R1500 to replace 4 brake pads - expensive or not?

[TehStranger]

For an amateur yes maybe.... though there is always a "boer maak a plan" type tool if you don't have exactly the right ones.

For a mechanic no more than 20 minutes front and 20 minute back.. (if its brake pads all around)

This, I don't get how any mechanic will take an hour to change a set of pads.

@ OP - That price is not bad for dealer parts. Dealer pad pricing for my S2000:

Front: R1,383
Rear: R1,030

 

[saturnz]

Hour to replace the front and an hour to replace the back?

Have you ever actually changed brake pads yourself?

yeah the guy replacing the brakes is going to sprint to finish it as quickly as possible because he gets paid by the amount of work he does and not the hours

 

[Pitbull]

For an amateur yes maybe.... though there is always a "boer maak a plan" type tool if you don't have exactly the right ones.

For a mechanic no more than 20 minutes front and 20 minute back.. (if its brake pads all around)

yeah the guy replacing the brakes is going to sprint to finish it as quickly as possible because he gets paid by the amount of work he does and not the hours

I think by default the least amount of time that can be charged for labour is 1 hour. So yes, it could be 1 hour for both sides. But it won't be 20 and 20. Or might even be minimum charge of 1 hour per side.

 

[ToxicBunny]

I think by default the least amount of time that can be charged for labour is 1 hour. So yes, it could be 1 hour for both sides. But it won't be 20 and 20. Or might even be minimum charge of 1 hour per side.

Then that mechanic can get fscked.

If they spend 40 minutes working on my car they can get paid for an hours labour if thats the minimum labour unit they charge by... its not a minimum time unit per job, but a time unit per the entire work effort to "fix" the car.

 

[ToxicBunny]

yeah the guy replacing the brakes is going to sprint to finish it as quickly as possible because he gets paid by the amount of work he does and not the hours

If you're at the stealership, the mechanic gets paid a salary, not by the amount of work he does...

If its a private mechanic and he's charging for an hour per job he does on the car he can expect not to see another cent of my money ever again.

 

[Slootvreter]

Nope. I would say that's about right...

My car is under maintenance plan but I still get a copy of the bill.
I saw just over R800 per set of break pads. 2014 i20

That;s what happens when people go to the stealerships. My Volvo S40 would be about R750 for front and rear for the pads.

 

[R13...]

Apparently they change the whole break system. Discs, pads, cylinders and brake line.

That's terrible vehicle engineering right there

 

[saturnz]

If you're at the stealership, the mechanic gets paid a salary, not by the amount of work he does...

If its a private mechanic and he's charging for an hour per job he does on the car he can expect not to see another cent of my money ever again.

even less incentive to finish it later rather than sooner

 

[ToxicBunny]

even less incentive to finish it later rather than sooner

Ok, so in your world its acceptable for a service provider to take longer than necessary to do work simply because I demand some semblance of value for money, and no attempt to rip me off?

 

[Edwe]

I paid R900 for all four pads on my e46 BMW at an approved independent mechanic recently. The R900 also included misc. stuff like resetting the diagnostic unit and topping up fluids. They also performed a full valet, which would typically cost ~R100.

I am sure it would have been nearly R2k at an official dealership.

 

[Pitbull]

That's terrible vehicle engineering right there

I don't know I don't own one. Will feedback once my mate has his replaced. I think it only needs to be replaced at 60k as it's ceramic pads. I'll be sure to upload the invoice once he has it done.

 

[saturnz]

Ok, so in your world its acceptable for a service provider to take longer than necessary to do work simply because I demand some semblance of value for money, and no attempt to rip me off?

in my world I am fully aware of how service providers rip customers off

I didn't say its acceptable, but thats what they do everyday.

 

[Pitbull]

Then that mechanic can get fscked.

If they spend 40 minutes working on my car they can get paid for an hours labour if thats the minimum labour unit they charge by... its not a minimum time unit per job, but a time unit per the entire work effort to "fix" the car.

I'm not sure. I was just thinking of the effort required for such a small job. I will not charge anything less than 1 hour personally

 

[ToxicBunny]

in my world I am fully aware of how service providers rip customers off

I didn't say its acceptable, but thats what they do everyday.

Not if you find the right mechanic... mine charges me labour for the whole job, not on a per item basis.

I'm not sure. I was just thinking of the effort required for such a small job. I will not charge anything less than 1 hour personally

Which is fine, and perfectly acceptable....

But if I take my vehicle to have the brakes changed, and I get an invoice for an hours labour to do the front and an hours labour to do the back I'll have a monumental shyte fit..

 

[Rouxenator]

Sounds good to me.

 

[KleinBoontjie]

I had the same issue, when Nissan serviced my car. They phoned me and said my pads needs to be replaced and it will work out about R1500 (+/-, can't remember exact amount). Told them to wait. Went to Autozone, bought the same brand they were going to fit, went back to nissan and asked what they will charge extra to fit the pads while servicing the car. All and all, worked out to about R600, saved +/-R900.

 

[InternetSwag]

i replaced them

wow mega difference in braking

but they are really squeaky about 30% of the time when i brake. is this normal or did they goof

also, damn some of you guys pay waaay too much, or well, the standard is way too high ouch!

R10k + for brake pads -_-

 

[Pitbull]

i replaced them

wow mega difference in braking

but they are really squeaky about 30% of the time when i brake. is this normal or did they goof

also, damn some of you guys pay waaay too much, or well, the standard is way too high ouch!

R10k + for brake pads -_-

Just the finishing on the pads. Should not last long. A few hundred kms and they'll be run in and won't squeak.

 

[SilverNodashi]

It would take you or I an hour perhaps but some grease monkey that does that sort of thing day in and day out shouldn't take more than 15 minutes and that's no exaggeration. Skimming brakes is not something you generally have to do when changing pads - it's a whole other thing and you'd be paying way more than even the OP did.

The OP probably doesn't know how todo it himself, hence the bill. R1500 for 4 pads is quite cheap. Chances are they cost about R200 per wheel, and then add some labor.

Nothing is too expensive, if you're not prepared or skilled todo it yourself.

 

[chickenbeef]

I paid R1200 last year for new pads all round and to get my disks skimmed