Need brake service...need help

[Ranger379]

hey guys, since i bought my truck the parking brake hasnt worked, im guessing pads need replaced, well i took it to local ford garage this morning to get it fixed, i work at night so i called them before i left they said they needed parts to fix it so theyed call back with how much it would be and what parts, mean while they would put it back together so i could get it after work and drive home (work next door to ford garage.) i got home and turns out i need:

Front ABS Sensor
Rear Brake Pads and Rotors
Rear E-Brake Shoes and Hardware Kit

they said the price would be $955, meanwhile i gave them 55.12 for the work today...

My ABS does need fixed lol hard to stop and bottom of hill lol. but is a thousand dollars worth a parking brake, or should i just continue using the 6 inch piece of 2x4 when i idle in the drive way lol.

thanks for opinions ill let the garage know what im doing on monday

 

[Glacier991]

brakes are important. But....Absent the ABS repair, their price is WAY excessive. The lack of ABS is not as critical as the lack of proper braking. I do not know how much of their price is ABS related... Me ? I'd shop it around.

 

[ncc]

First thing: If this is the 5-speed truck listed in your signature, then you may need to check your state inspection laws. Most states require a working parking brake on vehicles with manual transmissions.

Aside from that, if you are at all mechanically inclined, then brakes are one of the easiest aspects of vehicle maintenance for the do-it-yourselfer. It only requires a little research, the good part of a day and simple hand tools.

If you're not interested in doing the work yourself, then yes, I'm sorry to say that the quote they gave you is pretty typical for dealership work. An independant would be cheaper, but still pricey.

To put it in perspective:

Advance Auto has brake pads for anywhere from $20-75, parking brake shoes from $13-50 and rotors from $19-108/each. So, if you wanted to tackle the work yourself and went with the less-expensive parts, you would spend approximately $120 for parts. That's assuming about mid-range of each of the price ranges I listed. You may need to replace your parking brake hardware depending on the severity of the rust: $20. You will also need to check your parking brake cable to make sure it is moving freely and not binding.

Some people may not feel this is good advice, but I have always strongly encouraged anyone who wants to learn about repairing vehicles to spend some time researching and collecting information and tips and then just do it. A lot of people forget that that's how they learned about fixing cars, too.

There should be some good threads on rear brake replacement right here on this site; just do a search for them. And please let us know how you make out; we love success stories!

Jeremy
'97 Eddie Bauer 4.0L SOHC

 

[Ranger379]

was thinking the same thing lol. the rotors from what i can tell are pretty good still, could be turned but they are not pitted or have deep grooves or anything. the pads i can hardly see, didnt want to feel them since i just got home. im guessing i need to pads sooner than rotors, but damn 1 grand for brake work is a little too high for me lol. but if im paying a grand im buying top end slotted rotors and top end metallic pads lol.

 

[Ranger379]

First thing: If this is the 5-speed truck listed in your signature, then you may need to check your state inspection laws. Most states require a working parking brake on vehicles with manual transmissions.

There should be some good threads on rear brake replacement right here on this site; just do a search for them.

yes its the 5speed, thats why its i PITA to let the truck idle in the drive way b/c it rolls forward, ill check laws on that, its inspected till 5/07, but im sure it will fail b/c of that

started reading the info on the maintenace/service page before i posted this and still reading lol

 

[Ranger379]

well i found this under the inspection regulations

(5) Check the parking brake operation and reject if the pedal or lever reaches its limit of travel before parking brakes are set.

in that case it would fail, b/c the pedal goes to the floor and obviosly does nothing lol

 

[ncc]

lol Ayuh, they might frown on that....lol.

 

[Homerexplorer]

That's exactly why it's called a "stealership"! If you take the time to learn how to do it yourself you'll probably do a more thorough job and save yourself a nice junk of change.

When you say the parking brake doesn't work, what exactly happens? The cable doesn't pull tight? The actuator arm doesn't move or release? Or all of the previous occur but the pads don't hold?

 

[Ranger379]

well the cable moves but will not take hold, they said i need ebrake pads so thats one thing, not sure wahst worng with the system tho. ill let you all know tomorow i will be calling them. all seems to work with it except it will not hold, on one occasion it did hole and the little light came on on the dash saying the ebrake is on. never worked again. im thinking about doing rotors and pads myself, ill just go get a chiltons manual, about how long would it take to do all 4 rotors and pads? the reason i take it to the shop is i work everyday lol. 4-midnite M-F and 4 hours saturday uslally in the middle of that day whichs screws my day anyway so the only time i have is sunday lol. and school starts in 2 weeks then i work everday 8 hours excpet 2 day during week lol. so i will have to have it all done in one day. shouldnt be bad tho im not a retard lol and i am mechanically inclined, just havnt really worked on one yet. thanks for the help