I recently ordered a new set of pads and rotors for my car from tirerack. The total came out to 491 including shipping for a new set of ATE slotted rotors and pads (all 4 wheels).

I got various quotes but ended up going with a discount tire center in Hermosa beach, CA (only because it was close to work). They charged me $180 for the total including taxes and other shop fees.

Questions:

Did I pay too much for labor? They were done in less than 75 minutes and their hourly labor rate was only $75?!?!

It seems like the rear pads do not "cover" the inner perimeter of the rotor well. The front pads seem like the coverage areas is pretty "deep" for the pads -meaning more pad surface seems to touch the rotors. but the rear pads seems like they are leaving about 1/2 inch of the rotor untouched. (to explain this - think of the pads that sit deep into the rotor to cover more space vs. pads that sit a little farther away from the center of the rotor leaving a bit of space between the center where the pad surface starts)

Is that something that get adjusted depending on a mechanic who did the job or is a fixed position that can't be changed?

 

The pad is fixed in the caliper, there are no adjustments. As for the labor, probably about normal, they dont give breaks for partial hours. Why did you go slotted? The original brake system is quite good, and last forever. The tire rack by the way is great place to get parts.

 

Allow ample mileage for the pads to "break" in the rotor.

 

I went with the slotted hoping that it won't warp my rotors. This is actually my third rotor. First two were badly warped.

Another interesting thing: my rear pads always wear out first. We checked to see if something was wrong but nothing seemed to be out of order...

Anyways, I hope these rotors will stay flat for a long long time....

 

Brake rotor "warping" is almost always brake pad material that has been deposited to the rotor. This typically happens when the brakes get very hot and you remain on the brake pedal after the vehicle comes to a complete stop. Some of the pad material is deposited to the rotor and then it cools there making a pad shaped bump. This is difficult to avoid in an automatic, but you can mitigate this affect by putting it in neutral after the stop and letting your foot off the brake. Obviously this doesn't work on a hill, in which case it is best to come to a stop a bit early and allow the vehicle to creep forward so that the pad doesn't sit at the same spot on the rotor.

Also, the rear brakes are smaller than the fronts. So even though the fronts do 2/3 of the stopping power, it isn't that uncommon for rears to wear first.

One final note: Tirerack likely has a link to the recommended bed in procedures for your new pads and rotors. It varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. My last set of pads called for a series of 10 hard decelerations without stopping followed by 20 minutes of driving without touching the brakes. It was difficult to find a spot to do this, but after I did the brakes had a noticeable improvement in feel. I should also add that they were still in good shape after 90K miles when the head gasket blew in my car. Based on the pad thickness, the rears probably would have gone another 20-30K miles, while the fronts easily had another 40k+.

Good luck with the new rotors!

 

You got off easy. I literally just got home from getting my front and rear brake pads swapped out, my plugs swapped, and the lower ball joints replaced and my bill was $580 for labor.

I SUPPLIED ALL THE PARTS and it was still this high!

Shop rate was $90/hour which was a surprise. I thought it was $60/hour going into it. Lesson learned though. Never going to that shop again.

 

Posting un update after 1 year of driving on a combination of ATE Slotted Rotors and ATE Pads from Tirerack.

Everything is fine except that the I am beginning to notice just a faint amount of vibration again when I am braking hard. My rear rotors have developed etched lines on the surface of the rotor. Not very deep but I can feel them with my finger nails. As for the pads, I can visibly see the amount of pad material left on the front pads. However, I can't see the rears well.

How do you tell how much pad material is left without taking the wheels off. Any idea?

 

I know this post is from a year ago but I thought it was valuable enough information that it warranted being brought to the front again.
This is spot on!

 

I don't know how you get away with buying parts and having them installed? No in in my area will do that. Everyplace I go to makes money off parts as well as labor. I bought new ragtop for another car. I got scared and didnot do it. I called around and no one would guarantee workmanship if I suppied the top. Mechanics have to make the business X amount per hour so asking them to put in parts you already bought, they have to charge to make the difference up. I bought folg light for car and didnt know how to put it in. They charged me $60 for 1/2 hour work. 3 months later I bought the light from the same guy and he put it in for nothing.

 

just call Tirerack.com It has a list of many good shops willing to install parts you bought from Tirerack. That's what I did....

 

Thank you for the update. I'm also in the market for brakes. The best setup, for normal driving, from what I hear around here is Akenobo brakes with regular vented Brembo rotors ($49 + $66 from Tirerack.com) I'm going to try this setup, I already cut my OEM rotors once from warping. My pads and rotors are still good in the front, yet the car has a hard time stopping when need to do so aggresively (as compared to a Volvo XC90, that seems to just get nailed to the ground when the brakes are applied)

 

Let me ask you couple of questions ..

1. Are you experiencing brake fading?
2. In an emergency situation, when you hit the brakes, do the wheels lock up and then ABS releases them?

If the answer to 1 is yes, then getting a better aftermarket solution will help you.

If the answer to 2 is yes and you want better brakes, then change the tires and check the inflation level. If the answer is No, then have the brakes checked.

Reduce the weight carried by RX and the weight distribution.

Salim

 

Are the slotted bigger than the original rotors? Plus any pics?

 

I don't think they can be because your caliper will only accomodate a certain diameter rotor.