Brake pads, how much to replace them?

ibook

Hi All,

The mechanic just called up & said I need to replace the brake pads & 1 tire on my Nissan Primera. I've never done a service before, so I'd appreciate some help on the pricing.

I just got a quote of 90 Euro for all pads, is that a fair figure or do you reckon I should look around.

Also, how much should a tire typically cost? I got a quote of 120, to replace one.

Cheers

patrickc

ibook wrote: »

Hi All,

The mechanic just called up & said I need to replace the brake pads & 1 tire on my Nissan Primera. I've never done a service before, so I'd appreciate some help on the pricing.

I just got a quote of 90 Euro for all pads, is that a fair figure or do you reckon I should look around.

Also, how much should a tire typically cost? I got a quote of 120, to replace one.

Cheers

always replace 2 tyres on the same axle at once, is the 90 including fitting? what tyre is it for 120? i usually pay about 100 for each tyre for my s40, theyre firestone and have good road handling..

ibook

I'm afraid i dont know what sort of tyre he's offering. Thats good advice to replace them in pairs.

Yes, the 90 includes fitting the brake pads.

patrickc

ibook wrote: »

I'm afraid i dont know what sort of tyre he's offering. Thats good advice to replace them in pairs.

Yes, the 90 includes fitting the brake pads.

well the 90 doesn't seem to bad for the pads and fitting, but do shop around, also shop around with the tyres, as there is so much variations in prices.

S.I.R

i agree with patrick, depending on the type of the brakes they usually cost 70ish, for me anyways, though they have to be drilled so thats the labor on top of the pads cost...


Simply over charging for a standard fix.


What kind of over heads does that mechanic have or his garage ?

voxpop

S.I.R wrote: »

though they have to be drilled so thats the labor on top of the pads cost...

why do you need to drill them

ibook

If 90 isnt too bad, I'll go ahead with the brake pads replacements then, its being serviced at an Advance Pitstop, so I guess they'll do good job of it.

I'll keep the tire replacement on hold 'til I research prices.

ibook

hmmm he just said its 90 Euros for just the rear pads, the front 2 are fine.... is that steep?

voxpop

ring around and ask how much, independents/main dealer, this will give you a better idea of whether you are being fleeced. Ive seen sets of pads ranging from 20 up to 50 quid so adding an hour or so labour (probably) brings it up.

JOL

90 yo yo is steep for the rear pads.

My mechanic quoted me 90 for the front and 90 for the back.

I checked with the motorfactors to see what the cost would be so I could fit them myself and found the front pads were a lot more expensive then the rear ones.

Front ones quoted at €49.61 incl vat
Rear ones quoted at €31.36 incl vat, nearly €20 in the difference.

So I would be saving €100 fitting them myself, so seriously considering doing it myself. It's not too difficult a job and the Net will give you good advice on how to do it.

My yoke is a VW and I'm nearly certian Nissian parts would be cheaper.

ShayK1

the last time I bought brake pads I think they were around €40, and that was on a Clio, I'm sure price will vary depending on the car so maybe people could give you a better answer if you gave more detail?

As for the tyre, again prices vary so even if you could give the size of your current tyre you'd get a more accurate response on cost.

edit: I just noticed that you said its a Primera. oops
A quick google says the pads are between €40 and €50

voxpop

JOL wrote: »

90 yo yo is steep for the rear pads.

My mechanic quoted me 90 for the front and 90 for the back.

I checked with the motorfactors to see what the cost would be so I could fit them myself and found the front pads were a lot more expensive then the rear ones.

Front ones quoted at €49.61 incl vat
Rear ones quoted at €31.36 incl vat, nearly €20 in the difference.

So I would be saving €100 fitting them myself, so seriously considering doing it myself. It's not too difficult a job and the Net will give you good advice on how to do it.

My yoke is a VW and I'm nearly certian Nissian parts would be cheaper.

you havnt factored in labour - which is probably around 50 quid an hour (ive heard 150 an hour charged!)

ibook

Cheers guys, I decided on having the brake pads replaced. Thanks again for all the advice.

Cionád

Just for the record I got a set of front brake pads for an Almera for 25 quid from local motor factors. (Fitting not included of course!)

I found this a good guide to fitting yourself: http://www.cockeyed.com/lessons/brakeshoes/brakeshoes01.shtml

Darragh29

ibook wrote: »

hmmm he just said its 90 Euros for just the rear pads, the front 2 are fine.... is that steep?

It might be a bit over the top imo. Sounds more like a main dealer price to me...

Darragh29

Cionád wrote: »

Just for the record I got a set of front brake pads for an Almera for 25 quid from local motor factors. (Fitting not included of course!)

I found this a good guide to fitting yourself: http://www.cockeyed.com/lessons/brakeshoes/brakeshoes01.shtml

You can get a good set of Abec, Mintex or Ferodo rear pads for around 20 quid or 30 quid if your not dealing with someone you know who is giving you around 25%-30% discount.. The rest being labour & VAT and ending up at 90 Euro, when you take the VAT out of the equation at 10.70 Euro, you are left with 79.30 for the parts & labour. I think this is a bit steep but maybe in Dublin things are a bit more $$$...

Darragh29

ibook wrote: »

If 90 isnt too bad, I'll go ahead with the brake pads replacements then, its being serviced at an Advance Pitstop, so I guess they'll do good job of it.

I'll keep the tire replacement on hold 'til I research prices.

Just be careful. Rear brake calipers usually have to be wound back. I have one customer who came to me after being advised by Advance that both her rear brake calipers were seized (even this should set alarm bells ringing to any mechanic!), and was quoting 1200 Euro and the rest of it to resolve the problem. All that was wrong was that the guy doing the job in Advance didn't realise that the calipers were the wind back type that needed a special tool to get them back enough for the new pads to fit into place...:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

Our man in Havana

I just went to get a set of pads on my escort and I was told that the discs are worn out and that new pads would make matters worse?

Opinions?

JOL

voxpop wrote: »

you havnt factored in labour - which is probably around 50 quid an hour (ive heard 150 an hour charged!)

Voxpop, I meant that I would save €100 by doing the donkey work myself.
Which would be around the 50 yo yo an hour you mentioned.
If anyone pays €150/ hour for labour, they deserve to pay €150/hour for labour.

One other bit of advice is that the only 2 things you need working in any car is the brakes and steering wheel, essentially everything else can fail without serious consequences within reason.

So if you are changing the pads yourself, make sure you do it right.

In relation to the disc wear in the last post, if there is uneven wear and most likely disc and pad wear that is uneven, you may not have proper contact when you put in the new pads which will most likely reduce your braking potental until the new disc beds into the misaligned disc, you won't get the full life from the new pads either.

You may have to get the disc remachined to run true or replace it altogether.

Darragh29

Bond-007 wrote: »

I just went to get a set of pads on my escort and I was told that the discs are worn out and that new pads would make matters worse?

Opinions?

Well if ya need new discs ya need new discs. New pads on worn discs are unsafe and also false economy.

Darragh29

JOL wrote: »

One other bit of advice is that the only 2 things you need working in any car is the brakes and steering wheel, essentially everything else can fail without serious consequences within reason.

Jasus, tell the NCT tester that next time you go for an NCT and see what he tells ya! :rolleyes:

Esel

S.I.R wrote: »

i agree with patrick, depending on the type of the brakes they usually cost 70ish, for me anyways, though they have to be drilled so thats the labor on top of the pads cost...

voxpop wrote: »

why do you need to drill them

If you ever come across a sensible post from S.I.R, please PM me a link so I can go and adore it.

voxpop

esel wrote: »

If you ever come across a sensible post from S.I.R, please PM me a link so I can go and adore it.

LOL - bit harsh. Guess he was thinking about drilling/grooving the discs or something


@JOL - Yeah, was just pointing out so as to make sure the OP didnt think he was being hugely ripped off. Alot of ppl just look at the parts price and forget totally about labour.

As mentioned when changing the back brakes (disc), there are a number of steps that you shouldnt really attempt unless you have a Haynes and some mechanical skill. They are the brakes after all - if not adjusted correctly (handbrake,bleeding,etc) they can become squidgy and a little unsafe.


On replacing the Disc - usually you can see that its worn, either ridges or just very thin or even cracked. I think there is a min thickness , again from Haynes or maybe your car manual

Some reading for anyone who is interested ->http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disc_brake

kodute

Got front brake pads for 25 and fitted for another 30 quid at a place on the dublin road in limerick. Can't remember the name of it, across from the A1 bar if anyone is familiar with it.
I would recommend them (if i could remember the name), job done quickly and sound chaps.