My old trustee 96 has had some vibration when braking from higher speeds so I took it to Kaufman Tire and they looked the system over and said that the rear cylinders were leaking, the drums were below spec thickness and the shoes needed replacing. The Front rotors were also below spec and cant be turned.

So the total is $788 plus tax.
$319 for pads and rotors
$469 for new drums, shoes

I then took it to Goodyear and they said the drums were fine but the front rotors need replacing and there was a caliper that was sticking causing the rotor to turn purple in one area or something like that. So their quote is just under $1000. I asked them if the rear drums looked ok and they said yes that they just needed a clean and adjustment.

So naturally Im wondering whos really knows what they are doing, and what repairs are needed at this point. Any advice on what to do here?

 

I would have a friend that knows about fixing cars looking it over. Alot of shops will rip people off big time for work they dont actually do. Brake pads are $20 at autozone and same for brake shoes. So $319 is pretty steep. Pads are easy to change out, but shoes are a bit more complex because you have springs that you need special tools if you want to do it properly. Those dont cost a whole lot at harbor freight or sears. Normally if I have to go to a shop to have something done, I get someone to look over the car like my dad or brother and then buy the parts needed for the repair and just pay a shop labor to install. Too many scam shops out there and that sounds like this is the case. You can tell because both shops are saying different things.

 

So each front rotor is going to be ~$25-40 depending on the brand, coating, etc

Personally, Centric rotors are A-OK or if you want to spend a little more Brembo blank rotors.

That's ~$80 for the rotors alone.

Then the pads are probably going to be ~$30 as well.

So for the front, you're looking at ~$120 in parts alone.

The rear brake shoes are around ~$30 as well, and each drum is $30 (so $60 for both)

So now we're up to ~$220 or so in parts alone for front and rear.

The only thing that really sucks on the Accord is that it's HoR, which means you have to pull the damn thing apart to replace the rotors. There's DIY guides in the Accord FAQ if you're feeling adventurous.

Labor is probably ~$70-80/hr for the shops so they're probably quoting you like an hour of labor for each corner. You could circle back with them and get a quote if you provide the parts.

 

Thanks for the info fellas, I'll think a bit more on this.

I dont feel confident doing brake repair myself, and the one guy I trust to look it over I did call and told him what Kaufman told me was needed. He questioned replacing the drums but said he would have to see it. The quote he gave was higher than Kaufman though and didnt even include replacing the drums. Surprised me on the cost cause he is usually 3/4 of the price of other shops.

I guess I could take it to him and let him look things over and tell him to just quote the labor on whats needed and I can get the parts.

The one thing that Kaufman said thats throwing me is the leaking cylinders on the drums and the need to replace the drums to fix that properly. If it is indeed leaking cant the cylinder be replaced and the interior just cleaned out of the leaked out fluid?

 

Drums are usually not necessary to replace, but it all depends on wear. If they're the original 320K mile units, it's probably a good time to replace them anyway. The rear wheel/brake cylinders usually don't have problems, except for the brake line bleeders corroding and breaking off when trying to loosen/remove them for cylinder replacement and bleeding. It's a good idea to repalce the short hardline running parallel to the rear trailing arm at the same time; every time I've replaced a Honda drum brake rear wheel cylinder, the old line never seems to seat properly, so I just replace them anyway.

For the front, now is an excellent time to try to source the parts for a rotor over hub conversion(if you can find the 98-99 2.3 CL hubs) as it makes replacing the brake discs so much easier on the front. The easiest way would just be to find a whole front knuckle assembly from a 98-99 Acura CL 2.3, but they're getting pretty hard to find. If that's not an option, it's completely understandable.

Your best bet in getting things done a bit cheaper would be to find out all the parts necessary for the work, order the parts from Rockauto.com, then have your mechanic install them. You can get the total overall price WAY lower while still using quality parts. A brake job like this shouldn't cost more than maybe $200 in parts using all new rotors, calipers, cylinders, shoes, drums, fluid, and new lines. I'd be pretty pumped about doing a brake job like that for around $1000 from a customer, it's actually a pretty easy job if you're not attempting to salvage old, nasty parts.

 

Prices sound about right for a professional to do it. + or - $100 in my experience.


Its always cheaper to do it yourself of course,but I would steer clear of someones ridiculous suggestion of using $20 pads and rotors from Autozone.

One or both of the shops seem to be incompetent at best and crooks at worst.

I always suggest that people utilize Google or Yelp and look for a shop in your area based on positive reviews. Those shops typically tend to pride themselves on honesty and good work.(not ALWAYS,but most of the time.)

 

I took it to the mechanic Ive used in the past and trust that I mentioned and he said that the rotors, pads, drums, cylinders, and shoes all need to be replaced. He said he was fine with me ordering the parts and to get them to him asap and he will get it done.

The parts on Rock Auto that I think I need are:

Drum/Shoe/Wheel Cylinder Kit
CENTRIC KIT64 $92.79
https://www.rockauto.com/catalog/mor...nid=445&jpid=0

and the front rotors and pads have a bunch of options, without knowing any better I thought maybe this?
POWER STOP KOE697 $63.79

https://www.rockauto.com/catalog/mor...nid=446&jpid=1

Wouldn't that be all I need are the 2 kits for all 4 wheels?
Those seem decent?

 

Yes 1 kit should cover 2 wheels,so 2 kits should be all you need. Centric Brakes are very good parts and are comparable to OEM parts. If I dont use dealer pads,I'll use Centric,%100 of the time.



I dont know anything about Power Stop, so i have no opinion, but perhaps look for Posi-Quiets. Those are Centric pads.

 

Glad the drums seem right, the rotor kit was only the power stops...so I looked for individuals and they are categorized Economy, Daily Driver, etc. I dont mind buying a higher quality but also dont want to over do it. Just a daily driver, no towing or anything on a 2 door 96 LX Coupe.

Saw these for LX Coupe

Economy CENTRIC 12140022 for $13.60 each
https://www.rockauto.com/catalog/mor...nid=446&jpid=4

Daily Driver CENTRIC 12040022 for $22.89 each
https://www.rockauto.com/catalog/mor...id=446&jpid=31

Long Life Low Noise CENTRIC 12540022 for $28.89 each
https://www.rockauto.com/catalog/mor...id=446&jpid=46

 

Before I order the Daily Driver CENTRIC 12040022 for $22.89 each, are there any differences in the rotors that might mean it doesn't fit? Its for a 96 Accord LX Coupe with a 4cyl.

 

4cyl coupe uses the 260mm rotors, V6 Sedan and Wagon use 280mm front rotors.
C-Tek is the bargain bits, I do not know the quality. I would just opt for the Centric 'premium' rotors for daily usage. If you are hard on your brakes then opt for the mill spec'd units. Use Quiet-Stop Ceramic pads. They are very good for a daily.

 

Is that Quiet-Stop a centric brand? I see Posi-Quiet and StopTech as titles for centric but no Quiet-Stop. Might be another manufacturer?

https://www.rockauto.com/catalog/mor...d=447&jpid=126

 

Well after all this, I ended up spending $678.64 total with $187.64 to Rock Auto for the parts and $491.40 in labor from a local garage I use and trust. Labor might have been less if I hadnt had to wait a week for parts to arrive. They had it all taken apart to give me the news on what really needed replacing, then they had to reassemble it all and pull it out of the garage and park it til the parts came in. Least I know what parts are in there now. Thanks for the input guys.

 

Glad to help!

 

I meant Posi-Quiet. Mea culpa.

 

That sounds pretty reasonable. I'm glad you got it back together. I was going to suggest the rotor over hub conversion as well. These cars are a pita to change the front rotors on and they are notorious for warping the rotors. On my first 96 Accord I just kept changing them which was a pita. On my 96 Accord that I have now I sourced the hub over rotor conversion parts and made the swap. It cost me about $260 or so if memory serves me correct with hubs from a junk yard, new Timken bearings, and Brake Motive Rotor/Pads. It was one of the best upgrades I've done and makes it super easy to change the rotors should I ever need to again.

If not doing this swap, I highly recommend anyone spending the money on quality rotors for this car. You don't want to spend another $2-300 in labor just to do the job again in 2 months because you bought the rotors that were $20 cheaper.