Alrite guys.... I took my car for regular oil change and tire rotation at my local Firestone today.

I have a 99 Camry LE in a decent condition.

Now I have heard Firestone guys have the habit of making recommendations on preventive services, but today I was recommended to change front brake pads, with motor and calipers and all, as they had 95% wear. (Required Recommendation)

How much should I trust these guys? I checked the parts online, and found out that Firestone was quoting almost double the price for every part.

I am confused as to whether I should just change the brake pads, or get all of the recommendations done at a local mechanic's....

Can anyone help me out?

 

Since your asking for opinions, here is mine. Keep in mind I do all my own work on the cars in our family.

"with motor?" Is the supposed to be rotor?

The parts mark up would be typically for shops.

What was the shops basis for changing all these parts?

Typical shop procedure is to resurface the rotor rather then replace them unless worn beyond repair. There is a minimum thickness the rotor can be resurfaced to otherwise the rotor surface becomes too thin to be safe.

Changing the rotor may not be such a bad idea as many individuals have had issues with rotor warpage within a year after resurfacing. The now thinner rotors tend to warp sooner.

You should compare the costs of resurfacing to getting new rotors. For the DIY'er new rotors purchased online can be cheaper then having a shop resurface them.

Replacing the calipers is not something typically done on a Camry break job, unless somehow damaged. The calipers should last the life of the car.

Many, many DIY'ers have changed out just the pads without problems.

This assumes the rotor does not have unusual wear (severe grooving), is not warped (meaning the brake pedal pulses when applied, the steering wheel shakes when brakes are applied).

If the rotors are glazed they can be sanded by hand to break the glaze up. I think GM now advises the rotors just be sanded to break up the glaze (if otherwise OK).

Thus changing just the pads is not uncommon however a shop might insist on turning the rotors or changing them from "safety" standpoint (and perhaps $$ standpoint).

Since you mentioned Firestone. I will never go to a Firestone dealer or recommend them to anyone!

This based on past experience with a family member. The person went in for a "free" tire rotation and came out spending close to $600 on what was a very poor brake job! I am not ever sure the brakes needed servicing.

The dealer charged for a brake system flush, but failed to perform this task. The rotors were resurfaced to the point of being much to thin and very soon warped (I ended up needing to replace them, a very time consuming job on this car). The shop damaged an ABS sensor on one of the front wheels requiring my replacement.

On top of this at the time of the repairs the Firestone dealer presented a service additional sheet of recommended repairs having an estimate of over $800.

I have nothing good to say about Firestone!!!!!

If you have a Les Schwab in the area, might try these people. I used to frequent them but as stated before now do all my own repairs.

If your handy with tools you can change the pads yourself. It is not that difficult and websites such as AutoZone have online service info to help you.

 

Yes.. Rotor..

Well, They told me the brake pads on the front had worn out. And they said its good idea to replace the rotors as well. The brakes do squeak a bit. I dont know why they suggested rotors to be changed.

JCWhitney is offering free shipping for the long weekend. Do you suggest I get the rotors changed too, just to be on safer side? (Not at Firestone)

 

Being Firestone your rotors may or may not need replacing (and who knows about your pads). The store may be interested in safety or just wanting to make money. Firestone is not the only outlet that does this.

But lets assume your pads are worn. Most pads have some type of noise indicator that will make a squealing noise when the pad needs to be changed. This is a metal clip that begins to ride on the rotor to make the noise. This is a much sharper noise then the normal brake squeal one hears when say the brakes are cold.

Again typical practice is to turn the rotors. Compare costs of turning the rotors (typically $100) with replacing them. If not that much difference replace the rotors.

If you buying your own parts might try www.rockauto.com. The prices are good but watch for shipping costs as they may drop ship from more then one location which adds up in shipping.

If buying your own rotors make sure they are for this Year/Model/engine type of car. The 4 cylinder had smaller diameter rotors then the V6.

I very much doubt if the car needs new calipers, this is not a typically part of a brake job.

The safety issue concerns with the rotors are being too thin to regrind (min thickness is 1.024 inch) or perhaps warpage (with symptoms described in the previous post).

 

Well the other guys pretty much touched on everything and the important things. Since I'm a mechanic myself it's hard to say if what Firestone is telliing you is true or false. As stated, they do have policies which sometimes is a grey area on repairs regarding safety. Just depends on the wear, and thickness of the rotors if they are able to turn them etc. Rockauto has very good prices on parts, and if you print it out, most local autoparts stores will match the price. I will say one thing that is actually good about Firestone though, their lifetime alignment. I have it on both my 05 Camry and 06 4 Runner and never have problems. Just make sure they give you the printout of the readings lol.

 

@mpz080808: Thanks for the price match tip. I will keep that in mind.

Thank you all..

 

many years ago i DID work at a firestone store. i was before that a mechanic that worked in "regular" garages. well firestone has a philosophy of doing a job completely to ensure safe operation of the entire system. the prices charged are high, yes, but let's not forget, they offer a lifetime warranty on what they do, so the price factor in replacement parts during the time you own the vehicle. as a former mechanic, i do see the need to do a 'complete" job, however, as a former mechanic, if something DOES NOT NEED replacing, then i never would. firestone mechanics on the other hand get paid on the flat rate hour pay scale. the more work they can recommend, the more the mechanic earns, as long as he/she can perform that work in LESS time than what the customer was quoted. if the mechanic takes more time, he loses. whether or not a firestone mechanic still gets paid a commission is a moot point, in fact, i never got paid commission.........

now comes something of interest. paying for the actual job............this is not always done (doing the full job). let's take the brake fluid flushing for example. look at ANY owners manual of ANY car maker, will you ever see such a procedure....??. no you won't. unless parts are replaced, its not done as "scheduled service", so firestone makes sure they charge for this, when we all know when you replace calipers or wheel cylinders, you bleed the brakes, which in turn you are flushing out the system.

i have seen a few times when a customer was charged for a brake flushing, BUT none of the bleeder screws would budge. in this case, the master cylinder was vacuumed out, the refilled...........instant $49.99 brake flush, and the firestone service manager signed off on it...........!!

seriously, do the entire job yourself, or go to a "regular" service garage, or the dealer. yes, dealers can be expensive, but they use factory parts and do warranty thier work.

i will add this to end, that i DO buy firestone tires, and always did except for one time i had a pick up truck, and liked the goodyear eagles, white letter tires. other than that, i am a firestone tire guy, and i like thier tire road hazard warranty. (was) $12 extra per tire, but then, all the free tire rotations and free flat repairs for as long as i owned the vehicles.

 

Thanks for the inside story Glenn.

I can understand breaking down repairs to charge for flushing, etc and since the car is on the lift anyway why not have the mechanic check for problems. Mechanics do find real safety issues this way.

Free tire rotation is a way to get car owners into the shop, I understand this also.

And it was not so much a matter of the total price as the shop had clearly done a poor brake job. I understand a shops need to earn money, but do expect them to do a decent job at repairs. Again this was not the case.

I had wanted to take this issue up with Firestone shop myself and at least get a refund on the brake flush (about $79). The reservoir showed no signs of new fluid. Alas the car owner insisted the issue be dropped and given it was not my car and money this is what I did.

I know do all the work on all the cars. I have the time now, most times I enjoy the work and in the process save a lot of money. And what can I say, I am also sure the work is done and correctly.