Massive break jobs, did I get raped?

[DAEDALUS]

Any idea how that breaks down into parts and labor? I can get rotors for about $60 each, and the factory pads are what, $60/pair? Hardware kit, seal kit, fluid, parts markup...maybe $600? $370 for labor...5 hours at $74/hour? Sounded high at first, but it breaks down fairly reasonably.

[Jeff Williams]

Sounds fair, until you realize, if you are mecahnically inclined at all, a brake job like that, if you install the bleeder screws, can be done in your driveway for about $250.00 in parts, and 4 hours of your time(If you don't mind getting your hands dirty). Caliper rebulds and brake flushes are a tire store's answer to "Do you want fries with that?". Don't get me wrong, your car might have needed that, but then again, a good cleaning might have been all it needed.

All in all, it is cheaper than nailing that prizm in the but one morning, because you can't stop.

I have heard about brake jobs costing up to $1,200.00

[DAEDALUS]

Caliper rebulds and brake flushes are a tire store's answer to "Do you want fries with that?".

That's a pretty good analogy, I'll have to remember that one. $250 is dirt cheap. I think I paid about $500 for parts to do all my brakes. Rotors were aftermarket, but everything else was factory.

[Jeff Williams]

I bought bendix brakes, which came with the brake sensors. I think the rotors are around $120 for all 4, and the pads are about $$60 for the fronts, and $50 for the rears. I might be wrong. I actually did not buy the rotors. I had mine turned, and they are now vibrating again. I did not measure, and the guy at the shop did not either, because I watched him. He didn't charge me a dime for the turning, because we talked Hot Rods for the 20 minutes it took him to do it.

I am planning to get the cross drilled and slotted rotors, from eBay. They are around $250.00 for all 4 rotors.

[szh]

I just had my Q rotors and pads replaced. Here is the approximate cost breakdown:

1. Four drilled, slotted Bradi rotors (from http://www.irotors.com): $229 + small shipping charge.

2. OEM Infiniti pads, front and rear from Joe at Scottsdale: about $110 + small shipping charge.

3. Labor at Frontier Infiniti: $380.

So, the total was under $700, including the shipping charges. Given the extra stuff you needed done, the charge you got seems about right.

I was planning to have Daedalus help me out with the installation (when I can get to LA in the future) 'cause I wanted to learn how to do it myself, but it just got too scary with my earlier rotors and brakes. Too much of a safety concern, and I paid the dealer this time.

Z

[Jeff Williams]

Quote »1. Four drilled, slotted Bradi rotors (from http://www.irotors.com): $229 + small shipping charge.[/quote]

Z, what do you think of the drilled/slotted rotors?

[szh]

Z, what do you think of the drilled/slotted rotors?

(Oops, I forgot to post about them like I said I would when I finally got them on the Q. Sorry about that!)

Although I have not yet driven enough miles to have a full assessment yet, I am quite pleased with the results so far (some of that is probably the comparison to the previous set on the car!). I have about 250 miles on them as of today. Using OEM Infiniti pads rather than the metal masters that Irotors recommended. First impressions are:

1. Much smoother braking, with much more linear braking behavior. If I "double" the applied pedal pressure, I seem to get what I expect - double the deceleration rate. This is a perception issue, of course, but I am very pleased with the repeatable and consistent braking.

2. No "grabbing". If you keep a consistent pressure, you get a good deceleration feel and the car does not change the deceleration rate, or jerk to a halt, at the final stop (almost no matter how hard you brake!). Very nice!

3. Shorter braking distance - they seem to slow me down quicker for the same amount of applied pedal pressure. This may also be due to just having new rotors and pads, so I do not know if I can attribute it to the rotors.

4. Interestingly different sound - not a bad sound, just different. These rotors are slightly "noisier" than the OEM Infiniti solid ones. Not a harsh metal to metal scratching, but rather more like a slight "fine-grit sand-paper on metal" kinda thing. I am not sure what causes this, or whether it will go away once the pads wear some. My first theory was that it was due to the sound generated by the pads sliding past the slots. But I am not sure of this, of course.

The overall impression so far is: "This Was A Good Decision". Plus, the price is very good, so even if they do not last as long as OEM, or they warp quicker, and I have to replace them sooner, it is not too bad a deal.

Note that Irotors.com apparently does the actual machining (slots and drills) of the rotors. They use Bradi, but may be able to provide Brembo upon special request - I do not know if the price is different.

Z

[szh]

I should also add that Irotors has a special going in June. They will Zinc plate the rotors for no extra charge, through June 30, 2003, I believe. This is normally a $50 charge per pair. Plating ought to prevent any rust!

Z

P.S. The price on the web site is the same as on eBay. So just go there instead or call them. When you place the order, do not select the plating - it is included this month - but do make sure to confirm it if you call.

[Q45tech]

Every rotor we have tried [7 others besides oem including Brembo, Powerstop, etc] arrived with some out of spec runout!The factories are usually best then the Powerstops .....probably the way they are shiped from factory to warehouse, to distribuitor to final end user.

Not all are warped much but it varies from day to day so you never know .............we true almost all the Q rotors prior to installion now especially the rears.This is why we charge 1.5 hours per wheel [$102] for brakes: plus pads and rotors......2.0 hours each if you want the fronts indexed to try to meet spec.........plus hub and bearing replacement if necessary.............most people don't want to pay to get brakes runout in spec.

99% of the owners have never felt a truely accurate perfect brake job. Smooth as butter braking for at least 6-10,000 miles then you get to do the truing again.

Most shops just give a pad slap and no cleaning on warped rotors.

[Jeff Williams]

Quote »99% of the owners have never felt a truely accurate perfect brake job. Smooth as butter braking for at least 6-10,000 miles then you get to do the truing again.[/quote]

I got about 20,000 miles of smoothe braking, but I don't use the brakes, much.

[reggiegsd]

I've put about 12K on the Bradi rotors and they are begining to warp now. Not bad, but it is there. I'll deal with it next oil change. I guess that is about average.

I will try having them cut while on the car to see what effect that has. This will be interesting.

[Q45tech]

The advantage of non drilled or slotted rotors is they can be cut on the car.......the on car lathes don't like holes or deep slots.

But you are just compensating for bad hubs or bearing which untrue the rotor to match the errors.

Generally we see a 0.003-0.006" warp from the hubs so you may increase the time between truings by 33-50%.............depends on your sensitivity to the amount of warp.

"20,000 miles of smoothe braking" bet my definition of smooth and yours are quite different.

[Jeff Williams]

Quote »"20,000 miles of smoothe braking" bet my definition of smooth and yours are quite different.[/quote] I am sure your are correct. I use the extremely accurate technical, bobble head Taco Bell dog, for my brake testing. If the dog don't move, the brakes are fine. When his little hed nods, the brakes are a little out of spec. When he bounces off the dash, and hits the floor, its time to turn the rotors.

Just kidding. Yes, all impressions are relative. I am extremely tolerant of my own personal automotive repairs, or modifications.

I am glad to hear that the short-lived braking is not just my car, Q's.

I must tell you, 20,000 miles is just 4 to 5 months of driving for me. I only hit my brakes once, every 40 miles, or so (or 4 per day). That works out to betweem 500, and 720 stops, between maintenance.

That is probably the same as a normal person's 6,000 to 12,000 mile number of stops.

I really want the drilled/slotted rotors, and the zinc coating would be a nice bonus. I will try them out & let you all know how they work. I have heard the ceramic pads work better on the drilled/slotted rotors from "aaacomp". He has a set of rotors, and pads for $425

[Q45tech]

You are assuming that using the brakes has anything to do with warpage!

An out of spec hub will cause a perfect rotor to act imperfect [wobble around the perpendicular]....shish, shish shish as you turn the front wheels by hand. The high spot will push the pads back some [acting like an out of balance tire]. Which adds to the tire vibration.......but since the imbalance of the tire and the high spot on the rotor are almost never aligned in phase perfectly you get two vibrations which vary with speed as a coming and going vibration that constanly changes.

The brakes are being partially applied every tire rotation.

I've put up with the Q for 13 years now: 6 sets of new Powerstop rotors and 7 sets of pads.........for the last 6 years I have trued the rotors 3 times per year about every 6,000 miles.

Since they quit making the -90 oem pads I have been using Metal Masters on the front [oem -85 on rear] and putting up with the slight groan at every stop.The current -93 oem pads don't warp rotors as fast but they don't stop as well when warm/hot so I put up with the warping/noise to gain safety.

Lexus solved the problem of 2 piston on one side calipers by upgrading to 4 piston calipers, massive thick larger diameter rotors and 50% thicker pads.

You should hear the massive whinning of G35 owners who are getting 15k from pads and warpage.......they never had a performance car [with decent brakes] before and are in shock with $2,000+ annual tire and brake maintenance costs.

They couldn't afford a BMW so they bought the G clone not realizing cheaper to buy means built cheaper ans short cuts.

I applaud Nissan for offering the Brembo package!

[maxnix]

I applaud Nissan for offering the Brembo package!

I have been wondering if the G35 Coupe Brembo package will mount on the Q, and if it requires 18" rims which preclude sufficient load carrying capacity tires in the correct diameter.

Maybe Joe will put a kit together.

[Q45tech]

Probably "which preclude sufficient load carrying capacity tires in the correct diameter"......on the factory rim width

Lots of differences between great brakes on a 3400 pound car and even decent brakes on a 4100 pound car..........and people put heavy big wheels on a Q they gotta be out of their mind.

[Jeff Williams]

Now I see how you can spend $1,500 per year in maintenance, on a Q. Brakes alone, account for half that cost.