Hello all,
I am new here and this is my first post.
I drive a 2001 Honda Accord VP with about 130K miles. I have a long commute (100 miles/day) and I noticed a "hissing" noise from the car. It only comes up once in a while and when i step on brake, it goes away - i hear it quite a bit on the highways. Especially because of the long commute, I am very conscious of the noises coming out of the car. I took the day off today and took the car to my usual repair place. They were completely booked not only for today but for the next few days. So i took it to a new place (Midas) and asked them to check it out. First off, he said his technician doesn't hear any noise and then says the front brakes and rotors need to be replaced. "Rotors are too thin and they are below Honda's safety minimum". I said yes and he originally gave an estimate for $400 to replace them which sounded very very unbelievable. After showing him stuff on the internet he changed to $300ish ($120 for new rotors+$50 for the new brake pads+140 for labor for both - all of them from Wagner). I still think he is charging be at least $50 more on parts and another $50 on labor. What do you guys think? I am still here at Midas typing from my Verizon air-card. And you guys think the "thin rotors" could cause the noise?

Thanks a ton!
Raghu
703 401 3459

 

I'm probably too late, but it sounds a lot like wear tabs scraping the rotor. So, maybe the tech meant the pads are too thin...
Looking at your mileage, and long trips... highway, that you say in there, I just can't see how the rotors can be too thin...

 

Maybe the brake pads are too thin, and the shop just wants to ALSO install NEW rotors just to make it a complete brake job?

 

Or they just wanted to make some money out of a poor sucker who "thought" the noise could be with the brakes! At this point, I am sincerely hoping i won't hear any noises (I better not or I am complaining to Midas Corporate).
If it is complete brake job (installing new pads+new rotors) - is $300-350 worth it or did I get ripped off? I just don't have a good feeling about it.

Thanks for your response
Raghu

 

Why not just go to your Local AutoZone and buy your new pads and rotors and do it your self...there is nothing hard about changing your brakes and rotors...

WheelBrokerAng

 

whoaaa im definitely late..but the problem is your pads...and more or likely he had his words twisted...the pads are too thin therefore causing the wear indicator to scrape the rotors...im almost positive you have a floating caliper design so the problem could be your caliper not returning to original position until you apply the brakes or could be your pads are too thin and the caliper piston is compensating for the wear by moving out further...and since they are too thin the wear indicator is rubbing or shall i say eating away at the rotors...rotors arent neccesserily too thin but they are unsafe and below minimum specs....he wouldnt be able to turn them at all....now...300+ for a brake job?? absoulutely crazy...it shouldnt run you anymore than 175...id even shoot at 245....that everything included...rotors arent gonna cost you 120 unless you get the good grade....(theres 120)...pads arent going to be 50 unless you get the good kind(theres 170) and labor isnt going to be anywhere near 140 because the normal labor hour for a brake job like that is 1hr 30 min...their labor rates must be completely through the roof...id recommend you go to another place...labor should be somewhere in the ballpark of 40-70 (theres at the most 240)