Stealers..they Are Trying To Take My Money

[giddyuppony]

Ok so I took my pathfinder to the dealers(aka stealers) for a check up.

So my question is the stealers told me that i have 2mm left on my rotors. They gave me 2 options, one i can have them replace the rotors and re pack the bearing for $600.00 or they can machine the rotors while on the car and not repack the bearings for $300.00.

So I have a few questions

 

1: I was under the impression it was the break pads wore out not the rotors themselves?

2:Are the dealers full of @!*% ?

3: ( not really a question, but i would like to know all the same) After reading the repacking bearings link and brake replacement threads i just wanted to know if someone else had tried this/ done this and if they wouldn’t mind telling me a little bit more about some of the challenges.

 

Thanks,

[nunya]

Rotors ARE a wearable item (they are the other half of the friction area with brakes after all). I don't know prices on r50 stuff period... but $600 sounds a little high. Resurface will give a fresh smooth stopping surface but at the same time make them thinner and a little more prone to heat warping in theory. I'd call some local shops and get some other quotes if you want to shop around. And it's "stealership"

[ahardb0dy]

rotors wear as well as the pads but not as fast, I would just replace the rotors myself or if you don't know how try to find someone local to you that can help or do it for you, $600 at the dealer, even with re-packing the bearings is ridiculous!! The rotors cost about $50 each at the auto parts.

 

the other thing you wrote that caught my attention was they said the rotors have about 2mm left, which to me makes them sound like they are due for replacement but than you say one of their options was to cut them, if the rotors are that thin what are they going to cut??

[5523Pathfinder]

Im thinking you got something mixed up. As a dealer tech, they probably meant you have 2mm left of your brake pads. The rotor thickness, is much more than that. If you want to keep them honest, ask them to take you out to your vehicle and show you what it needs. Ask them to keep the old parts so you can inspect them yourself.

 

As far as the price, well, there are some things to consider. Yes, cheap brake pads and rotors can be purchaced, if you ask them for it. You are going to a Nissan Dealer and maybe you want Nissan parts. The price of factory parts are of course, higher. Some good/great aftermarket parts are just as much.

 

Next you have to consider who is working on your vehicle. You are at a dealer and hopefully the tech working on your rig has years of Nissan experience. You pay for that. You can go cheaper and have some yahoo who doesnt know your rig that well, and well, thats a crap shoot. He may or may not get it right. Personally, I have fixed stuff I have found for people for free while I was working on thier vehicle(I did this today for a customer). Having the work done anywhere, should offer a warranty. Nissan dealers have a 12month, 12,000 mile warranty on parts AND labor if something should go wrong.

 

Doing some of this yourself is always rewarding. Replaced brake pads and rotors is pretty straigt forward. Repacking the bearings is not tough at all. You just need the right tools. Thats were your frustration will set in, if you dont have the right tool. I do beleive there is a writeup somewehre about how to repack your bearings.

 

Just something to think about....

 

 

Hey, I dont ask the hobo on the corner begging for change, if he wants to give me a physical.

Edited May 13, 2010 by 5523Pathfinder

[Dowser]

Also, some of the cost of the New Rotor Job will not only be in the price of the rotors but in new brake pads as well because when you purchase new rotors any dealership will tell you you should be replacing your pads as well. otherwise you run the risk of making groves in the new rotors that are the same as the old pads. The concept also being being less surface area for friction and also prematurely wearing out your NEW rotors.

 

So the quote is most likely for new rotors, pads, cleaning out and repacking your bearings, bleeding your brakes and whatever flat rate time all those things add up to. Not sure what the shop rate is per hour but I'm guessing that can all be done in under an hour so long as nothing goes wrong and parts are right there waiting. And the actual time is not to be confused with the flat rate time as the flat rate time on easy jobs is usually longer then actual time.

 

Everything in a dealership is done in 6 minute increments. 0.1 = 6 minutes. so a half hour job you get charged for 0.5. So the dealership will have a set time for each job. example, replace rotors = 0.5, replace brakes = 0.5, tire rotation = 0.4, timing belt = 6.3, etc. add them all together and you get your shop charge whether or not it took the mechanic that long or not.

[5523Pathfinder]

Flat rate times are not just for dealers though. Hopefully, your repair facility uses a time book system, like Alldata or Mitchell. These times should be the normal. When I worked at Nissan(now Infiniti), brake job times were as follows...

 

Brake pad replacement w/rotor resurface only - 2.0hrs

 

Brake pad replacement w/rotor resurface + Bearing repack - 3.5

 

Brake pad replacement w/rotor replacement + Bearing repack - 3.0

 

(These would be times based on our rigs or any Nissan 4x4 with similar parts.)

 

How fast did I do each? Just pads and resurface, just about 1 hour. With bearing repack, somewhere around 2 hours.

[5523Pathfinder]

Also, some of the cost of the New Rotor Job will not only be in the price of the rotors but in new brake pads as well because when you purchase new rotors any dealership will tell you you should be replacing your pads as well. otherwise you run the risk of making groves in the new rotors that are the same as the old pads. The concept also being being less surface area for friction and also prematurely wearing out your NEW rotors.

Not replacing the pads with new rotors will also cause noise. Think of it like a leaf rake on a glass window. You want good contact area, with a non directional cut on the rotors. This creates friction, and better brake operation. They will eventually wear into each other and work at a optimal rate. But all things wear eventually.