86 caliper replacement
Thread Starter
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Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 86
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From: Gonzales La
86 caliper replacement
What should it cost to replace the front calipers, rotors, pads, and hoses on my 86 Convertible? I brought it to a shop because it was making a noise on one side and pulling a little to the other side. They want to replace the rotors, calipers, pads, and hoses on the front for over $700.00. They said that the calipers were sticking, and not releasing. The pads and rotors looked good to me, and I couldn't tell about the calipers. What would a fair price be, and does all of it need to be changed?
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 3,110
Likes: 6
From: Red Sox Nation! RI
That's high, but not an unexpected estimate coming from a mechanic. I doubt you actually *need* all those parts, but I'm not looking at the car either. More often than not, a sticky caliper is just a piston that's binding in the caliper bore.
Keep in mind, the mechanic is going to charge you list price for the parts, plus close to $100/hr labor ($90/hr is about avg in my area). I'd assume he's going to use average OTC parts and nothing that's performance grade. This is pretty easy DIY stuff if you decide to do it yourself.
Depending on brands, this is how I'd roughly estimate the parts cost if you bought them.
pads - $50-75 for a good set
rotors - $25-75 each depending on quality/brand
calipers - $75 each for rebuilts.
hoses - $20 each
Realistically, the labor can't be over 3 hours tops.
Keep in mind, the mechanic is going to charge you list price for the parts, plus close to $100/hr labor ($90/hr is about avg in my area). I'd assume he's going to use average OTC parts and nothing that's performance grade. This is pretty easy DIY stuff if you decide to do it yourself.
Depending on brands, this is how I'd roughly estimate the parts cost if you bought them.
pads - $50-75 for a good set
rotors - $25-75 each depending on quality/brand
calipers - $75 each for rebuilts.
hoses - $20 each
Realistically, the labor can't be over 3 hours tops.
Thread Starter
Advanced
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 86
Likes: 0
From: Gonzales La
Thanks for the response. I question whether I actually need all of this also. The pads looked very good, the rotors looked good, with very slight wear on them. THe said that only 1 caliper was sticking, but they changed them in sets.
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 117
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From: San Luis Obispo California
Keep in mind flat rates make their money by completing "long" jobs in a short amount of time. For example, a mechanic might work 8 hours a day, but do 12 or more hours worth of labor.
There's a guy in SLO at a Cadillac dealership who works flat rate and supposedly makes over $100K a year.
There's a guy in SLO at a Cadillac dealership who works flat rate and supposedly makes over $100K a year.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 9,884
Likes: 3
From: Magnolia Mississippi
St. Jude '03-'04-'05-'06-'07
That is if your running 17" rims already..
but if not, you can do the job yourself with all new replacements for $250-300...
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Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,858
Likes: 7
From: Santa Maria CA
I would not be changing the rotors, as they have nothing to do with it and look fine. In fact, I would not have taken my car there in the first place. But I understand not all vette owners can do their own wrenching. Would simply a lack of lube at the caliper guide pins cause binding?