Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Cost of a brake job

Good brakes are cheap life insurance, not only for yourself, but for all the people who have to share the road with you. You fools who will bet your life on a cheap brake job will probably draw to an inside straight. Let's play some high stakes poker. Where lights, steering, brakes, and other safety of operation systems are concerned, the very best you can do is just barely good enough.

I'm doubting you run your cars to "end of life".

People that run new stuff never see the issues that come with
long term use.

Same with brine/salt.

You run an older car here, you will see pads disappear due to corrosion.
That often ruins a rotor.

Or, stuck pistons due to corroision. Or stuck sliders.


What part of Colorado?
It's easy to get warped rotors here on our grades, can't imagine it
doesn't happen there.

On my '02 Chebby 2500 HD @ 120K miles

Four rotors @ $60 each...$240

Disc pads were $120 for both axles

Labor to my mechanic bud was $200 or so

So $560 or so..AC Delco parts...2 yrs ago

Normally rear brakes will last twice as long as the fronts. Have you looked to see if they need replacing? If they're disc instead of drums, a set of pads might be all they need, if anything.

Got a new set of shoes for the back 3-4 yrs ago when I did the front, they are still in the storage room.

While I don't disagree, the drama is high.

Some of the safest drivers I know, drive junk that would get many killed.😉

On all the vehicles I've ever owned, as rear brake shoes/pads wore down, the emergency brake had to be pulled / pushed further and further to engage.

I slapped new pads on my Dodge a couple of weeks ago for $27 including shipping all the way around with close out parts from Rockauto. I open the bleed screw on the back of the calipers when I push them in. That’s the total of the flush I do of the brake fluid. I have different brands front and back but I don’t care. I’ll watch for another close out sale and put some back for the F-150 I’m putting a new motor in. I watch for deals on wear parts I know I’m going to need.

That is some high drama. Dr. Fauci needs him on his mask advocacy team.

Cables stretch over the years. There might be an adjustment in it somewhere. A new set of shoes or pads will bring it back up a ways. My Dodge 2500 has a separate set of pads for the emergency brake. Since they rarely get any wear on them, they'll last indefinitely. It has rear discs with sort of a drum built in with the e-brake shoes inside.

Brakeman here - and the nickname comes from over 20 years in auto and truck brake design and performance testing of brakes for PBR, Bosch, & Akebono. I'm past my contracted silence time so I can say that I guess. I say don't EVER buy calipers unless you melted them or whacked them with a sledge hammer. Replacing the seals with a couple dollar kit is easy and cheap. As for the Fluid, only change it if it's really old. While it is hygroscopic, the brake fluid stays in a sealed protected environment unless you leave the reservoir cap off in the rain. Easy to test for. Dribble a drop on a really hot surface and if it just smokes and flames its fine but if it bubbles an pops it has water.

Brake fluid is called Hygroscopic, That means it absorbs moisture... Even though braking systems are essentially closed systems... THEY STILL ABSORB WATER... Water being heavier than brake fluid, It goes to the lowest point in the system... (That of course is the calipers and or wheel cylinders) Causing rust which damages the bores... Which leads to sticking/dragging brakes... Which quickly wears out the pads and damages the rotors... Requiring replacement... The best and cheapest way to avoid this is to change your brake fluid periodically (more often on vehicles that aren't driven regularly)... A good test is to pump some fluid through a clear plastic hose attached to the caliper bleed screw... If the fluid comes out dark and or rusty looking, You should have changed it sooner... Brake fluid is a lot Cheaper and easier to change than Calipers, Pads & Rotors... In my experience anyway... I'L give you one thing though... You spell Hygroscopic better than i do...

2 years is the normally recommended interval for changing brake fluid. As 7mm_Loco posted, anyone who has ever watched the first fluid coming from the bleed screws after a long interval flushing will attest to dirty fluid coming out. That is from corrosion which not only happens in the calipers but also the master cylinder.

It's also a good idea to inspect the brake hoses when doing brakes, especially if they are 10 years or older. Look for any dry rot, brittleness, cracks, gouges, or any signs of rubbing (particularly on the front ones). If one hose needs replacing, replace them all.

Brake flex hoses fail from the inside out, so inspect all you want- - - -you won't see any external deterioration until a hose is far past its effective lifespan. Crack the bleeder screw open a little while pushing the caliper pistons back during a pad change, and that dirty, heat damaged fluid that's been cycling in and out of the caliper for thousands of miles will spill out. Pump the brake pedal a few times to seat the new pads and top off the master cylinder with fresh fluid. Brake rotor swept surfaces need to stay parallel with each other within .0005"- - - -1/3 the thickness of a strand of hair- - - -so either have the rotors machined or replace them at every pad change. That's been an industry standard since the mid-1960's when front disc brakes came along.