Affordable Brake Job

[Peque]

Wondering what is a reasonable price for a brake job. I've received a "coupon" from my local Ford dealer advertising $179.95 per axle. Is this reasonable?
Is is a good idea to have brakes done at a dealership?

[Sponsor]

[Svizzara]

Well, what exactly does this job entail? I'm guessing new pads/shoes, front rotors, and a fluid replacement? We can't really tell you if you're getting a deal if we don't know what the service is :P

[Peque]

Sorry! It says it includes Motorcraft brake pads or shoes, machining of rotors and drums, cost of labor. It almost sounds too good to be true

[Svizzara]

I don't think it's a killer deal... you'd be paying just over $400 after taxes. I bet a smaller, independent shop could do the same job for less - just make sure they get a fair amount of business so you know they're fairly trusted. Factory dealers generally charge a lot for labour, and I don't think this is an exception.

EDIT: I'm not saying $400 is ridiculously high, but it's certainly not a steal for that amount of work... average ;)

[cyfocus01]

Originally Posted by Svizzara

I don't think it's a killer deal... you'd be paying just over $400 after taxes. I bet a smaller, independent shop could do the same job for less - just make sure they get a fair amount of business so you know they're fairly trusted. Factory dealers generally charge a lot for labour, and I don't think this is an exception.

EDIT: I'm not saying $400 is ridiculously high, but it's certainly not a steal for that amount of work... average ;)

Agreed. Shop around some. A few 5 minute calls can't hurt.

[Peque]

Thanks so much for your help!! I certainly do not want to pay too much... my search for a shop begins :)

[Geezer]

Just make sure to compare exact services (apples to apples etc.). Depending on the amount of wear there's a good chance someone will suggest rotor or drum replacement which can add substantially to the overall cost. There may even be places that cannot turn the rear drums because of the integral bearing. Ask everyone, even the Ford dealer if they can do this as this could end up being a gotcha.

[misfire]

i actually work at a Ford Dealer. It's $179.95 for front or rear brake pads/shoes and machining rotors. With motorcraft pads that last a good amount of time, I think it'sa good deal. Sure, you can get $20 pads from Pep Boys and have someone install them cheaper, but they don't last as long and in my opinion (as a former Pep Boys employee) you'd be spending more with cheap pads as I think most of them tend to burn up very fast.

[freemind]

Originally Posted by Peque

Wondering what is a reasonable price for a brake job. I've received a "coupon" from my local Ford dealer advertising $179.95 per axle. Is this reasonable?
Is is a good idea to have brakes done at a dealership?

Do you have some basic tools, jack and jackstands?

If you are talking about the fronts, they are very simple to do.

[jjones6116]

Originally Posted by freemind

Do you have some basic tools, jack and jackstands?

If you are talking about the fronts, they are very simple to do.

^^ this