holy smokes...I just found this site..great info, but I looked a little late..I had to bring in my ip coupe for brakes (non-brembo), I know the dealer is crazy expensive but this is bonkers.. I needed all 4 rotors cut with pads...here is the breakdown:

cut rotors 4 = $390 labor!!!!!!
pads = $150

oh and they called me and said the belts were bad...

belts = $50
labor = $105!!!!

total $730!!!!!! holy s#$#!!!!

I am never ever taking my car to the STEALERship (learned that here) again!!!

 

Yeah they are a major rip-off. They have that nickname for a reason.

 

They thrive off lack of knowledge.

You learned the hard way, but im sure you'll have a different perspective as of now.

$730 is a ton of money!

.

 

Wow!

 

Sheit, that a total rip off. Do you have a parts store around you called O'Reillys. If you buy pad from them, they turn your rotors for free!!!

 

I do have a mechanic friend that I usually go to, but he usually works on my camaro and didn't want to bother him with my car and I knew he didn't stock foreign pads so I figured go to the dealer and just get a loaner....$@#$ me...right off the bat the guy told me if all 4 need to be done it would be 520 dollars...I should have said something then, but I didn't...I'm not rich or anything, but I knew I needed to get all 4 done and if anything went wrong I can blame them...I asked him if that was new rotors he said no just cut, new rotors go for $180 a piece!!!! I would have said no if he said I needed rotors later...but this is a great site with lots of info...I didn't know there was actually a site dedicated to our car....I hope to learn lots more here...(I am used to working on small block chevys).....but love my G, it caught my eye as soon as I seen one...like a nice woman....thanks for a cool site.

 

Pepboys charges $6 each to turn rotors is you take them in.

 

That's a total rip-off....Brakes on the G are pretty easy to change, so your mechanic buddy should really have no problems doing them. For $500 installed, I was able to replace all of my pads and rotors with new ones....

 

Unfortunately at the dealer you get 8-10 people involved with the total service of your vehicle.............. 2 in parts, billing/cashier, service writer, greeter, service manager, tech, janitor, porter. Not to mention the 2-3 who might look at/audit paper work.

 

Yep! That sounds about right for a dealership. I learned the hard way as well. I'm not going to take my car to a dealership again for non-warranty related matter.

 

thats no reason to inflate prices to the extent that dealers do.
-GP-

 

Didn't you get a price quote before authorizing the repairs?

What is the book time for a four wheel brake job and the serpentine belt?

What is the labor rate of the garage?

A serpentine belt for $50 and brake pad set for $75 each sounds about right, especially for O.E. high quality parts.

I am guessing the labor rate to be about $70 an hour, with the figures you've posted.

Was the brake hydraulic system bled? Were the calipers serviced?

Maybe we can help you out here.

Steve
CEO of Hi-Tech Oil Co.

 

Dealer labor runs $90-$130 per hour across US.

Independendents run $75-$85 in metro areas.

At a dealership you have to pay for the tech + a portion of 8-10 others in the financial chain.

 

At a dealership or an independent auto center, there are many people who are paid. I have been in the auto repair and maintenance business for over 20 years and am very familiair with labor rates, etc. The prices quoted, depending on the actual services performed, may not be out of line at all. But it depends on the actual services rendered, or not. Trying to help this individual either get a portion of their money refunded, or conversely to understand their bill better, so they don't feel ripped off.


Steve
CEO of Hi-Tech Oil Co.

 

You need to find an independant shop you can trust and a friend who will do you favors like help you/show you how to do brake jobs.

The brake pads take maybe an hour per axle...much less time once you get used to it. The brake pads on the G are pretty easy, though the lower bolt on the rear whell calipers is kinda a beetch to get to. Factor in time gettting the rotors turned.

If you don't feel like tackling the belts, there are shops that will allow you to bring in your own parts and charge you for labor only. So if you got your own pads, labor + resurfacing the rotors would probably be like $100 or so. BTW, try ceramics. Kinda hard on the rotors and they don't stop as well as non ceramics when you first start the car, but they last a lot longer than regular pads. I've been using Satified ceramic pads, but they squeak a lot and I've found that their quality varies even amoung the same product. So I just put Hawk Performance pads on and there is no squeeking at all and they seem to be a vast improvement over the Satisfied pads.

The belts cost me $115 to be replaced via a independant shop.

Dealerships are sometimes reasonable on things, but usually one heck of a rip off.