what to fix first?

[kifferarri]

alright guys, i read halfway thro the posts, and got really mad... im a mechanic in canada. you guys have it easy in the states, cheap parts, and cheap labour. in canada, we dont have much of either. shop rates around here range from 60 bucks, to over 120 an hour... ppl pay over 1000 bucks for a 4 wheel brake job all the time. now with that said, yes, you can do it alot cheaper yourself. first i suggest:
talk to some ppl about where they take their cars, and how their experience has been
next:
if you dont mind wasting some time, take it to 2 or 3 shops that have a free brake inpection deal... (IMO do the brakes first, safety first, because your not the only one counting on your brakes, everyone else on the road is as well)
if you really want to save yourself some money, get a chiltons manual, read up, and set aside a weekend or 2 and get dirty. this website is great for info, so search lots, and ask lots of Q's

as for the guys saying that mechanics are a ripoff? not all of us are greasy slimeballs that try to take your shirt! there are many out there that are reasonable, and will try to look out for whats best for you and your vehicle. and you cant compair US prices to canadas... US labour is simply cheaper, thats why we get taxed to **** at the border when we've had work down there! i know many ppl who got caught with that.

 

[westfield]

Kifferarri...I agree with you that not all mechanics are rip offs...However, many shops are and that's the problem....You don't know who is going to rip you off...Even dealerships are rip offs in many cases...Here's an example...I was given a 1995 BMW by my brother because the BMW dealership told him his head was cracked and the cost wouldbe about $7,500...So my brother gave the car to me (he wanted a new car anyway so this was his excuse) Turned out it had a leaky rad hose and with BMW's you have to bleed the system or you over heat...long story short..i fixed it for less than $100. I cann't tell you how many times my wife would bring one of our cars in for service and she would be told she needed hundreds or thousands of dollars worth of work that the car did not need...Just google complains against sears, meineke, jiffy lube, and more and read all the horror stories people have to endure. Now...through out the years I have developed wonderful relationships with mechanics and shops whom I trust and they do work on my cars that I can't do myself. The point is find a mechanic or shop you trust...they do exist. But like used car dealers there are too many sleezy slimeballs of mechanics out there...That's the problem - you never know when their rear their ugly heads !

 

[my pos mounty]

alright guys, i read halfway thro the posts, and got really mad... im a mechanic in canada. you guys have it easy in the states, cheap parts, and cheap labour. in canada, we dont have much of either. shop rates around here range from 60 bucks, to over 120 an hour... ppl pay over 1000 bucks for a 4 wheel brake job all the time. now with that said, yes, you can do it alot cheaper yourself. first i suggest:
talk to some ppl about where they take their cars, and how their experience has been
next:
if you dont mind wasting some time, take it to 2 or 3 shops that have a free brake inpection deal... (IMO do the brakes first, safety first, because your not the only one counting on your brakes, everyone else on the road is as well)
if you really want to save yourself some money, get a chiltons manual, read up, and set aside a weekend or 2 and get dirty. this website is great for info, so search lots, and ask lots of Q's

as for the guys saying that mechanics are a ripoff? not all of us are greasy slimeballs that try to take your shirt! there are many out there that are reasonable, and will try to look out for whats best for you and your vehicle. and you cant compair US prices to canadas... US labour is simply cheaper, thats why we get taxed to **** at the border when we've had work down there! i know many ppl who got caught with that.

Hold on a second. Labor rates in garages (I have friends who are mechanics) run from $80 to $160 around me, doesn't sound "cheaper" to me. $80 being the little one man show type of garage, 160 being the "stealership". As for parts.. you are telling me that for 4 rotors, 4 brake pads, 2 hours labor, shop profit and "shop supplies" should run 1300?? I doubt that highly, unless the owner want to go to Aruba with every brake job. I agree that not all mechanics are scumbags, every industry has thier fair share. I'm just saying the one he went to is one.

 

[explorerulez]

Ok guys here's an update guys so I went to Parts Source last night and bought the break pads, break shoes, rear brake drum kit, rubber boot kit for the front calipers, a can of break clean, caliper lube and a new MAF sensor for $380 all together. the MAF sensor seems like an easy job to do....I'm just not that confident on tackling the break job myself as I don't want to mess up my break lines and get air in them with me having no experience in doing a brake job. But just in case I do go ahead what tools would I need for a break job and what should I watch/be careful of when working on my breaks? thanks in advance for all of your feedback.

 

[kert0307]

You shouldn't need to worry about getting air in the lines unless you are replacing the whole caliper. You will need a C-clamp large enough to put around the caliper to recompress the piston and wrenches to take everything off.

When you unbolt the caliper and it's brake line is still connected, don't let it hang by the brake line.

 

[Mirge]

Ok guys here's an update guys so I went to Parts Source last night and bought the break pads, break shoes, rear brake drum kit, rubber boot kit for the front calipers, a can of break clean, caliper lube and a new MAF sensor for $380 all together. the MAF sensor seems like an easy job to do....I'm just not that confident on tackling the break job myself as I don't want to mess up my break lines and get air in them with me having no experience in doing a brake job. But just in case I do go ahead what tools would I need for a break job and what should I watch/be careful of when working on my breaks? thanks in advance for all of your feedback.

Good job, you just saved yourself about $1,000... pat yourself on the back. Don't sweat the brakes... NOT hard. Invest in a repair manual too.. even a Haynes or Chiltons will suffice just fine for what you're doing.. and plenty of other things in the future. Under $20, a wise investment, IMO.

 

[my pos mounty]

Just because I cant leave well enough alone, I went online to find auto parts stores in Alberta Canada, just to price out what Kifferarri claims. He said that Canadian autoparts were much more expensive, I am here to disprove it.
WWW.##################.com Well, i guess i cant show where..
But an online canadian parts store that is located in Alberta, Canada
Front calipers: A1 Cardone brand Lifetime warranty. All metal, non-phelonic
Right side: $36.38
left side: $37.32
Front rotors BREMBO rotors, not bottom line 12 month 12,000 mile warranty
Pair: $44.95
Drums Middle quality, nothing too cheap, not race quality.
Pair: $77.90
Rear Shoes Bendix brand, top quality
Set: $43.67
Wheel cylinders Good quality, 12 month/12,000 mile warranty
Each: $20.95

That totals round and about $261.17, assuming he replaces both calipers, rotors, drums, wheel cylinders. Lets say at a 30% markup (261.17 X 1.3) = $339.52
That leaves labor and shop supplies. Let just stab in the dark and guess generously at $100 for supplies. Thats certainly on the high side, isnt it?
Total so far, $439.52.. Now that leaves $560.48, or at your stated labor rate (high side) MORE than 4 1/2 hours to perform this 4 corner brake job.
AND, dont forget the original quote he got was another $300 more than this.
Maybe I need to open a brake shop, just do 2 brake jobs a day, not bad.

 

[cogs]

are you replacing the rear brake parts? that's a little tougher than the front. let us know specific questions, cause there's some fine points to know.

 

[explorerulez]

are you replacing the rear brake parts? that's a little tougher than the front. let us know specific questions, cause there's some fine points to know.

yup, that mechanic who gave me that quote told me that the parts in the rear brake drums needed to be replaced as well.

 

[kifferarri]

my pos mounty, you can disprove all you want... let me ask you this... do you work in the trade? do you live in canada? now i may be "just the guy in the back" so i dont deal with prices directly all day every day, but, like i said before: i am a mechanic, i DO work in the trade, and i DO live in canada. now, not all shops are the same, not all will have the same prices for parts, so i will give you that, yes you may be able to find parts cheaper (as said before, ive seen many times where ppl have spent over 1k for a 4 wheel brake job). that is still somewhat besides the point. what i AM saying is that if explorerulez isnt comfortable with doing a job himself, he needs to talk to his friends, family, neighbors and such about where they take their vehicles, in order to find someone trustworthy.

 

[nitro71]

For doing rear brakes get a rear brake tool set. Harbor freight has them very cheap. Even Schucks or Autozone aren't to bad for them. You especially need the hook tool to pull the springs on and off. Feel free to ask for help! What is a front brake boot and do you need it? What is a rear brake drum kit? Just getting a grasp on what parts you got.

 

[Mirge]

For doing rear brakes get a rear brake tool set. Harbor freight has them very cheap. Even Schucks or Autozone aren't to bad for them. You especially need the hook tool to pull the springs on and off. Feel free to ask for help! What is a front brake boot and do you need it? What is a rear brake drum kit? Just getting a grasp on what parts you got.

Oh no, not harbor freight... I am like a kid at Christmas when I go there... which is why I rarely go I generally spend far too much and come home with a lot more than I went in for haha.

 

[Mirge]

alright guys, i read halfway thro the posts, and got really mad... im a mechanic in canada. you guys have it easy in the states, cheap parts, and cheap labour. in canada, we dont have much of either. shop rates around here range from 60 bucks, to over 120 an hour... ppl pay over 1000 bucks for a 4 wheel brake job all the time. now with that said, yes, you can do it alot cheaper yourself. first i suggest:
talk to some ppl about where they take their cars, and how their experience has been
next:
if you dont mind wasting some time, take it to 2 or 3 shops that have a free brake inpection deal... (IMO do the brakes first, safety first, because your not the only one counting on your brakes, everyone else on the road is as well)
if you really want to save yourself some money, get a chiltons manual, read up, and set aside a weekend or 2 and get dirty. this website is great for info, so search lots, and ask lots of Q's

as for the guys saying that mechanics are a ripoff? not all of us are greasy slimeballs that try to take your shirt! there are many out there that are reasonable, and will try to look out for whats best for you and your vehicle. and you cant compair US prices to canadas... US labour is simply cheaper, thats why we get taxed to **** at the border when we've had work down there! i know many ppl who got caught with that.

my pos mounty, you can disprove all you want... let me ask you this... do you work in the trade? do you live in canada? now i may be "just the guy in the back" so i dont deal with prices directly all day every day, but, like i said before: i am a mechanic, i DO work in the trade, and i DO live in canada. now, not all shops are the same, not all will have the same prices for parts, so i will give you that, yes you may be able to find parts cheaper (as said before, ive seen many times where ppl have spent over 1k for a 4 wheel brake job). that is still somewhat besides the point. what i AM saying is that if explorerulez isnt comfortable with doing a job himself, he needs to talk to his friends, family, neighbors and such about where they take their vehicles, in order to find someone trustworthy.

Not to add fuel to the fire, but I didn't really get the message of "he needs to talk to his friends, family, neighbors and such about where they take their vehicles" in your first reply... first quote.

What I read was, "you guys have it easy in the states...". Are you joking? I sincerely hope so.

 

[explorerulez]

Just an update guys, I replaced the MAF sensor myself so that saved me some money but the best part is that I found an independent mechanic on Kijiji and he was charging $40 an hour so I called him and we rented a garage for 2 hours for a cost of $50, he even showed me the parts and nhow to replace the front brakes and the more tricky to replace rear drum breaks. All in all I basically spent $510 including the parts and labor for a 4 wheel break job which was way below the estimate that I got from the mechanic shop of $1296. Needless to say I had an awesome christmas with the savings that I got!

 

[Mirge]

Just an update guys, I replaced the MAF sensor myself so that saved me some money but the best part is that I found an independent mechanic on Kijiji and he was charging $40 an hour so I called him and we rented a garage for 2 hours for a cost of $50, he even showed me the parts and nhow to replace the front brakes and the more tricky to replace rear drum breaks. All in all I basically spent $510 including the parts and labor for a 4 wheel break job which was way below the estimate that I got from the mechanic shop of $1296. Needless to say I had an awesome christmas with the savings that I got!

Good job ... Glad to hear you tackled everything yourself and found a nice mechanic to lend a hand when needed w/out taking advantage of ya.

 

[explorerulez]

Good job ... Glad to hear you tackled everything yourself and found a nice mechanic to lend a hand when needed w/out taking advantage of ya.

yeah man it was great, I even gave him a tip because he was friendly and all. He also gave me the same advice and told me to never to back to those guys cause they are ripping me off big time!!!

funny thing is he is like what the other guy here mentioned, he was in his 40's and mostly works with american cars.

 

[Mirge]

yeah man it was great, I even gave him a tip because he was friendly and all. He also gave me the same advice and told me to never to back to those guys cause they are ripping me off big time!!!

funny thing is he is like what the other guy here mentioned, he was in his 40's and mostly works with american cars.

Now that you've found a seemingly reputable mechanic, make best friends. They are becoming increasingly rare... and you are guaranteed to need him again in the future .

 

[explorerulez]

Now that you've found a seemingly reputable mechanic, make best friends. They are becoming increasingly rare... and you are guaranteed to need him again in the future .

for sure I even got him a nice cup of coffee from tim hortons, now that it's been a few days and I've driven my truck alot there's no pulling to either side even on a panic breaking, very smooth breaking action and there's no squeel or grabbing at all, I was nervous about trying a mechanic out from an online advertising site but it looks like I lucked out on this mechanic. He did an awesome job and I kept his business card.

 

[my pos mounty]

And also, tell everyone you can about him!

 

[shaggymane]

yeah man it was great, I even gave him a tip because he was friendly and all. He also gave me the same advice and told me to never to back to those guys cause they are ripping me off big time!!!

funny thing is he is like what the other guy here mentioned, he was in his 40's and mostly works with american cars.