94M@X

Is this something that is necessary? I asked my local shop how much it would cost for a brake job and they said 230 depending on weather or not I needed the rotors shaved. $25 per rotor if necessary. I have heard of that before, but does that really help anything? I also decided to buy the pads my self. they said 130 if I get pads. Thanks in advance for any assistance.

subs1000w

if the are out of round or have any hot spots on them or if they have been turned or shaved before they should just be replaced, new ones are only about 30 a peice so if they want 25 to shave them just buy new ones, if they are original they should proboly be replaced anyway

94M@X

they were replaced early this year. I run the car hard sometimes and I know my breaks are REALLY worn now. So, if they tell me they want to shave the rotors I should just say no? I plan on picking up the Stillen flats soon. I just really need new breaks now. I guess I want toi know if it is necissary to shave them if I only plan on having these on for another 3 weeks? What is a reasonable price to shave them?
Thanks

DARHAW-MAX

Three weeks? No, don't get the rotors turned or shaved. As a matter of fact, do the brake job yourself and save the money. It almost takes longer to remove the wheel than to change the brakes; one of the easiest jobs on the Max.

NismoDrew91SE

second that. Doing brakes yourself is very easy, specialy if you have discs in the back. if you have drums they are a tad bit trickier

Matt93SE

iTrader: (44)

don't bother paying a shop $230 for that. I could buy new pads and rotors for the entire car for that much and have it done in less time than it takes to drive the car to the shop.

read the FAQs at the top of the page, or read a bit on my website on how to change them yourself.

http://www.mattblehm.com/faq/

94M@X

Ok, I'm convinced. The main thing stopping me was that I didnt have the tools, but I may as well buy a good jack and the car stands. That will proably rinn about 100 bucks and I can reuse. I also need a new rench(?) tool to remove the lugnuts. The oem one broke. Any sugestions on where to buy one? I bought one from Strause and it was too thick to fit in the wheel well.
Is it difficult to bleed the breaks?

Thanks again!!

subs1000w

you shouldnt have to bleed the brakes and i would get a 1/2 inch drive socket set with breaker bar it should have a big enogh socket for the lug and will come in handy in other cases also if you dont have any kind of repair manual you might want to get one even a haynes will help you out if youve never changed breakes

Matt93SE

iTrader: (44)

step 1 is to always buy the right tools.. and don't buy cheap crap. Craftsman is an absolute minimum.


for this job, you'll need a lug wrench, and 12 14 and 17 mm sockets. prefereably get a set of wrenches and sockets.
all that should run you under $100 for a decent set. buy the craftsman 90 pc set or something. you'll have all the tools you need for a long time.
a jack you can pick up for $20-30, and you can get a set of jackstands at wal-mart for about $15.

94M@X

I have a crap tool set now. I plan on getting the craftsman set tomorrow. Will the jacks thy sell at Strauss be ok? or should I get a higher end one from sears?

subs1000w

pretty much any jack and stands will work although some have nice feachers like more positions and easyer release some jacks have a quick pump up feature which will rais the jack to full hight in like 2 pumps but youll end up spending around 100$ for a good jack and stands with those features but a 20$ jack and stands will work fine for occasional use

94M@X

Thanks for the help guys. I just replaced the pads last night, and yes with the right tools it was VERY simple. Now that I have the tools I will be dooing allot more work on my own!!!

Thank you

DARHAW-MAX

Congratulations! Now, take that money that you was going to spend on having the shop do the work and put it away into a seperate account. After doing that for about a year, you will be pleasently suprised at the amount of $$$$ you will have amassed.

Matt93SE

iTrader: (44)

or the pile of parts you've bolted onto the car...

4 years, two maximas, and $35,000 later..........

94M@X

Well didn’t save much this time because I invested in the tools:
- Craftsman hydraulic jack / jack stand set
- Craftsman 99 piece mechanic set
Basically paid in parts what they were going to charge for labor. Feel like a little kid with new toys , I am a happy camper!!

Matt93SE

iTrader: (44)

exactly... but now that you've got the basics, the other, more expensive projects will be nearly free!

for the first year or so, you usually end up spending as much in tools as you would in mechanic labor, but after that, it's free!
after a few hundred invested in tools, I can do anything I need on my car without taking it anywhere- anything from changing brakes to rebuilding the engine.

lophix

iTrader: (3)

i second all the opinions above. Don't forget to look for an impact, maybe an electric one off ebay. I was changing my pads on labor day and couldnt get the 17 caliper bolt off no matter how hard i put my 140lbs behind. the electric impact worked like a charm. recommended if you dont have space for a compressor or dont want the noise and wont be doing really big jobs. g/l

94M@X

My other problem is that I'm in manhattan, so I dont have garage space. I have the car garaged but there is no storage space I'll already have to carry my current tools up and down from my apartment. (like to keem the trunk clean + already have a 12 in there)

Matt93SE

iTrader: (44)

put the tools in the garage, and park the car outside. it's what I do.

94M@X

The garage is a large lot where I have an assigned space, and i'de much rather run the tools up and down than have something done to my car.

DARHAW-MAX

Heck, I have about 95lbs of tools constantly in the trunk. Even though I want to remove them, I always find that I am doing something either at home, over my GF house, or over one of my partner's cribs. Shoot, up until about 3 months ago, I had the 3 ton jack and jack stands in there also. Sagging azz due to weight.