OK, I fess up. I guess I should not have taken my car to a franchised muffler dealer (a friend owns it) for brake pads. Plus I drive too aggressively. But whatever the reasons, within 10,000 more miles I'll need 4 rotors, pads and I might as well change the brake fluid.

What should this cost a dealer? And if I find a REPUTABLE independent, what is a reasonable cost (parts AND labor) using OEM Lexus parts?

 

About two weeks ago, an independent repair shop that specializes in Lexus charged me about $217, not including tax, for a front brake job on a 2000 LS400 using OEM parts $59 for pads and the rest for labor. They resurfaced the front rotors instead of replacing them.

They reused the front pad wear sensors but ended up replacing one of them a few days later at an additional $60 because the brake wear message occasionally displayed. The car has about 71,000 miles on it and this is its first front brake job.

My guess is that the rear pads will last until I need a second front brake job at around 140,000 miles. The lifespan of brake pads on my 2000 LS400 seems to be the same as the 1990 LS400 I drove for 14 years and 183,000 miles.

 

Here's the approximate costs of OE Lexus parts (assuming they charge full "list" price):

Front brake pads: $65
Front brake rotors: $134 x 2 = $268

Rear brake pads: $68
Rear brake rotors: $193 x 2 = $386

And if they change the brake pad sensors:

Front right sensor: $55
Rear right sensor: $78

So just the cost of parts alone will be ... are you ready to hear this... upwards of $900. Sorry, I'm not too familiar with estimated labor costs, but I'm sure someone else on CL might know. Hope this helps!