Okay, i went and had my brakes checked at the local brake shop, they said my front pads need to be changed and i need my rotors re-machined. He said if i swap the pads myself that they will squeek and i should let them do it so they can re-machine the rotors. Is it completely nessicary to get the rotors re-machined or can i just swap pads myself. Also they charge $140 to remachine and put new pads on the front. I can get new slotted rotors for less than that so if the re-machining is so important should i just get new slotted rotors and do it all myself? Thanks for your time i look forward to your replies.

1st things 1st...

When you do new pads.. You ALWAYS want to get your rotors resurfaced. What that does is.. introduce two new surfaces together. Hence better contact. Also it will keep the pads from wearing down a hell of a lot faster. Now if you didn't have the rotors resurfaced with new pads installed you will end up with grooves and lines in your pads. This intends to make the pads start cracking and breaking apart and basically breaking down a lot.. lot faster.

$140 seems like a lot of money for something you can do yourself if you have a jack and a set of sockets. Honestly I have done mine in the past a few times and it took me about 30 mins.

And if you can get the rotor cheaper then I would go for that. Just take a look at the surface on what you have now.. If they don't look almost like a mirror, and you can see alot of thick lines and grooves. Its time for a change. You should also run a finger nail accross them and see if you feel anything. But you are always better off to just get new ones if you have to.

what does it cost to just have the rotors resurfaced?

usually rotor resurfacing is like $10-20 per rotor, but the runout on the surface needs to be within spec, otherwise they cannot be turned.

I say do it yourself, get a decent set of brake pads, and inspect the pads before you buy them if you're buying them locally. I kicked myself in the ass by buying a shitty pair of Napa rear brake pads for my car, only to find they were chipped and partially damaged when I got home.

Doing brakes is easier than changing oil (in my opinion). If you can change the oil yourself, you can do the brakes yourself :)

Rather than getting them resurfaced, I rather get new rotors, not necessarily cross drilled just something OEM like Brembo blanks. I can't tell you for sure what are the best type of OEM style rotors but I know resurfacing rotors that are already too thin makes them more fragile, plus new blank rotors are reasonably affordable, well worth it for the peace of mind!

I never get mine resurfaced, I find it easier to buy new rotors when I buy the pads.

I bought new rotors for the ad22vf/bobcat conversion, $17 apiece. You can usually find them for $25 or so. The shop I use for tire things charges $10 to turn 'em. Lotsa profit in $140 unless they're using WAY good pads. Once you get the wheel off and unbolt the caliper (DO NOT need to undo the brake line!!!), the rotor just pulls off; it's held there by the wheel and stud nuts. Pads require a teeny bit of dexterity because you have to fiddle with the anti-squeal springs, but once you've done it you'll kick yourself from there back to my place for ever paying somebody else to do it. If you really haven't ever fiddled with cars much, might try to find somebody who does and have them watch over you the first time. You wanna pay my airfare out there be happy to help; need an exuse to come back home :-)
Jer

$140 for a shop to do the work is a fair price. That said however, it IS an easy DIY job, and I would definitely get new rotors since they're so inexpensive.

C

I never get mine resurfaced, I find it easier to buy new rotors when I buy the pads.

:iagree:

Nopi has the OEM Brembo blanks for $27 a corner.

OEM Nissan pads or NAPA pads would be fine for DD duty as well.

I actually need to do my front brakes right now. :)

I'm about 50/50 on buying new or resurfacing. Resurfacing is a little cheaper for the penny pincher (I think last time PepBoys charged me something like $16 for both front rotors). This requires the use of a second vehicle (to drop off the rotors), and extra time to get them machined.

Last time I did them I just bought new rotors because I didn't have the time to mess with it. I saved my old rotors to have them machined in advance this time around. The only problem is that I moved since then, and I have NO IDEA where they are. :(

Let's put this into perspective Swiss. You're going to save a few bucks by getting them turned, but you need to make 2 trips to the parts store to do it. Hmmmmm.
Seems like an easy answer to me.

C

Let's put this into perspective Swiss. You're going to save a few bucks by getting them turned, but you need to make 2 trips to the parts store to do it. Hmmmmm.
Seems like an easy answer to me.

C

Exaclty! How much is your time worth?;)

Let's put this into perspective Swiss. You're going to save a few bucks by getting them turned, but you need to make 2 trips to the parts store to do it. Hmmmmm.
Seems like an easy answer to me.

C

Oh, I agree! Depending on the circumstances, it's often not worth the hassle at all. That is why I hung on to the old rotors, though. :) If I keep a set handy, I can drop them off on my lunch hour at work, and pick them up on the way home.

Penny pinching is important when you BLEED dollars like I do. :rofl:

it cost me 20 dollers for the good pads all around and the rotors were 35 for the front and 25 for the back and i didnt even have to change the back rotors but i did n e ways. so 80 bucks for all around DIY break job. if you are just doing the front then 50. 35 dollers for rotors and 15 bucks for the break pads. not bad really. I got all my stuff from advance

Chris is right, $140 is likely fair; maybe even cheap: $40 for turning, maybe $40 for pads, and $60 for the hour labor. Cheap, actually - $80 more common these days 'round here. I'd raise the ante on bigB's comment - you're welcome to do the Advance or some other 3rd party pads, you're not putting your life at risk, but you might want to see what Greg (G Spec Performance) can get Nissan factory pads for. They ARE about $120 over the counter, which is $$.

yeah you will be fine with advance pads.. i got the good ceramic pads that give out low dust. I have a chrome lip on my wheels and it gets annoying when you have to clean your wheels everynight cause of the cheap pads. So i just got the better ones and let me tell you it works WONDERS !

I'm with Revhappy. You can get decent new rotors from Napa pretty cheap, turning old ones just isn't worth it. I don't go cheap on pads, but that's just me, I love the Bobcat pads. OEM pads from the dealership are the cheapest pads I would put on my car. If you don't race at all or do much spirited driving I suppose you could get the cheapo pads from a parts store and be okay. Regardless, bed the pads after you put them on and clean the rotors really good before you put them on.

I am a pretty spirited driver, and ive been using econo pads lol. Thats probly why i have a very annoying squeel coming from the front wheels. I think im going to get new rotors and some better pads this time. Thanks for the advice everyone, it was all taken to heart.

Anyone know where to get cheap brake rotors?? cant find any under $30each.

$30 seems a tad high -- well DAMN - I just looked at the Advance website and lo, they want $37+ for the NX rotors (I assume you're going to do the AD22VF conversion while you're at this). Hm. BUT - I think Brian (BigB) already mentioned a source for the Brembo blanks above. You could do worse. ORDER them from NOPI online and bite the bullet for shipping.