does anyone get their brakes done for them as opposed to DIY?
 

i brought my car to meineke to ask them to check out my brakes because they've been really squeaky lately. my fronts were in perfect condition, but rear rotors are warped and pads are almost gone. i've never done any real work like this so would be nervous about doing it on my own, but then again, it's really expensive having them done. i know the guys don't screw me in prices, but they quoted about $330 or so. is that way too much for that to be done?
if anyones had them done how much did you pay? if it's really not too too bad, i'd consider attempting to do it myself but don't honestly have the tools or experience and am afraid of messing up the most important system in the car. any opinions? no flames please...thanx

Rear rotors are something like $80 each, and the rear brake hardware kit is like $60. Check courtesyparts.com if you want more details.

Assume two hours labor, at $60/hr and the price of $330 sounds right. That's very much on the high side, but that's what you pay if you have a shop do all the work for you.

If the shop is turning the rotors instead of replacing them, it should save you some money, provided your rotors are not too thin.

Re: does anyone get their brakes done for them as opposed to DIY?
 

I doubt the rear rotors are warped... Warped rotors on any corner would feel like a pedal pulsation on hard braking, not squeaking.

Replacing the pads is a 15 minute per corner job if you've done it before. Figure maybe an hour at most if you haven't. Just get pads AND the hardware kit from Nissan. The HW kit includes the shims that go over the pads that are very important for squeel control. The shims that are there are most likely almost rotted away.

Only basic tools are needed. Solid ground, jack, two jackstands. Don't work under just the jack...

-RMB

It's not too difficult.. Invest in a Haynes or similar manual. You only need basic tools and a disc brake spreader for the front ($10 or you can use a big C-clamp if you have one)... check out my links below for some pics... the fronts at least show how to remove (ignore the upgrade part)

FRONTS
REARS

Re: does anyone get their brakes done for them as opposed to DIY?
 

I was feeling the same thing when I was about to do my brakes. Heck, I am always nervous whenever I do things to my car since I really hate it to "redo" things once they are in place.

Having said that, I messed up my rears now and they squeek and shudder during hard braking. Not a good thing to have.

However, changing the rotors and pads are not super-difficult, and now I could do it much faster than the first I time I did it (I did mine for 3 days both fronts and rears), since all bolts/nuts are already "loosened up".

If you haven't bought it, buy the Haynes manual and make it your bible for a couple of days. The pain in doing the rears is the parking brake cable. It took forever to loose the thing up, only to find out that I could just unbolt one screw and it will fall directly (so that you don't have to remove the pin and all.

Shoot me an e-mail after you read the Haynes manual and I will help you in doing this. Make sure you have breaker bar, torque wrench, full metric socket sets (3/8) drive, 1/2 to 3/8 adapter for 1/2 drive torque wrench/breaker bar, brake cleaners, brake hardware kit from Nissan (call Tustin Nissan or places with good $$), two brake rotors and pliers. Oh, and those anti-lock metallic liquids so that service would be easier on bolts/nuts next time around.

If you leave near Milwaukee, I could help you in the weekdays....

i brought my car to meineke to ask them to check out my brakes because they've been really squeaky lately. my fronts were in perfect condition, but rear rotors are warped and pads are almost gone. i've never done any real work like this so would be nervous about doing it on my own, but then again, it's really expensive having them done. i know the guys don't screw me in prices, but they quoted about $330 or so. is that way too much for that to be done?
if anyones had them done how much did you pay? if it's really not too too bad, i'd consider attempting to do it myself but don't honestly have the tools or experience and am afraid of messing up the most important system in the car. any opinions? no flames please...thanx [/QUOTE]

Best advice so far. Buy the manual, and do it yourself. It is very easy to do and doesn't require extensive tools at all. It's a good way to get to know your car and save a lot of money in the meantime. Make sure, like someone else suggested, to use jackstands and not just a jack.

With the right tools, you'll save yourself a lot of money. This is one of the easier jobs to do on your Max and when you get familiar with the brake setup, you can do front and rears under an hour or even less.

Rotors at Autozone with Lifetime Warranty are only $25.00 Each...