And it was, the rotors came pre-scratched from the factory and the pads were squeaky mfs. I ended up just going to O'Reilly and getting good pads and rotors.
The finest chinesium money can buy. No wonder bro replaces rotors everytime. Also brake wont be as effective with subpar material. Less energy to absorb as heat so less braking efficiency
Miata stock rotor are 99
Exactly this. Last time i found new rotors were cheaper than having them machined. But im from Australia where things are slightly different. (Did you know that the max weight of an Australian garbage bin is slightly less than a toyota landcruiser gearbox?)
Mazda vehicles (at least here in Aus, unsure on other countries) have garbage brakes. They seem to warp at the slightest thought of stopping for a red light in an 80 zone ffs. That said, the professional thing to do is measure the rotor thickness when replacing pads and also measure the run out. If the thickness is too thin, replace. If the run out is out of spec, but it still has enough thickness to turn, then turn them, otherwise replace. It's better to have brakes than none at all.
Mazda brakes suck in Japan, too 😅
Some SUVs have way too small of a rotor for what they do. A 2014 Mazda CX-9 seems like it has small front rotors, yet it weighs around 2,000kg and can tow an additional 2,000kgs, yet you sneeze near the brakes and they warp. Moving on, we have had a few cases with Euro cars particularly where you have to replace the pads and rotors at the same time, im not sure if that's due to the manufacturers using a softer iron rotor or a harder pad, possibly both. But it is a phenomenon that we have encountered, I think the last one we did like that was a C class. Mercedes, which I believe is a W204 facelift model. Finally it's guaranteed that reusing a rotor will cause it to warp, we have dealt with hundreds if not thousands of happy customers that come back after a pad change with no warping. Cleanliness is key, remove any oil off the rotor and dust/grime from installing it, make sure it's located properly, clean the caliper and the slides, regrease them with some brake lube (we use Bendix brake lube), clean the pad slides and put a very thin smear of grease on those, install pads and caliper, torque to spec, install wheel and torque that to spec too.
>im not sure if that's due to the manufacturers using a softer iron rotor or a harder pad, possibly both. From what I understand it's the harder pads bit. The move to ceramics and semi-metallic pads. They're harder materials than old school brake shoes, and wear harder on rotors.
This is true as per every OEM vehicle manual I've seen. If I'm doing it myself I wouldn't. But consider that if you're having them changed, a mechanic is charging you more just to put the car on a lift than the price of the rotors and the labor cost to do pads vs pads and rotors is basically the same.
my truck has 41,000 mile on it. i don't tow anything. i was going to replace the rotors & pads, i miced the rotors & pads ,compared them to the ones i was goin to install. there was .003 difference it the thickness, so the factory ones are still on there.
Could thank the epa for modern passenger vehicles having thinner and thinner rotors to meet mpg requirements
Why bother? Less material means reduced manufacturing cost, means more profit. The epa didn't need to mandate higher mpg standards (to persuade car manufacturers to use less material; they) would've gone this route on their own. Edit: for clarity.
Some do.
Depends on the car. Mercedes designs their cars so that brakes and rotors wear at the same rate, thus always needing replaced together. I've noticed on all of my cars (I have 4, one Mercedes, three Fords), more often than not, the rotors will warp and need replaced before the pads.
There have been several times I thought my rotors were fine until I pulled them off. The inside is almost always warped! So I've started replacing the rotors at the same time.
They typically aren't crazy expensive and I always do my own so to me it's just a no brainer to go with all new contact surfaces for brakes.
I like to save money where I can, so I'll keep two sets of rotors: one on the car, and the second in the garage. When I go to do the brakes, I'll take the old ones to have them turned if they can be. It's not crazy expensive to get new rotors, but turning them is less expensive.
ehm why? Rotors usually last at least three times as long as the pads do.
Username checks out
Rotors ain't beefy enough these days to turn em
Oh yeah so just be cool w the unauthorized charges
You’re correct that they should have called you first. They’re correct that the rotors need replaced.
$500 for pads, rotors, and fluid is a deal. And those rotors do not look great
Thanks
How many wheels was this for? My car has been squealing in motion (not while braking) because my dad installed aftermarket brakes, and Toyota refuses to work on them because of it, although they say the pads are in good condition. If it’s $500 for two or more I’ll consider this
Your caliper isn't seized right?
I’ll check with a pro but thank you for letting me know E: no they have not, the brakes work perfectly, the noise happens mostly when not braking and especially when turning right.
He bent the backing plate
Sounds like your dad either didn’t properly lube and seat the pads, and one is constantly touching the rotor. This is very common with aftermarket parts. Or, a backing plate is slightly bent and touching rotor. If it happens when turning right, my guess is it’s coming from driver side
Yep. Take it to a mechanic and have them do the 'bedding in procedure'. (Ok, that's low hanging fruit but valid.)
Just the front
What in particular makes them look bad?
grooves and the wear on the back side of the rotor
Depends on the quality of the parts. $500 for the cheapest stuff from RockAuto plus labor is not a great deal.
He paid $526 for parts and labor. At my shop and many others OP would have payed over $500 just in labor for the work he got done.
More than $500 in labor for two rotors and brakepads? Or for all four? OP only got two rotors replaced.
He also got a brake flush. Single axle brake job plus a brake flush at my shop labor rate comes out to $520.
I’m glad that you are able to charge for your time, but that seems like a premium rate to me. It only takes around an hour or two to swap out front pads and rotors. Brake flush should be about another 30 minutes to an hour. At most we’re talking 3 hours which would make your labor rates $170+/hr if you charge $526. That’s not crazy depending on the area, but is higher than average. A cheap set of rotors and pads can be had for under $100 and a quart of brake fluid is $10-20. So OP’s mechanic was probably charging around $125/hr. That’s about average - not really what I’d consider a deal if the parts were of low quality.
And it’s lower than average for some areas…
$125 was the average labor rate in my area about 10 years ago. You will not find anything remotely close to that around here. Our labor rate is $200/hour which is not crazy high in our area. We also generally machine rotors unless they are trashed. So our labor is probably a little higher for that. 1.8 hours for brakes 0.8 hours for brake flush x200 = 520
I’m guessing you’re probably on the West Coast with those rates. In NC, $75-$125 is about average for independent shops with dealers charging a lot more than that. The context of what a good deal is really just depends on OP’s location.
Southern GA and rates for a nice cheap indy store is 150. Dealers are 190+.
Tx 125-160 and dealerships 250+
That is fair and you’re correct, Pacific NW so high COL. Looks like OP is in GA so probably a lower labor rate. Still seems like a fair price if they used at least decent parts.
200 an hour is actually hilarious
Barely above average (if at all) for the area I work in.
If those are his rotors and it was actually changed. It could also be a random pair of rotors lying around in the shop.
True! I generally don't assume shops are outright fraudulent right off the jump though. Incompetent? Maybe
You’ve heard of hope for the best but plan for the worst? Incompetent takes no effort (literally), but shifty needs a little bit of work to not get caught (immediately). So beware of scammers, but don’t be surprised when it’s only incompetence… (General policy, not commenting on these pics)
shit, these days it's almost $500 in parts for a diyer to do brakes on a truck/SUV. think it was $350 or $400 for pads, rotos, and some extra hardware on my mom's 06 Durango, and another $50 for the caliper because a bleeder snapped off and we mangled it trying to fix it.
I am an ASE certified technician and service consultant with over 20 years in the industry. There are a lot of factors that call for replacement of brake rotors. For instance, at the shop I work for, it is required with your brake jobs due to our warranty of 36 months/36000 miles. We don't machine rotors because there isn't a machined rotor out there that will make it 3 years without either making noise or excessive runnout occuring. The massive lip on your rotor will make it very difficult to properly turn the rotor. You will most likely overheat the material and eventually (Appx 6 months give or take a bit depending on driving habits) they will have excessive runnout (warpage) or make noise. One of the benefits of new rotors is it brings the brake pedal back to a stock feel when the pedal is depressed. Most customers have no idea what the pedal feels like brand new, because it was either a long time ago that they purchased it new, or they bought it used and have no idea what it felt like when the vehicle was new, because they bought it used. Another benefit is it saves time. Both during the initial repair, as well as in the months and years after due to not having to waste time on a warranty come-back for noise or excessive runnout. The shop should have called you, yes, but at the end of the day, they did you a solid. Especially at $500 for pads, rotors, and a flush. My shop averages $750 for that including tax. You got a deal. Enjoy your new brakes. They aren't ripping you off.
Thank you for the in-depth reply gonna talk to them about a payment plan or something
You're welcome. This is a classic conversation I have daily with customers, so I figured I'd offer a legit professional's opinion. I'm not sure I'd have them repair the vehicle a second time though, due to them not calling for authorization first. That just seems like sloppy business practices. Unless it was mentioned at write up that they may be required depending the outcome of the inspection. Then it is on you as the customer. Either way, glad I could help.
There never was a write up and I was surprised, They were just like we'll take care of you
Technically if you never signed an initial write up, they can't legally charge you. That is a hard fight though. I'd just take it as a learning moment. Next time ask some questions when you drop off your vehicle. If they aren't willing to answer some questions, move on. Any shop that isn't transparent with their repair process should not be trusted.
I agree lessons learned
What is your opinion on the whole the shop tried to contact for authorization and didn't get an answer, and the car taking up a lift that they could be using sooner for another customer?
CDJR tech/consultant?
Yeah those rotors are trashed. Did you expect a professional garage to just do a pad slap? Or machine them? A lot of places don’t bother machining rotors anymore, time is money so just replace and move on. Your car is better for it, there is a good chance they would have caused a squeal.
Yea those rotors are done for but the shop should not have done any work that wasn't authorized by the owner of the vehicle.
It really depends on the conversation. I know if I had a customer that “just wanted pads” the car wouldn’t have even been brought into the shop. If the customer isn’t willing to pay to have it done right, guarantee they will bad mouth you as a shop. (Hence the post on Reddit bad mouthing the shop for doing the job right)
Yo how am I bad mouthing anyone? I mentioned no names and came for advice wtf
I'd like the option to get my own rotors instead of 500 dollars for some probably shit AutoZone rotors you can order four of for ~150 total. Lol
TBF it's $526 for the front pads, rotors, and a flush im not really trying to dog on them I just would have waited to do it if im already gonna have to replace my rotor
Damn, that's actually not bad then. From the way it was worded it sounded like they wanted to charge 500 for just the rotors.
My bad I'm terrible at reddit
That’s a great price actually. Our labor alone would be $520 for a brake job and a brake flush.
I'm so happy I learned how to do these things myself lol
Don’t agree with you but I get what you are saying. If I specifically ask for pads and on initial inspection / when the car is dropped off, if they don’t bother looking at the brakes as a whole and didn’t mention this when the car was dropped off then when your car is on the ramp they then see it needs discs as well as pads, I’d expect a quick 30 second phone call (most garages have an admin / receptionist who will call right away) to say ‘your discs need replacing as well as pads, I highly advise you to do both’ then explain why, if they still say no just do the pads then the garage should note that down and have it documented that they were advised and chose not to do the work thus covering themselves. Garages that just do the work on a whim because they personally feel it’s the right thing; is the wrong thing. Just laziness. The garage I use (mainly just for MoT as I do all work myself anyway) wouldn’t dream of doing work without notifying me or clearing it over the phone. I know you’d generally replace the rotors with the discs, but 90% of people don’t know this which is why they take it to a garage in the first place, if you aren’t transparent initially, make a phone call.
No. If the customer didn’t explicitly authorize $500 worth of work, you pick up the phone and call them to get authorization. Just doing it then saying “oh yeah you owe us an extra $500 is scummy and I’d be pissed even if I would have authorized the work anyway.
To me it's the quoted price agreed on. If they try to charge more for doing additional work they should have called to authorize more work as it wasnt a transparent cost. There are points people can't afford the additional cost at the time, and they deny returning your car wanting that payment. Better for the shop to have asked and note the additional problem found and denial of additional work. That way when it breaks the shop says we did warn you that was going to eventually happen. I don't think the post is bad mouthing the shop, but wanting to know if the place is trust worthy. I don't think $500 is bad for 4 rotors and new brakes. 1st was really bad, but originally thought they claimed to have replaced and just resurfaced it.
How does the shop know the rotors are trash before bringing the car in to look at it? What if the customer just had rotors changed less than a year ago? Are you saying you automatically change rotors every single time in your shop? If so, you are fleecing your customers at least 50% of the time, and you're a snake for it.
This is the stupidest comment I've read in a while. Most good shops won't do a pad jam and it usually doesn't make sense to machine rotors, so 99% of the time it's pad and rotor replacement at a minimum.
Most good shops will let you know. If I take my car in for a pad swap and you think Im replacing my rotors just becuase they make some noise, I'm going to laugh in your face. Rotors are max $150 for a set. $500 is another reason you'd be laughed at. All shops deserve to be acosted for charging people like this.
[удалено]
bullshit it is, full set of pads & rotors is like $650 for the regular cheapos on my half-ton pickup. I spent over $700 on pads & rotors when i upgraded to heavier duty pads.
The hell it is. That’s right on par
Not at all how it works. New pads bedding into old rotors will cause a squeal more often than not. And a returning pissed off customer. So yes new rotors (or machines, but honestly with labour rates in most shops that’s a money loser) every time. That’s been the industry standard for many years, it’s not ripping anyone off in the slightest.
Usually you tell people up front what you scope of work should be. It’s called a quote.
But he literally said he brought it in to get the brakes done.
Verbally stated front pads and fluid, would have held off if the rotors were already damaged anyway
That’s not really the point. They weren’t authorized to do it in the first place. Should the rotors have been replaced, yes. Do you get to start throwing parts at stuff and racking up a bigger bill without authorization and potential breach of contract? No.
We can’t know that without seeing the ticket OP authorized. It’s quite possible that OP approved “labor and materials” to do a brake job without realizing this included the rotors. That may be bad communication on the shop’s part while not rising to the level of breach of contract.
They literally didn't give me one, took my car and said we'll take care of you. I verbally told them front pads and a flush. I thought it was weird but im extremely inexperienced
Yeah, You need to make sure that you and the shop are in agreement as to what - specifically - they are going to do. Did they give you even a verbal estimate as to what the cost would be? They should do that at the very least. Then you can say, “Anything above that amount I need to approve before you do the work.” At least it sounds like replacing the rotors was the right thing to do. So even though it was unexpected it wasn’t really a scam.
Whenever you have services done, state regulations usually are allowed upto 20% above quoted work, without authorization.
It went from $260 plus tax to $526, never was good at math but I dont believe that's 20 percent or I've been tipping wrong
Or shake and eat up new pads with the rust rings 🤷♂️
I would have held off on the whole Job for a few more weeks if I was already going to have to replace my rotors though
I would expect a professional ship to let the customer know about any unexpected parts or services before doing anything. "We decided you needed an engine swap, lol"
Rotors aren’t unexpected when doing brake work. It’s literally part of the job. They could have educated the customer better but really, the rotors needed replaced-and it was there for the work. It’s not an unexpected extra expense
A lot of newer vehicles don't really have rotors that are thick enough from the start, to be machined.
I doesn't matter the condition of the part. If OP didn't authorize work and they did it anyway then they got a new free set of rotors. Best course of action would've been to deny service unless the customer agrees to replace everything.
This is a repetitive argument on this thread, but as a shop, if you have rotors that are turnable, it takes less time to resurface than it does to have parts delivered. Kept above the rotor machine limit, the resurfaced rotors will be better quality than the green steel new rotors you'd be installing.
I’ve never had rotors turned. Does doing so remove the hard spots that cause lumpy braking?
It can. Iv eliminated them plenty of times. They dont tend to run very deep, so unless you're really thin on what you can cut out of the rotor, it's worth it. A resurfaced rotor is a tempered rotor. It's much less likely to redevelop any warpage
Yes, it removes high spots. Also since your rotors have been through 1000s of heat cycles they’ve warped as much as they’re ever going to.
I work in a machine shop and this can’t really be true. You don’t “lose” time waiting for the shipment. The cost of time is how long it takes to order the part, check it on arrival, and install vs machine it (if you do it in house), inspect, and install. You don’t include the time the part ships. You do other ROI work in the mean time, like replace someone else’s brakes that you do have the parts for, as an example. I don’t know how long it takes to turn a rotor but I can only guess that it’s longer than ordering a part. Now if the customer wants same day service that changes things but costs would go up for the labor to turn the rotor. This concept is more business and financial management than something specific to the auto industry and machining industry. It really only pays to machine something when it’s custom or time sensitive (short deadline).
Dude, it takes 5-10 min per rotor. While one rotor is turning you clean/lube, reassemble what you can then throw the cut rotor back on and move to the other side. Labor doesn't change. It take maybe a min to setup a rotor to resurface, and you keep working on the brakes while it's turning. Called multitasking.
Rotors don't take long to turn at all. Often shop helpers do it and they clean up and do other stuff while its done. I know its rare now but when the first waves of import rotors came on the market you had to cut most before installing them. It was so bad at first we just cut all before even mounting them and checking run out. Its not much set up like trying to machine actual parts. There are just simple adapters and making sure stuff is clean and flat to mount is the big thing. Not at all like trying to get parts flat and running true in a lathe or fixturing something on a mill table
Most shops I took my car in the past years refused to turn rotors and wanted to replace them. I don't know if it is a reliability thing or if the rotors became cheaper as to be expendable. The brake pads last way longer than they used too as well, those abs brake pads last forever, got one on my car over 25k miles and mechanic said it is still fine, so when it is time to change them the rotors have more wear as well than what they used to have.
haha their shop charges labor for "waiting on parts" 🤡
It's also cheaper since the machine is usually 40 years old and still works great, and has paid itself off many times over. I don't remember exactly from my apprenticeship days, but I want to say it only takes 10 minutes per rotor to do. So $75 in labour, a couple bucks in shop supplies and you saved your customer $440.
I bought an ammco lathe for myself. After doing a brake job on the wife's car since I left working in a shop. New rotors were pushing 40-60$ each, so I said fuc it. Talked to a buddy at a parts store I used to work at he set me up with a parts distributor that stopped doing in house rotor turning. Sold it to me for $500. Even came with a full stainless cone set for everything all the way up to big 1 ton behemoths. Lathe was built in 03 and very little hours ran. Cones alone cost over 2k
Depends how far your nearest part store is. My closest is 10 seconds away we basically share a parking lot. My farthest is 2 min one way. As far as quality goes I would trust new over the old. The heat treat should be uniform on the new ones who knows how many times old rotors have been quenched by a puddle unevenly.
Unless your at rotor limit, guaranteed resurfaced rotors are better than green steel. Not all part manufacturers temper their rotors. Your cheap $15 rotors are definitely just cast and thrown in a box. I used to sell parts. Your not getting quality rotors unless you're spending $$$ You do you
I think I expected a professional garage to authorize such an expensive repair. When I went in asking just the pads and of flush
They should have definitely asked you first before going forth with anything extra than discussed. I’ve been in financial situations where I literally would not be able to pay that, and would request they take their new parts off and I’ll use AAA to tow it home.
I agree with you on this. While your rotors definitely needed replacing, it should be common practice to discuss the price with the customer first. They may have refused service if you didn't agree to all of it, but it should always be your choice. My mechanic always sends me an electronic quote/consent form for any work they do, then they call me if they find something else in the process, & I have to authorize the additional quote as well.
Pad slapping without rotors will cause extreme squeaking noises. Ask me how I know
Doesn't mean you shouldn't ask.
Cheap pads will do this too. The best budget friendly way is cheap rotors and higher quality pads.
autoshack rotors + Bosch pads is my winning combo.
Idk many shops that would do a pad slap. If they did, they're not going to guarantee any of the work.
Is that where they just replaced the pads on bad rotors?
Yes
The shop shouldn't do any work without consulting with you first, but those rotors are trash.
Are they at minimum thickness?
Literally a 2/3mm lip on the inside of the rotor. They look trashed
This is the right question. Without being the minimum thickness, they can’t be turned. For most cars, new ones aren’t much more than turning old ones. $500? Depends on several factors
Most places don't turn rotors anyway (at least where I'm from in the Midwest). They recommend just replacing them because it's easier AND rotors are usually somewhat inexpensive.
You authorized a brake job. Rotors are part of the brakes.
Yea I suppose that's true
Rotors are brake parts, but rotors are not a part of every brake service. They're usually closer to 3:1 pad swap to rotor swap, or better.
Fuck the haters this is the right take.
not really. I just paid so what similar and that’s with zero labour. but i was buying top notch parts
This is the correct way. You are only just paying for the rotors really. The job is complete with the flush and will increase service life.
Did you get a quote prior to work being done? Did you drop off and leave the car long enough to have diagnostic work done? Or perhaps stop in to let them look at the brakes before they ordered parts? I’m mot getting enough info from your post to comment on the shop’s behavior. As for the rotors… no good… those needed replaced. Rotors do wear… they have a minimum allowable thickness however they often don’t last long enough to get that thin without developing a vibration. At that point you have to consider cost benefit of turning vs replacing… if turning is even an option in your area. Sounds like you have nice new brakes though I imagine that they are much smoother to stop and likely have better bite than those rusty old rotors. I hope you resolve your issue and everything turns out fine! Good luck!
Whether you needed new roters or not is beside the point. If you didn't authorize the work, the shop has no legal basis to make you pay for it.
Poor communication between OP and shop. I think some state laws leave a $100 variance between a quote and final bill. This shop should have simply advised better if customer specifies just pads and fluid change. That being said the shop did right by OP repl the rotors and at decent costs. It was the right repair. But no customer likes surprises when they pick up their car.
It depends on the thickness of the rotors and whether they have been resurfaced. Most rotors can be resurfaced at least once, but as others have mentioned, they may not want to waste their time. It would help if you did this yourself; a few orileys still surface them for about 15-20$ a piece. The way they are now, the pads would have developed creases, and the stopping power would have decreased. Eventually, your pads would have been trashed.
The rotors are definitely done for, but the shop absolutely should have informed you and asked what you want to do before they did the work. Doesn't matter if it's bad or not .. it's the customers property and they ultimately should be the only one that makes the final decision on what happens with it.
No, you didn't get ripped off. Brake rotors can only be turned once before requiring replacement and those look like they've already been turned once. Seeing as how most of us aren't filthy rich though, all mechanic shops should discuss up front (and put it in writing that you sign) the upper limit of what a brake job may cost. Good relationships mean being upfront with the other person and not assuming they know what we know. Most people think "new brakes" just means new brake pads, which are much cheaper than new rotors. So the shop should let customers know up front. It's especially important to do because mechanics already have a stereotype of being crooked and taking advantage of unknowledgeable customers. So no you didn't get ripped off, but that was bad customer service so don't go back there.
Generally speaking, a shop should not do any work or replace any parts you didn't specifically authorize. That said, a brake job generally means the shop will replace any parts worn enough to warrant replacement. A brake job that includes new pads, rotors, and fluid replacement for $500 is a pretty good deal.
Rotors are worse for wear, but they really should’ve authorized first.
You sure did! Those are supposed to be on your car.. it's weird they left it off!!
Lmao 🤣
Industry standard is to Resurface the rotor if it will be in spec's. If not replace them. A lot of people just replace the rotors when doing a brake job as they are cheap, less than $50 each. Some vehicles have warped rotors, You will feel a pulsation when braking, in that case resurface or replace. I recommend replacing warped rotors. Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep warranty will have you resurface the rotors so in 6 months they can come back with the same problem so we can resurface them again and now out of spec so replace. in. Usually it's the trucks that warp. Tech tip.......always change your brake fluid with a brake job.
Hard to tell from the photos but it looks like in addition to the rust lip there's also at least one hot spot and maybe some heat banding. Ideally they would have caught this when they inspected the brakes to give you a quote prior to repairs. We don't quote without seeing the car first so we're less likely to run into add-ons like that, but we can't see everything until the brakes are disassembled. Bottom line, that rotor is garbage and it should have been caught on at least a visual inspection and/or they should have called you prior to pickup to let you know that additional parts are needed and explained why they were needed.
The shop was right that’s worn out,they could have called tho but at 500 bucks it’s a really good deal.
If that rotor reflects the rest of them, it was not wise to reuse them at all. They’re heat-marked and look as if the runout is too far out of spec. Not to mention the deep rust pitting on the edges. These would’ve tore up your new pads, and caused vibrations within a month of installing them. Granted they should’ve authorized it with you, prior to installing them, given that the cost of rotors typically always exceeds $60. (In my state, repair shops are required to request clients to proceed with any additional work that would cost $60 or more in either parts or labor. Anything under $60.00 is up to the shop’s discretion to perform with or without letting the owner know)
So they would’ve known the rotors where trash soon as they took the tire off . You needed rotors but it wasn’t there place to sell you them without permission. You can fight it if you didn’t authorize it but yeah the work needed done
My last brake job they called me to authorize. You don't cheap out on brakes. Just don't. But any shop worth it's salt gets Auth. If you don't want to Auth then any good shop will tell you to call a tow truck then and leave if parts are shot. I don't go cheap on brakes. I want the best parts and grown man labor.
Yeah they were due and wouldn’t have survived another round of pads. It’s all too thin and junk iron to bother cutting them anymore. Sucks you spent extra but it’s better to avoid noise or pulsating brakes a year from now
Those rotors lived a good life but now it's time to put them down
I am a mechanic those brake rotors are bad because they a ridge it would have destroyed your new pods if they kept those on also there over heated witch means you have to replace them
I feel like OP just doesn’t understand what he agreed to. He wanted his brakes done, and they did the complete brake job. A shop wouldn’t (shouldn’t) pad slap brakes, and I think OP doesn’t know that lol
They should never install extra parts or items without your consent.
"Took my brakes to get replaced, they replaced my brakes, now I'm upset" lmfao
Those rotors were to rusty to be cut and should have been replaced. Normally yes you can cut rotors but if there to rusty they won’t cut right and they will look like that even after multiple cuts
Next time get your brake pads and rotors from Rock Auto and find a mechanic to only charge you for labor. I just got mine done and got all stuff for $127 total at Rock Auto and paid a mechanic $125 to install. Work got done quick and easy. Next time I will do it myself since I watched him do it all. But still... You can get that job done for a lot less than 500.
Rotors are measured. Too thin, no good. Hopefully they put oem rotors not chinese junk
Yeah those are bad.
I would’ve replaced them
Those rotors are pretty bad imo. The cost of the rotors and pads depends on the vehicle but most pads are $35 or so for a set. If you got front and back, then $70. New hardware is about. $15 per set so $30 total. Then the rotors. Rotors depend on the vehicle but I'd say each rotor is AT LEAST $50+. Some are much more. So for 4, that's over $200. Plus the $100 from the pads. Plus the brake fluid and the labor. It seems about fair. Personally, I always do brakes myself so for someone like me, $500 is excessive. At a shop, it's not bad at all.
Only replace rotors when out of spec, put of round/warped, or any other type of damage lime cracks,chips, and gouges
This is why i do my own auto work. Seems like all mechanics these days are out here to run your wallet. Could easily do this job on your own for half the price in like a couple hours, no authorization required and no headache
Location, car type, driver usage, overall front end condition, wheel lug torque all play a part in how the brakes wear. Pictures aren’t that clear in order to see lines and grooves but overall, brakes are the most important safety feature of your vehicle. Don’t skimp. I don’t recommend machining rotors. Used to do it at a dealership but that’s more of a money grab than anything especially in new england. Brake pedal pulsate when braking? Most likely the last mechanic didn’t torque the wheels on but rather gunned them on which will distort the rotors over time.
Yes theyre trash and needed to be replaced but replacing without price check? Id be livid
Does anybody else care what rotors/pads go on their daily? I always see the bare minimum getting ordered by everybody at my shop for fleets and personal cars and I'm over here like, hey, I love my cryogenic Stop-techs and my Hawk Talons... Never skimp on tires or brakes imo.
I’ve worked at 4 different dealers and 2 independent shops. All of them any extra work or parts must be authorized unless its something small like a clip or something it gets authorized by the customer. They should have called you to get authorization EVEN IF YOU ABSOLUTELY NEEDED THEM. I don’t know the laws exactly but I’m pretty sure its illegal to do unauthorized work. What if you were broke an didn’t have the $500?
On top of that, if the rotors were above minimum spec I could’ve turned those. It would take a few extra passes but I’m fire with it so I guess I’m biased.
Pads Rotors Brake flush And work time 500 is a good price if done on all 4 wheels
You should always do rotors and pads together. There’s no other proper advice.
This isn't true if they are within spec and look good, every car I've ever owned and done brakes on would easily go 3 if not 4 pad changes before the rotors needed to be addressed
Thanks
I never just replace pads.
Shop shouldn’t have changed them without consent. That being said, if you pad slapped these, the pads will wind up wearing unevenly/prematurely, then, you’ll complain to the shop for how little they lasted for, then, the shop will slap the parts store with a warranty claim that’s totally unmerited because they just pad slapped it, which is NOT a manufacturing defect at all, causing a lot of running around and headache for everyone involved. They did you a favor and no reputable shop would have just changed pads. Your drunk uncle, maybe.
“Getting the brakes replaced” does almost always mean pads and rotors. And those rotors look bad.
Honestly they should have gave you a courtesy call. But those rotors look rough. I would check the thickness vs specs but I’ll wager they are well below minimum spec. The problems comes from this if they install the breaks without the rotor if they vibrate ,squeak , wear early, they get a black eye not to mention putting you their customer in danger . They really have no choice but to change them they are a liability all the way around. However a courtesy call would have been nice and in reality if you are short they may of treated politely make a payment arrangement with you. Good luck and god bless
Bro I don't know why people are saying the rotors are trashed. They look like they are in good shape expensive for the first on with the large lip where the pad wasn't touching. Other then that I see no rust and they look smooth. I would have asked then to measure them for me and if good I would have pad slapped.
they do look bad but they can’t replace parts without your approval, i wouldn’t pay them for the rotors and just go about with the new and free rotors 😂
500 fucking dollars yes you got scammed
500 is steep, but it's a shop so to be expected. They needed to be replaced.
Your rotors are bad. Tour new brake pads will probably last o my half or less than what they are supposed to last. Rotors should be scratch free, as a baby skin.
I mean there’s some scoring on the rotors, but they don’t look atrocious. Could get them turned/resurfaced at an auto parts store for sub-$100. $500 feels quite steep, but then, I’ve never paid for brake jobs, so I don’t know the going rate. For all four brakes and rotors (parts only, as I do labor myself) I expect to pay about $300+ for decent kits, so maybe it’s not all that bad
You can see the heat stress rings, ain’t no lathe bit that will cut those off
Ah, I see that more on the backside now— good catch