DIY auto repair means not having to deal with obnoxious auto repair shop prices

P

pacem

Joined
Oct 16, 2003
Messages
1,021
Location
Northern Virginia
So I took my GMC Yukon Denali for an inspection, they shop said it had brake issues, quoted me $1300 to fix it.

Upon examination, it ended up being all brake pads, 2 calipers, 2 rotors and bleeding the brakes. Got $300 in parts and did it myself in under 2 hours. Most of the time was spent jacking the car up and looking for the right sockets. I am slow and I have zero power tools. There is no way that was $1000 in labor. I spent 30 mins per wheel (and did 3/4, the 4th one didn't need it but I think the caliper is sticking thus needs replacement). I think a well equipped shop with a rack and all the tools ready can do it spending 15 mins per wheel, someone who does it every day.
No broken/seized bolts, no rusty lines, nothing special at all. I said I am picking up the car with no repairs and they acted shocked.

I get it that 98+% of the auto drivers out there don't do their own work, thus auto repair shops can exploit them. Because brake work sounds scary and most drivers out there can't tell a caliper from a you know what. I think I would have paid them $500, probably, parts plus labor. Or more if it needed the entire brake system rebuilt, like brake lines, power brake booster, master cylinder... etc. etc. What happened to these shops which did brakes only for low prices like $200 or such? I used to see them years ago, apparently not anymore.
 
so 4 pads, 2 new rotors, replaced 2 calipers and expect them to do that for 500$?

Hint normal brake job with rotors and pads in my lower income area would be $800-$1000

So your 1300 job with 2 calipers doesnt sound so bad.

Brakes are semi-pricy.. for what it is.. of course they dont order parts from rockauto either.
 
pacem said:
So I took my GMC Yukon Denali for an inspection, they shop said it had brake issues, quoted me $1300 to fix it.

Upon examination, it ended up being all brake pads, 2 calipers, 2 rotors and bleeding the brakes. Got $300 in parts and did it myself in under 2 hours. Most of the time was spent jacking the car up and looking for the right sockets. I am slow and I have zero power tools. There is no way that was $1000 in labor. I spent 30 mins per wheel (and did 3/4, the 4th one didn't need it but I think the caliper is sticking thus needs replacement). I think a well equipped shop with a rack and all the tools ready can do it spending 15 mins per wheel, someone who does it every day.
No broken/seized bolts, no rusty lines, nothing special at all. I said I am picking up the car with no repairs and they acted shocked.

I get it that 98+% of the auto drivers out there don't do their own work, thus auto repair shops can exploit them. Because brake work sounds scary and most drivers out there can't tell a caliper from a you know what. I think I would have paid them $500, probably, parts plus labor. Or more if it needed the entire brake system rebuilt, like brake lines, power brake booster, master cylinder... etc. etc. What happened to these shops which did brakes only for low prices like $200 or such? I used to see them years ago, apparently not anymore.
Click to expand...
Do you know all the overhead and nuances of being in business? You should double down on what it takes to run businesses before you use the word "exploit. Normal brake jobs are running $500/$700.00 per axle (at least). Throwing in the additional parts you mentioned doesn't equal-"exploit"-IMHO.
15 minutes a wheel-give me a break. (LOL)

Your post borders on hilarious or naive-I'm not sure which.
 
I am not saying that DIY is not better, $1300 sound reasonable. 2 calipers, 4 rotors and pads. Book time is likely 3+ hours. Parts there going to charge you something approaching list.

So maybe 3 hours @ 200 / hr = $600
Ever present shop fees = $100
Parts - again at list maybe $600

So were at the $1300.

Shop math is to make most of your profit is in parts markup. Not saying its good, but looks like you were quoted something near the going rate likely. Unfortunately.
 
Some auto repair shops exploit people but a majority do not, it is not cheap, you have to pay techs, you have to pay taxes, electric, water, disposal, price of equipment/tools, the list goes on.

It is not a cheap business, also find me any tech that 100% correctly does brake jobs 15 minutes per side, not happening.
 
It depends on the quality of the parts used.

OEM calipers, rotors, fluids etc, are going to cost a bit. Taking the time to measure runout, busting off a rusty rotor, etc, bleeding brakes until they are properly firm, etc, all take time.

The most questionable things are whether they really took measurements, used quality parts, cleaned up the hub, put something on the hub to resist corrosion, all the steps needed to justify the price. It's a very real scenario, probably the most common given the greed, "nature" of people who usually become mechs, and the flat rate system, that the wrencher does exactly the same as the inexperienced DIYer and just slaps cheap parts on without a care about specifications.

I did my own brakes, but well, I did pay for some ignorance over the past three months. Not cleaning up the shim areas, using non-Toyota grease(even though it was 3M silicone), not addressing a caliper piston boot(how it was torn is a mystery) probably ended a brake hose early.

OEM Toyota calipers for their compact from 2007 costs $230 for one caliper+mounting bracket, for example. So I'd be out 460+tax if I want two new OEM calipers+mounting bracket, if not more because that 230 might be on the low end of the pricing spectrum.
 
My mindset has been to save money, enjoying to learn along the way, and quality tool investment. Going down that negative mental line of thought leads to much worse generalizations about people that I avoid habitually because those folks are insufferable.
 
CKN said:
Do you know all the overhead and nuances of being in business? You should double down on what it takes to run businesses before you use the word "exploit. Normal brake jobs are running $500/$700.00 per axle (at least). Throwing in the additional parts you mentioned doesn't equal-"exploit"-IMHO.
15 minutes a wheel-give me a break. (LOL)

Your post borders on hilarious or naive-I'm not sure which.
Click to expand...
Dude lives in NoVA, so I'm not surprised there's a bit of premium to live there. I'm about 30-50 miles away from him.

But if I were to DIY a 2012 Yukon(guessing here, he didn't provide the year), I'd spec out at the very least
2 AcDelco Gold/Pro calipers. At about $243+tax, that essentially becomes $500 for both.
Front Pads would be Advics, ACDelco Pro for about 60 Dollars+ship. Or the GM Genuines for 100+ship and tax.

Fluid- I'd go with Advics(aka Toyota's bastard) or GM Genuine.

Rotors - It's not different. Either it's aftermarket Advics or ACDelco Pro at about 80 dollars each, not including shipping and tax. Or the genuine GM part at 113+tax and ship. So it's be about 160 to 226 dollars for two quality rotors.

So that's about $720 for a "cheaper yet still quality" level of parts for a big truck. Before shipping and tax. Fluid not counted.
 
SC Maintenance said:
Calipers seize. I haven't had one do so in a long time, but I think a lot depends on the caliper design itself.
Click to expand...
Agreed. I've had them seize both ways, with fluid changes and without. Have to figure, moisture can seep in from around the rubber boot, and in a salt state, there's plenty of salty moisture to be had.

Plus, while low moisture / new fluid will absorb moisture from any old fluid left, have to figure, none of the brake fluid that is below the bleeder actually gets "flushed" on a brake fluid change. It's down low, below the bleeder. And the brake line is also up high. Yeah it'll intermingle over time but I have to wonder, just how much of it gets flushed out.

I think I've had 3 calipers seize over the years... and all 3 were on the driver's side. Single data point I know. But the rust is always worse on my driver's side of the car, it seems.
 
Brake work is gravy for shops and flat rate techs.
The prices they pay for OEM or OEM quality level parts are way below what you and me can get and a guy who does the job a couple of times will easily beat book time.
OTOH, for an average owner who unless they drive like a fool is looking at one or two brake jobs over his ownership of the car, the shop bill doesn't seem so bad.
I DIY but I can understand those who don't.
 
Donald said:
Not sure if the OP is in the rust belt. But if you have the clean the rust off a caliper bracket, that could easily take 15 minutes.
Click to expand...

Then you've got to turn your attention to the hubs. They've got to be cleaned up as well. There's a little more time added.
 
Last edited:
Oliveoil2 said:
Never replaced calipers. No need, if you do regular brake fluid changes and grease the pins when replacing the pads. I’m at 158k on a Honda with original rotors.
Click to expand...
Yea-there is no such thing as calipers not working correctly-especially on higher miles vehicles....
 
Shops have a ton of overhead that my garage does not. I work for free but do not expect people who pull wrenches for a living to do so.

There is a shop near to me that is expensive; they are always at least a week backlogged. There's a reason for it. Great crew.
 
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