Brakes are Finito!

SpeedLogicSpeedLogic New Wagonist
in Suspension, Braking & Wheels
My brakes have been acting up, and ever since I've owned the car there has been pedal travel. At a light it doesn't hold, pedal pressure reduces and then if I pump it, it will be ok. Today I took it in to have it checked out (since it was going for an alignment anyway) and they said the brakes are completely F*ed. They said that whoever did them before screwed them all up, and pretty much everything needs replaced. Here is the list:

Front Calipers
Front rotors
Front pads
Front and Rear wheel cylinders
Rear drum/shoes
Master cylinder
and if they do it instead of me...installed
*Basically everything is getting changes other than the brake lines*

Total ends up being like $1000

I could do it myself....but not sure how much I would save. Any idea what it should cost?

Comments

  • CharbCharb Administrator
    You could save about $850 and do it yourself.

    DIY=The HCW Way

    http://www.rockauto.com/ (thank me later)
  • AE86wagonAE86wagon New Wagonist
    While you can save a lot by buying from rockauto, if it's an RT be aware that some of it is specific and the RT stuff doesn't really mix well. I ran into lot's of trouble when doing my brakes/getting the right parts. Good Luck
  • CharbCharb Administrator
    I bought all my stuff from Autozone.

    Except my E brake. I got from Rock. It's good stuff for those extremely budget limited.
  • 3rd4ce3rd4ce Council Member
    wow :shock:
    i didnt spend that much and i have a big brake upgrade on the front..
  • SiWagonSiWagon Council Member
    That mechanic is trying to F*k YOU!Mechanic mentioned Front wheel cylinders we don't have any.Sinking pedal means there's air in the system or there's a leak in the system(Front Caliper(s), Rear wheel cylinder(s) & Master cylinder).I doubt all 3 are leaking.My guess is air or MC leak(look for oil running down the brake booster under the MC.A lot of mechanics lie about rotor&,pad & shoe wear to bust sales.They often use the shotgun technique.Replace everything...customer happy(but broke :cry: )...customer comes back for more abuse :twisted: later.If you do want the mechanic to do the work have them return all the old parts.I could go on all day about shady mechanics(a lot are shady).You can just fix what's wrong .

    If you're going to replace the following:
    1) rotor
    2)caliper/Pads
    3)MC
    It's a good time to upgrade them to larger ones(larger 10.2"+ dia rotors;CRX Si(RTWgn.).Teg ,ITR,etc. caliper/Pads and Teg or Lude MC).Do a search on this site for upgrades.

    Basically the RT has CRX Si front brakes.The wgn.rear are all the same.
  • bam-bambam-bam Council Member
    Just put a master cylinder on it, bleed the brakes, and let us know. $40.
  • Mandalore88Mandalore88 Senior Wagonist
    man first of all don't panic. If you have time, replacing one part at a time could save everything. I mean heck, you could even try just bleeding the brakes. Like bam bam said, it might just be the MC.
  • wagodizzlewagodizzle Council Member and EDM expert
    bam-bam wrote:
    Just put a master cylinder on it, bleed the brakes, and let us know. $40.

    x100
    while you are at it, get a 1990-1991 Civic EX M/C. its bigger and has a firmer pedal feel.
Sign In or Register to comment.

© Vanilla Keystone Theme 2025