I retrieved my 1997 SC300 from the dealer, who wanted $2800 to replace the front pads, rotors and calipers. A local mechanic is offering to do the work for $1000 using Lexus OEM parts and rebuilding the calipers instead of replacing them with new ones. The dealer tells me that 14 year old calipers should not be rebuilt as the metal turns brittle. Is this a lot of bull?

If I switch to LS400 calipers will they be compatible with my stock 16" wheels?

 

You can do the LS400 conversion for far less than $1000, calipers, rotors, pads, hardware, maybe the $350 range. Diameter wise, they should clear. You'll need spacers to clear the calipers though, the exact thickness, I don't remember.

 

I have to pay the guy for his labor. How many hours involved in replacing the front rotors, calipers and pads? Then there is the time for the caliper rebuilds.
Of course, if I get the LS400 calipers I avoid that but have to pay for the calipers.

 

I did my ls400 bbk conversion my damn self for $375.... $1k is really steap to do some brakes dude. That's labor cost to do a motor swap...

 

People who pay dealers waste money. - FACT

 

Also It took about two hours to take off the old calipers, rotors, and pads and replace them with the new stuff. And bleeding the brakes as well.

 

Some people are just not mechanically inclined. So they have to do what they have to do dude....

 

you know it never ceases to amaze me at the guts of these dealers.

How can they look someone in the face and tell them its going to be $2800 for a brake and rotor job?

Makes me sick to be honest---they are basically ripping off and stealing from their customers over and over again and yet people still go back there, i dont get it.

To the op if you source out the parts yoruself and than source out a mechanic with reasonable rates your can get this job done for well under a grand.

good luck

 

Follow this short guide

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sc-...-188-00-a.html

 

To your original question, yes I think that's a lot of bull. Metal is metal, and the calipers are pretty think and don't ever really get that hot, so I don't think they get brittle. Case and point: mine are 18 years old with 235,000 miles on them and work perfectly. Besides, you're not going to HURT anything by rebuilding your old calipers, you're just gonna save some money. So why not do it? $2800 for the job is absolutely outrageous, $1000 is still way too high. I know that the cost of labor+parts for replacing the pads and rotors is about $300; the labor for replacing the calipers is negligible because it doesn't involve anymore work (except to bleed the brakes), but I don't know about the cost of the calipers; labor for rebuilding current calipers can't be that much, maybe $100? Hope this gives you a little more insight into what you should expect to pay!

 

Hey guys,

Thanks for all of your input. The dealer was going to charge me $650 per caliper, plus about $100 per rotor and $100 for the pads. That totals to about $1600. I guess the rest was for labor, which doesn't really make sense. The Service Advisor called me at 3 PM to say that the mechanic was just starting on my car but that he should have it done in time for me to pick it up before they close as 7 pm. Now that gives him a maximum of 4 hours to do the work, converts into $300 per hour! But their advertised hourly rate is $110 per hour.

Now that I think about it, they price repairs by the job, not by the time spent. Still, this is the most outrageous instance of gouging that I have ever experienced at a dealership. Even worse than when a Porsche dealership tried to charge me for two oil filters!

 

True, but each job has "x" number of hours to complete, and doing all 4 brakes w/bleeding the lines should only take 3-4 hours, if that. They either misquoted you or are seriously trying to screw you... kinda like when a 25 year old blonde girl goes into the shop for something and try to charge her waaaaay too much because they assume (usually correctly) that she doesn't know what the mechanic/dealer is talking about or what she's paying for.

P.S. - You can get brand new Supra calipers for @ $300 each... so screw that $650 noise!
http://www.titanmotorsports.com/tooembrcafor.html
http://www.titanmotorsports.com/tooembrcafor1.html

 

too bad you didnt live close, id change them all out for your for half that!

 

does this mean you actually paid the dealer to do this?

Please tell me im mistaken

 

Dude why are you even at a dealer in the first place?????


Brakes are easy I think I changed my first when I was 14...Buy them from autozone or advanced and learn to do it yourself. you will save urself thousands