Master Shake

OK, so everything I have read so far makes me think that getting OEM Brembo's serviced at the dealer will cost $$$$ (like around $1,000+)! So would a dealer quote of $250 to change the front pads and turn the rotors be something to worry about? I know the do-it-yourselvers can do it for this price or less, but is this price too low for a dealer?

I am not at the point of changing them myself, and would rather learn later on someone else's car than on my own car!

davidv

iTrader: (2)

Ask for a shop recommendation in the regional form. What do you achieve by saving $50 and the shop beats the hell out of your wheels and gold callipers?

The probability that the dealer will tell you that you need new rotors is 90 percent.

Are you content with the dust from the OEM pads?

Master Shake

Yeah, $50 wouldn't make a difference -- it would be better to get it done right. Do you think a Nissan dealer wouldn't know how to do OEM Brembo's correctly? My main questions is are there Nissan dealers that do Brembo's (new pads + turn rotors) for less than $300 for the fronts? Two other dealers quoted me in the $1,000 range earlier. Buying new rotors will cost $$$ too, I'm sure.

As far as the dust goes, I have the standard 6-spoke factory rims (2005), so cleaning them isn't bad at all. It's less dust than other cars that I've had in the past. Also, I very seldom drive hard, so I don't need top of the line performance -- regarding the breaks. The OEM Brembo's have been great so far!

Master Shake

Just for confirmation sake, I should be able to change out the rotors with something else (non-Brembo's, like EBC's?) and still use the OEM Brembo calipers & pads, right? (Yes, I'm a total newbie right now!) I know Brembo rotors go for $450 & up for the front pair, plus whatever dealer markup there will be.

From what I can tell, I have 12.8" diameters in the front, since it's a GT.

boosted99gst

iTrader: (1)

Yes without question you can swap out your rotors to a different brand. This is why when you shop around for brake products you will see the option for brembo equipped Z's, and non brembo.

My advice to you would be do one of the two following things:

1. Do it yourself! I guess to someone who hasn't done them before brakes can be somewhat intimidating. I know I know, you're probably thinking "If I mess up, and my car doesn't stop I'm dead." In all honesty, it's pretty hard to mess up a brake pad/rotor install. I haven't owned my Z long enough to swap the pads on it yet, but I'm 100% positive that the procedure is the same as it is on any other car in the world. Do a quick search, I'm sure there's a walkthrough on the web somewhere (better yet buy a manual..if you become a Do-It-Yourselfer it'll save you huge money in the future on other maintaince/ repairs). If you decide to do this on your own but have some questions..feel free to shoot me a PM.

------------------------------OR--------------------------------------

2. I can make an educated guess on your price quotes. The two for over $1000 are probably including new pads, and NEW rotors, as opposed to resurfacing your current ones. The $300 quote is probably including new pads with resurfaced rotors. Here's why I say that: A competent dealer technician should be able to swap your pads at all four corners in about an hour or less. I have no idea what they charge for resurfacing the rotors, but that same dealer tech should be able to remove and reinstall your rotors in less than an hour. So let's say that dealer labor rate is $80/hr. That's 2 hours(on the high side) of labor, bringing you to $160. That leaves you about $140 leftover from your original quote which should be covering the new pads/ resurfacing charges. $300 sounds about right to me. If it were me, and I had to pay someone to do the labor, I'd probably buy my own pads to avoid dealer mark-up, and get a little more bite over the OEM pads. You can do a search on what's best and get mixed reviews on everything on the market. I personally am a Porterfield RS4 fan, with Hawk HP+ coming in at a close second. Both are street friendly as they offer bite at lower temps, as well as low-dust and noise.

Good luck with whichever route you may take, any further assistance needed? Feel free to ask

Master Shake

Thanks for the great reply, boosted!

You are probably right about the differences in price being related to the rotors. It seems most dealers want to sell you new rotors, regardless if you really need them or not. I am going to try the dealer with the $250 quote, but if he tries to push new rotors (on a car with only 32k all hwy miles), then I will just decline the whole brake job.

As far as doing it myself, I think I read somewhere that the OEM Brembo calipers have multiple pistons, which should not be held in with a clamp like you can do with standard OEM claipers. I will keep checking to see if I can find something regarding any special tools for the Brembo calipers.

HondaKiller

iTrader: (5)

you can get 60-70k out of your rotors. They are probably worth 1 turn before replacing even know turning them can almost as costly as a new set. $250 sounds like a low quote to welcome *** raping. They get you in there and tell "oh he quoted you for this - you need this" Going to be $600 now lol Dealer is a joke, do everything yourself IMO.

jimmyloose

iTrader: (22)

R1Concepts.com rotors are Very reasonably priced. Get some good pads and do it yourself. Brembos are easier to change than standard floating calipers BY FAR.

boosted99gst

iTrader: (1)

You're welcome man, thats what these forums are all about. Regardless of what the dealers try to sell you, in the end, you must authorize the work before they do it. If you go in with the mindset that all you want are your rotors turned and your pads changed, then stick with that. The more knowledgable you become, the chances of you being taken advantage of by the dealer become less. A special piston clamp for Brembo calipers? I've never heard of that, BUT I would definately look into it a little further. I did a quick google search to verify and came across this thread:

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/t621542.html

If this guy compressed his pistons with flathead (Which I do not recommend unless you have a flathead that is the same diameter as the piston itself, they using a basic piston compressor should do the job just fine. There's also a complete walkthrough for a non brembo job (the steps are the same) on *********.com

cheshirecat79

iTrader: (9)

Please, just to make me happy, do not go to the dealership for brake jobs, especially if you have a brembo kit. As someone else mentioned, ask for a reputable shop in your regional forum and take the car there.

The dealership will rape you. Period.