Does it sound like I got ripped off?

[96ToyoCam164K]

OK, you guys know I try to do as much maintenance work on my own that I can.

Well, I was out of town this go around and my brakes started scrubbing. I thought my Duralast brakes/rotors were going bad after a good over 40,000+ miles that they've got on them. But I wanted better brakes this time and I've gone to Firestone for tires and wanted to go to them for brakes.

Well, turns out that the rotors and pads were fine (I should have checked). But what they suggested was to machine the rotors and clean/lube the back brakes.

Good news is that their is no more noise/vibration and the back brakes are very quiet now...bad news is I paid $150 for the job! When I bought those brakes it was $88 for labor and parts for 2 rotors and pads. The back brakes I was happy that I didn't have to have those machined.

I came out cheaper than buying new brakes from them I guess, but afterwards I realized I may have paid too much for it. At the same time I'm in Portland, OR and I wanted to make sure I was getting the job done properly and not have no way to return the car in the event someone didn't fix them right...

[Yuko]

Was that $150 for only machining two rotors and lubing everything on the front? If so, that's a bit high.

[96ToyoCam164K]

Originally Posted by Yuko

Was that $150 for only machining two rotors and lubing everything on the front? If so, that's a bit high.

It was machining 2 rotors and then cleaning and lubing up the shoes/back drums.

[fenixus]

LOL, NEVER use firestone for anything else than doing a professional 4-wheel alignment

they will rip you off in middle of day with a smile on their faces been there, done that (tires + brake pads) lol

you could have removed those rotors yourself (it's just 2 bolts at 34ft-lbs in rear and 79ft-lbs in front) which hold caliper brackets, then rotors come off.

local shops like Strauss Auto or other chains can resurface/turn/machine rotors at $12 each

cleaning brakes means you remove pads and spray brake cleaner on them and on rotors.
lubing means you put some grease on the back of pads and on contact points with support clip in bracket (pads are held in place by it) to lessen the noises.

having drums in rear is not much different, though they are harder to remove (easy if you know what you are doing) than calipers, but cleaning and lubing is pretty much same idea on brake shoes and drums as it is with calipers and pads.

dude, you paid $150 for something that would cost you $24 plus a pouch of Permatex grease and a can of brake parts cleaner and some spare time ... just saying

[96ToyoCam164K]

Originally Posted by fenixus

LOL, NEVER use firestone for anything else than doing a professional 4-wheel alignment

they will rip you off in middle of day with a smile on their faces been there, done that (tires + brake pads) lol

you could have removed those rotors yourself (it's just 2 bolts at 34ft-lbs in rear and 79ft-lbs in front) which hold caliper brackets, then rotors come off.

local shops like Strauss Auto or other chains can resurface/turn/machine rotors at $12 each

cleaning brakes means you remove pads and spray brake cleaner on them and on rotors.
lubing means you put some grease on the back of pads and on contact points with support clip in bracket (pads are held in place by it) to lessen the noises.

having drums in rear is not much different, though they are harder to remove (easy if you know what you are doing) than calipers, but cleaning and lubing is pretty much same idea on brake shoes and drums as it is with calipers and pads.

dude, you paid $150 for something that would cost you $24 plus a pouch of Permatex grease and a can of brake parts cleaner and some spare time ... just saying

Damn...I knew I should have checked here first before doing it. I never did like the idea of using them from the start. I buy tires and that's about it and the lifetime alignment.

I always felt like people who let tire shops (chain shops at that) do their mechanics work are dummies about cars. Seriously, having someone change your wiper blades? How easy is that LOL.

I just didn't know what was going on and plus it was rainy all day and didn't feel like getting under the car. I'm doing the next 5 oil changes myself this year!

What happened that they ripped you off on?

[Eye8Pussies]

if you ask me, that's a good price for the work.

as much as the DIY people here complain about the price of work on cars, when you take it to the shop, you can't presume that they'll charge you dirt cheap for labor since they still have to make a living

machining rotors , say, $15 each (up here in canada, it's even more- around 20-25 each, which is why most of us just replace our rotors instead), the labor it takes to take them off and on, say, 15min each side, plus taking apart and cleaning each of the front carefully, let's say half-hour each side, and then you're already looking at a minimum of 1.5 hour of labor.

let's say at a reasonable rate of 80/hour, you're already looking at 140 in labor + machining the rotors

if anything, I'd say that he got away pretty well at $150.

if I was a shop, I wouldn't even touch that kind of a dirt cheap job unless it was a slow day.

[Chris Crash]

Think of it this way....they essentially DID a brake job, seeing as they had to remove pads to grease them, remove calipers, remove rotors, and reinstall. Same with the rear. So for that much work, price is fair. It is true it would have been an easy DIY job, but there's tons of situations where it's easier to pay someone to do it.

I wouldn't sweat it.

At least you didn't spend $1500 at shops fixing a knock sensor problem to realize that you can use OEM sensor only and not advance brand.....

[quangtran89]

150 for shop price seem moderately high but not consider a rip off for here in ATL.

[96ToyoCam164K]

Originally Posted by Eye8Pussies

as much as the DIY people here complain about the price of work on cars, when you take it to the shop, you can't presume that they'll charge you dirt cheap for labor since they still have to make a living
if anything, I'd say that he got away pretty well at $150.

if I was a shop, I wouldn't even touch that kind of a dirt cheap job unless it was a slow day.

I guess I felt it was a bit high because the fact that their were no parts involved. Hell, I'll pay 300-400 for a Denso part.

But looking at the work write up, it shows that it was ALL labor work. Now come on now. $130 for labor, $7 for shop supplies and another $10 for tax? Are they telling me that the person who worked on my car got paid $130? I thought that mechanics (excuse me, "technicians") at chain shops get paid hourly (correct me if I'm wrong).

I know all that money didn't go to the mechanic. Some of it went to advertising, running the A/C and TV. Sorry to be sounding overly frugal...but to just say $150 all went for labor is misleading. What do you think?

[rebuy]

Sounds like they went through the brakes pretty well to make sure they were operating correctly. Labor rates are pretty standard but you don't think about that as you eye $7 for parts. Makes you reread the bill.

[fenixus]

yeah, it's always cheaper to DIY (both parts and labor wise), but not always easier, especially with limited tools or when on a trip far away from home.

to revise my initial comment, I think most shops would charge similar money for that job, so don't worry, the price was not a total rip off, it only appears so when compared to DIY

[Yuko]

For machining both rotors, lubing up the front, AND they took care of lubing and adjusting the back drums; then $150 is reasonable.

[carsrus]

Originally Posted by 96ToyoCam164K

I guess I felt it was a bit high because the fact that their were no parts involved. Hell, I'll pay 300-400 for a Denso part.

But looking at the work write up, it shows that it was ALL labor work. Now come on now. $130 for labor, $7 for shop supplies and another $10 for tax? Are they telling me that the person who worked on my car got paid $130? I thought that mechanics (excuse me, "technicians") at chain shops get paid hourly (correct me if I'm wrong).

I know all that money didn't go to the mechanic. Some of it went to advertising, running the A/C and TV. Sorry to be sounding overly frugal...but to just say $150 all went for labor is misleading. What do you think?

Oh theres no way the mechanic even got half that. Especially at a place like Firestone.

It costs money to run and operate a shop, thats why labor rates are so high. Just think about how much it costs to operate a lift and all the other thing associated with a garage.

[Eye8Pussies]

^ rent + electricity + equipment costs, etc. etc. overhead is a bitch

[96ToyoCam164K]

OK good, now I don't feel so bad...I probably felt that way because like I said, I'd paid $88 for parts and labor when I had the front brakes installed. So to have it cost more to machine them was...well ya know.

But I am VERY happy that the fixed the back drums without even having to machine them (which was an option they gave me but not recommended). Rainy and cold mornings do not involve loud high pitched squeals anymore. I had to put up with that for over 3 years!

I will say I trust Firestone more than any other chain shop out there. They never do more work than you want them too and don't nit pick every single little issue on the car. I go to the dealer, they talking about oil leaks, coolant leaks, holes in exhaust to cost $3,000 to repair...just a whole list. It's why I stopped going to them for oil changes. If they expect a car to be in tip-top condition and never wear and tear then Toyota needs to extend their warranties to a lifetime!

And not to mention...I bought tires from them back in 2008 with a lifetime alignment and rotation. So I haven't had to pay for an alignment now since 2008! Even when you buy new tires the lifetime still stands as long as you keep the car. They were going to sell a rotation to one lady for $68 bucks! So I trust them, but they are just so damn expensive...probably OK if you have a brand new car and don't like sitting in hot mechanic garages with no TV.