I have 2006 G35 Coupe (116k miles) and the car was overheating. I couldn't get in contact with my mechanic so i had to bite the bullet and take it to infiniti. They told me that I had to replace the cooling fan. That bill was 900 dollars :-( .

They call me and tell me that the fans were replaced and that they took it out for a ride and the car did not overheat. BUT...... While on said test ride, they noticed shaking and pulled over to the sid and noticed that the passenger side caliper was locked and caused damage to the pad rotor and caliper. Now to replace brake caliper rotor and pads is 535 dollars. They also recommended to do the other side also being that they should be replaced in pairs. I do not want them to do the work and would like to do it cheaper, possibly myself.

I am very technical and somewhat handy but i have never taken on something from an automotive perspective as in depth as this.

Has anyone done this work?
Breaker bar needed?
What kind of jack will i need?
Do i need just pads, rotors and caliper? Autozone ok for parts?
Do i need to flush brake fluid?
Recommended brands?

Thanking Everyone In Advance.

Drod

 

When you stepped on your brakes you didnt notice any shaking/grinding/rumbling? U should replace your rotors and pads immediately before driving. You may not need calipers but I would check with a mechanic. Theres youtube videos for your answers. If you never done your brakes before I recommend doing it with someone who has since it is VERY crucial.

 

I would pick your car up and haul *** outta there. I just posted on a thread on how I got screwed for the same repair(fans). Told them to keep old parts and I installed my old fan and ran it fine for 2 years. They replaced an effing fuse. This was when I didn't know much about my car. All fuses blow for a reason but mine was because I drove through a puddle and soaked the fan connectors, causing a short.
As for the caliper being stuck/seized, it's a pretty straight forward repair. That was actually one of my first repairs on my car that I did. If it's seized, the brake pad will drag and heat the rotor which will then transfer through your wheel. Feel your wheels and check that they are the same. Even better, get an infrared gun and check the temp of the rotors. My rotor was almost 600 degrees! You'll lose lots of brake fluid when you take off your caliper so you'll need to bleed all the brakes. Bleed air in the following order. Right rear brake → Left front brake → Left rear brake → Right front brake. I know some people will say different order but that's what the factory manual says. If you're not comfortable doing the brake job, bring it to your mechanic. The dealer won't do anything different but charge double what your mechanic probably would

 

I don't know if it's just me wondering this but if that's all oem parts that they one wanna replace for that one side that seems pretty cheap for a dealer lol but yes always good idea to be replacing in pairs

 

The price seems right with about an hour and a half of labor. But I personally wouldn't put that money into a 11yr old car for oem parts. Some parts it makes sense to go oem such as sensors. The brakes are important, but you can easily get quality parts with a quality brake job done for half the price. Lets not forget he's already 900$ deep in this service already.

 

Thanks Fresh. Yea i will pay for the fans since they already did the work, but Yes car will be on the tow truck to my mechanic.

he is going to replace rotors, caliper and pads for $120 total(All i have to do is get the parts)

Calipers-->Durlast Bracketed Part # 19-B2871A
Rotor-->Duralast Gold Part # 31375DG
Pad-->Duralast Gold Part # DG888

Parts total cost roughly 400 bucks

 

That price of $535 from the dealer was just for the one side, correct? Then another $535 for the other side?

 

I know you probably don't have the time to wait for shipping, but check out the deal on rockauto. 180$ with a $60 core charge
http://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo....432547&jsn=345

 

Yes total like 1200 with tax

 

Prior to bringing my car into the dealer, i did not experience any shaking/grinding or rumbling. They said that I needed Calipers but i agree with you, they may just recommend that based on the symptom and the fact that the problem occurred when they were test driving the car.

 

I have time as this is not my only car.

I have never used this company. Do i send the used caliper back to them and they send back the core charge?

I am looking at this:
http://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/i...+pad+kit,14204

Have you used this site before? Whats your experience with them?

 

You go in for one thing and they try to rebuild your car lol. The first time I brought my car in I swear they gave me a book of things that should be replaced. They don't even check half the things, just go based on the miles on the car

 

I have used this site multiple times, as well as other members on here. I just did my friends car a week ago because his rear caliper was seized. Helped him save over $500 and in return he showed up with a 12 pack.They are a very popular site and have the best prices I've seen. The only part you need to send back are your calipers. They will rebuild your caliper and sell it again. Unless you buy NEW, all calipers you buy will be rebuilt.

 

Infiniti dealerships and the prices they charge, is it any wonder we've referred to them as the "Stealership" since 2004? Nissan charges 30% less than Infiniti and I honestly believe their mechanics are better trained!
Gary

 

Wow, they really screwed you. You could have done the fan yourself for 100 bucks just by purchasing a new fan.

Did they tell you what part of the caliper is locked up? Is it the guide pins, piston, etc...?

If it's the guide pins you can loosen them up or you might need a torch like MAPP/Propane to get them loose. Clean off the pins, use a small file to clean out the guide pin bore, guide pins themselves, and then put silicone paste back on the pins.

If it's the piston that's seized up then you need a rebuilt caliper and I get them from RockAuto. They are super cheap, but screw you a little on shipping prices. They also offer 5% discounts all the time, so you can recoup some of the money. You take the old one off and then send them back the part in the box that was sent to you.

Swapping a caliper is pretty easy:

Take of the wheel.

Pinch of brake hose with some vice grips covered with rubber hose or something non marring.
Unscrew the caliper hose. It's a banjo fitting with two copper washers usually. The new caliper will come with these (at least should)
Put new caliper on making sure bleeder screw is facing up.
Open bleeder valve (there is a special wrench to help from stripping it, but you can use a normal one if you are careful) and let it gravity bleed. You need to do a semi-bleed just to get air out of the caliper itself shouldn't take more than a few minutes.


Take the rotor off you need a breaker bar or impact to get the caliper bracket off, so you can get the rotor off.
Install new caliper bracket and brake hardware. Put a little bit of anti-seize where the brake pad sits.
Put anti-seize on the wheel hub, so the rotor doesn't rust to it.
Put anti-size on the rotor hat, so the wheel doesn't rust to it.

All done.

Takes about an hour maybe a little longer if it's your first time. I'm sure I left some minor steps out, but it's not too difficult of a job.

You don't need to replace both of them either. If anything you *might* want to replace both the front pads/rotors, so they are wearing down at the same time.