Brake pad cost for a 2010 Honda Civic

[Guest Cambelin]

Front and Rear brake pad replacement.

With turning the rotors.

Called couple places and getting quotes of $350+ (with cheapest brand, GZ6RUBBER)

Is that the going rate nowadays

[CarlLaFong]

Not exactly the focus of this group, but that seems like a fair price to me. I feel that a lot of rotors are turned unnecessarily. In fact, I have only had one set turned in my life, because they were warped and I had a pulsating pedal. I have killed my share of rotors and drums by going metal to metal. I just toss them and get new replacements. They are usually cheap enough to make saving the old ones a waste of time

[JACK M]

What he said.

Rotors should be an over the counter part for that car.

Some shops like to replace the calipers (referred to as loaded calipers with pads)

If you are getting quotes from high end shops this may be the going rate for a good job.

I would think that it could be done for less than a hundred if you were to dive in yourself. They are not very complicated.

[RansomEli]

That's a good price, but you are getting cheap brake pads. Also, the big scam on turning rotors is that the shop will come back with, "Sorry, there's not enough metal to turn the rotor - you need new ones at $150 apiece."

 

I do my own brakes and have found Amazon.com Prime to have the best prices. I checked "2010 Civic" and you can get Wagner ThermoQuiet Ceramic brake pads (with installation hardware) for $27 front and $23 rear. A set of new brake rotors costs $70 (Dura International).  Total cost for ceramic pads and new rotors is $120. With Amazon Prime you get the parts in 2 days. 

 

I've install these brakes and rotors on 3 of my vehicles recently. They work great. Get a friend to install them for you - Even if you pay them $200 you'll come out way ahead.

 

Never buy the cheapest brand of brakes.

[Larry Schramm]

I agree on the brakes.  I always put the ceramic brakes on.  Last longer and no dust.

[JACK M]

Aren't the ceramic pads hard on the rotors?

[Guest Grumpy's Auto Shop]

Here's another topic where I could go on a great length.  And so, I shall!

 

First off, there is now an online resource for pricing various services for late vehicles, where one can 'comp' a price.  I use it as a Shop Management tool to ensure that my pricing is fair and competitive as well as to get a quick ballpark estimate for a customer.  Check out repairpal.com .

 

Next, it needs to be understood that not all parts are created equal. Nor are all vehicles, and to that point vehicle AGE may be of significance.  I'll explain the reasoning below.

 

Top-tier products do come at a premium price, however, it is not purely a matter of cost -- they offer greater value and generally have a longer service life.*  This of course assumes that the installation was done with best-practices, which include but are not limited to (I'm mentioning these as they are the most frequent mistakes I see): proper lubrication and wheel torque. (This second one being the leading cause of rotor warp. Remember this next time you're at the tire shop).

 

On that basis my first recommendation is to get the good stuff.  But this is where vehicle age and condition come into play.  Quite often a car comes to me that is so long in the tooth that this will probably be the last brake job it ever gets.  In such a case it would not make good sense to put drilled and slotted Brembos on a '92 Relaint K-car with 220k on the clock. The 'house brand' from the local parts store will likely out-last the rest of the car (or at least the Tranny...) What I'm saying is don't throw good money after bad.

 

On the subject of turning rotors, it pretty much isn't done anymore.  It's not cost-effective for either the Shop or the car owner. I know a few shops that still have the equipment and it sits in the corner gathering dust. R&R'ing rotors has the same price tag, new parts or old, and quite simply, in the long run the parts price for new is small enough to wipe out any perceived savings from having them turned. In addition to this, most manufacturers no longer endorse the practice.

 

A person OUGHT to get a minimum of 30k out a set of pads (see * below), and should manage to get two sets of pads across the rotors before the rotors are sufficiently grooved/pitted to require replacement.  As they say though, 'your mileage may vary'. Also, with 60% of the work being done by the Front brakes, by the time you need a 3rd set of pads on the front, you should probably do pads and rotors on both axles.

 

As for the question of ceramics I can say this:  They are quieter.  They are cleaner.  They are more efficient. On the other hand, they are more aggressive (to the rotor).  From where I sit though, the added cost here is less than the price of the wheel and/or the number of car washes needed to keep the wheel's finish from being destroyed.  For these reasons, they are preferred in my opinion. I should also say that my opinion is based on personal observation of numerous vehicles under my care for a number of years.  In other words, I 'take notes' so to speak, and compare results.

 

Last thing I want to say here is that brakes are both basic and absolutely essential to safety.  Within the industry it is entry-level and usually the first (and sometimes ONLY) cert a mechanic gets.  But there is an artistry to doing them correctly. With so much literally riding on them it is hard to argue in favor of going the budget route. 

 

 

 

*This statement has a caveat: The largest factor to the life of braking components is a person's driving habits, which is something completely out of a mechanic/technician's control. Owing to this immutable fact the subject of service life can only be discussed in abstract, rather than absolutes.

[JACK M]

12 minutes ago, Grumpy's Auto Shop said:

 

 

 

 

*This statement has a caveat: The largest factor to the life of braking components is a person's driving habits, which is something completely out of a mechanic/technician's control. Owing to this immutable fact the subject of service life can only be discussed in abstract, rather than absolutes.

 

 I have daughters and they seem to like Japanese cars.

I have tried and tried to explain how aggressive driving is on the brakes. However much I hate to say it, but it must be a young female thing to race up to the stop lights every time.

I am forever replacing brake pads on their cars and they think they have cars that are at fault using up the pads.

But I gotta love em.

[Guest Grumpy's Auto Shop]

6 minutes ago, JACK M said:

 

 I have daughters and they seem to like Japanese cars.

I have tried and tried to explain how aggressive driving is on the brakes. However much I hate to say it, but it must be a young female thing to race up to the stop lights every time.

I am forever replacing brake pads on their cars and they think they have cars that are at fault using up the pads.

But I gotta love em.

 

It's generational. (or DEgenerational, depending on one's viewpoint)

My parents were from the Greatest Generation and I was born into the US Generation and overlapped into the WE Generation.  This was superceded by the ME Generation, which succumbed to the ME FIRST Generation.

Remember when you needed another Quarter if you wanted to play again?

[Fleek]

I had the same problem with a high school age daughter that was hard on brakes. Found a solution. She told me her old mazda was in need of another set of pads. I sent her to the parts store with a list of what she would need, and when she returned, I sat in my lawn chair and walked her thru changing the brakes herself. She got it done and for some reason those brakes lasted a loooooong time!

[plymouthcranbrook]

7 hours ago, JACK M said:

Aren't the ceramic pads hard on the rotors?

I used one set of ceramics on my 2001 Astro several years ago. The pad were warrantied for life, I now know why. The rotors were toast in 15,000 miles. Pads looked new. Now I buy the cheapest pads I can find. Much cheaper than rotors and all I have bought always stop the car well, no matter which car it is or where I bought the pads.

[Vila]

First, is the repair shop a Honda dealership?

 

I think this still works. Did you check on the cost of buying the parts online. Double that amount to get a rough WAG on the total cost for parts and labor to have it done by a shop.

 

I am not a fan of turning rotors and many modern car rotors will be ruined by turning them.   If the car does not shimmy when the brakes are applies and the rotors are not worn down to the minimum thickness, I don't replace the rotors, only the pads.  If I get a shimmy when the brakes are applied or they are near the min tolerance, I replace the rotors.

 

Not a fan of ceramic pads for the same reason others have stated.

 

Back around 2005 my wife bought a 2003 Mini Cooper that was owned by dealership owners 25 year old son.  The car had 36,000+ on the Odometer and needed brake pads and the dealer agreed to put new pads on the car prior to delivery.  The Mini factory shop manual specifically stated NOT to turn the brake rotors but the dealership did as part of the brake job.  The dealership did not sell this brand car and didn't know the rotors were not supposed to be turned.  Less than 1,500 miles later I had to replace 4 severly warped rotors.  When we test drove the car prior to the sale, there were no brake issues other then needing new pads.

 

When I buy a car, I alway buy the factory shop manual for future repairs, since I normally drive my cars 300,000+ miles and do all the maintenance myself.

 

 

[caddyshack]

I have replaced many pads, rotors, drum style, you name it over the past 50 or so years. The last few times I went to Midas (no affiliation or endorsement) and they did excellent work with a lifetime replacement of pads if needed. A few years ago they solved a serious problem on my Tahoe by installing vented racing style pads (which I supplied and they installed). I got tired of trying to replace brake items and did not mind spending a little extra to get quality work and guarantees also. The quote you received seems fair, but get quotes that also offer guarantees. Good luck.

[60FlatTop]

The originals lasted 6 years. A dollar a week doesn't sound too bad if OEM will do it a second time.

 

I just called a Delco dealer this morning to ask about a replacement battery for my '05 Silverado. I had to reset my clock twice in the last week after starting it in the morning and 12 years is a pretty good lifespan. They have the duplicate for just under $100. I'll pick it up on Monday.

I bought GM pads and rotors for the two brake jobs I have done during its 155,000 miles. I had heard a lot of groaning about poor brakes on those trucks. That came from the guys whom bought cheaper Chinese and Koream parts. I spend $20,000 and change for the truck. What's a few hundred bucks for parts ever half decade?

 

I do the work myself or have my Studebaker driving mechanic friend do it. I understand the cost of running a dealership and it has to come from somewhere. Minimum wage for the lot jocky, mandated health insurance, and the silent partner Uncle Tax don't stop. I don't mind having to pay when the service is good. Mostly I stay away to avoid the nuisance of the service bump. Service managers are paid a base pay and then a bonus based on the original work request plus the actual work sold after the bump. If they don't make the quota of added work they get replaced. I know two former service managers whom quit the franchises over that.

 

Don't forget, there have always been price shoppers. When I was lots younger I remember old timers telling me to ask for cheap parts and all I did was end up unhappy. I remember those old guys really well. The more experience I got the less respect I had for them. Oh, a few years ago the genuine Chevy front pads were $150 at the dealer in town. And rotors were $150 each as well. I paid half at another dealership where I had bought a couple of new vehicles. There could be a message in that.

Bernie

[Guest Grumpy's Auto Shop]

Bernie reminds me:

There is a line between 'bring-back' and 'repeat customer'.