Here's the deal:

Nissan dealership said 3% left on front and said they may need rotors. est. $750 (front brakes & rotors).

Just Brakes would do that for $270. Then, they said all the casing - calipers? of the brakes needed to be rebuilt. Total: $500 (brakes, rotors & rebuilt calipers).

Q: Dealer said only get Nissan brakes - any truth to that? Performance?

Q: Does the casing/calibers around brakes really need to be rebuilt.

I drive an '04 Touring 5AT 350z.

Thank you much!

 

You can get any type of brakes you wanna get. OEM Nissan stuff is always very overpriced. Check the forum vendors for decent deals on good stuff. Take a few hours to read through the DIY section and save yourself a sh*t load of money by doing it yourself.

Did they explain to you why your calipers needed to be rebuilt? Torn rubber piston boots? Bad seals? Sticky caliper? You can buy stock calipers on this forum in the brake section for dirt cheap if you need'em.

 

what brakes, rotors would be most comparable to factory spec? i mean, i was okay with those - just don't want to downgrade. i have spent hours looking, but still a little lost.

they said the calipers would wear the brakes unevenly if not rebuilt. that is all i took from the conversation...

 

Brake pads for your AT are like $100 all around. It's worth that investment, to me at least, to avoid a rebuild. You likely do not need a caliper rebuild, nor new rotors, unless you have run aggressive pads many times and generated a lot of heat. Many of us have avoided rebuilds/new rotors even after many track days.

 

I am surprised that you do not have a trusted mechanic, but are resorting to a chain store such as Just Brakes.

 

https://my350z.com/forum/brakes/4055...huge-sale.html

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https://my350z.com/forum/brakes/4424...9-shipped.html

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https://my350z.com/forum/brakes-and-...rake-pads.html

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Extra Cash in your pocket


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If you've ever played with lego's.. you can change your own brakes

 

If you're not into wrenching and not taking the car to the track, get the Brakes Plus deal w/out the rebuild. $270 is a pretty good deal for new front brakes, rotors, and bleed. I highly doubt you need the caliper rebuild on a 5 year old car unless it was flogged at the track or elsewhere. Are the brakes acting funny at all, beside being low and maybe some related squealing (e.g. dragging, leaking, or sticking)?

If you are trying to save some dollars, want better performance, and don't mind a little wrenching and have basic tools then DIY. You'll pay less and have a much better setup. If you're going to take this car to the track, then definitely get quality aftermarket parts and do the install yourself or find a performance friendly local garage.

If hesitant or don't have tools, find a buddy who likes to work on cars. You can also try this board or local Z or other auto club for someone who labor rate is a six-pack and a gopher. Brakes and rotors are a very easy DIY with only basic tools. The hardest part is braking the brake lugs loose.

Here's a link to Tirerack for a Non-Brembo 2004 so you can get an idea of prices if you go the DIY route. Most of this is much better quality/performance than what you'd get at Nissan, Autozone, or Brakes Plus at a comparable or better price. Always nice to support a My350Z or local vendor when you go to buy though.

http://www.tirerack.com/brakes/resul...oModClar=Coupe

Good luck!

 

...Best quote ive seen in a while. You sir, win.

 

What is bleed?

thanks all for the great info and links. i feel confident to do it myself - i loved legos growing up! ha. i will let you all know how it goes soon enough.

 

Bleeding is flushing some or all of the old dirty fluid and hopefully removing any trapped air. Its an extra step that I would think they'd perform (but not positive) and is a good idea to minimize wear on the seals and firm up the brake pedal. Its a 2 person job unless you have special equipment. Sounds like you might tackle it yourself, awesome! I would recommend having a 2nd car available (in case you forget something) and helps to have someone who has done it before (and can help bleed) but not absolutely necessary. Just read instructions carefully, mimic how the old pads were installed (eg. clip placement, orientation) unless instructions say otherwise, and don't miss steps or forget to tighten something. Brakes are occasionally important

 

You can check the wear on your rotors using a micrometer. They may only need turning but at 5 years, probably best to just change em out.

I recently picked up the StopTech Stage II upgrade kit. 4 slotted rotors, stainless steel braided lines, 3 pints of Motul 600 and new (front only) Hawk HP pads for under $700 out the door.

Add a powerbleeder kit for $50 and some DIY wrenching, good to go.

If you have a friend who is mechanically inclined, would be a good idea to see if they can help. Brakes are fairly easy but as a safety concern, you want to make sure you can do it right.

Check the DIY section, as others have stated, see what's involved. Make sure you have all the right tools before you get started.

 

Dealers and regular shops never think out of the box and will always be over priced.

I was at the dealer couple days and a mechanic told me that i needed to change my air filter cuz he could smell my exhaust too much...(i have test pipes)

I said ok sure and just walked away...