Rear brakes need replacement soon?

[Leadfootgirl]

Happy New Year from sunny SoCal everyone (yep, it's 84F today!) It's been awhile since I've lurked/posted.

I recently brought my EX into the dealership to check on the heater and the brakes. Not sure if anyone's had a problem with their heater, but mine seems to cycle off occasionally even when I have the temp set to 80 degrees. Anyway, dealership couldn't find anything wrong.

My question is on my brakes...it's been squealing, especially in the mornings when I first drive the car and occasionally other times too. Service adviser said I have 30% left on my rear brake pads. From what I've read on the forum, it sounds like I should be changing them soon (I'll hit 24K miles this week). I don't plan on taking the car to the dealership since there's a highly rated brake shop nearby. My questions are, should I ask for specific brands to be used since I'm sure they won't have the OEM parts anyway (OEM's not always better right?). Plus, if you've had your brakes replaced, would you mind giving me a round number what you paid? I know different parts of the country are different, but it would still be nice to have an idea.

Thanks all.

[nissangirl74]

We do all of our own maintenance, so I can't give you a price but HAWK pads are the best. We have them on our Frontier and the Vette.

[AZhitman]

My cost on Hawk pads for the EX: $59 front, $52 rear.

Odd that the rears wore out so soon, usually Nissans will go through fronts first.

Welcome aboard, LFG! Glad to have you here. I'm a big fan of the EX - How about a new thread with some pics?

[TimGinCentralNJ]

My questions are, should I ask for specific brands to be used since I'm sure they won't have the OEM parts anyway (OEM's not always better right?). Plus, if you've had your brakes replaced, would you mind giving me a round number what you paid? I know different parts of the country are different, but it would still be nice to have an idea.

Thanks all.

Hi!

Below is the part number and cost info on the aftermarket pads and rotors I installed this past July right when I bought my "new to me" '08 EX. They're from a company called R1 Concepts (which I'd never heard of before), but the reviews I ran across on their products and customer service were stellar across the board. The cost for the Front and rear pads and rotors was under $300 shipped and so far after 4k miles, they've been excellent. Brakes on these cars are very easy to DIY, too.

Hope this helps!

Tim

Filled: 1 Shipped: 1 301.08880 Premium Ceramic Brake Pads $34.40 Ship Date:

Filled: 1 Shipped: 1 301.09050 Premium Ceramic Brake Pads $19.30 Ship Date:

Filled: 2 Shipped: 2 ES.42080 E-LINE Diamond Slotted Brake Rotor $65.89 Ship Date:

Filled: 2 Shipped: 2 ES.42088 E-LINE Diamond Slotted Brake Rotor $55.80 Ship Date:

[NJGuy]

I don't plan on taking the car to the dealership since there's a highly rated brake shop nearby. My questions are, should I ask for specific brands to be used since I'm sure they won't have the OEM parts anyway (OEM's not always better right?).

Some automotive repair shops source a few of their parts from dealerships, so there is a chance that the brake shop might be able to get OEM parts. It won't hurt to ask.
If you're running OEM brakes on the front, it might be best to try to get rear pads that have braking characteristics close to OEM.

I wouldn't worry about brand as much as what kind of properties you're looking for. Usually there is a little bit of a trade-off between stopping power, noise, dust, life/wear, and price. I would say talk to the guys at the shop, tell them which properties you prefer, and see what they recommend. After all, if the brake shop is highly rated, I'm sure that any brand they offer you would be fine. If you think about it, their reputation depends on the quality of their work and the products they use.

Plus, if you've had your brakes replaced, would you mind giving me a round number what you paid? I know different parts of the country are different, but it would still be nice to have an idea.

I can't be of much help here, as I also try to do my own brake work whenever possible. I usually get highly rated non-performance aftermarket parts and source them from Amazon. I'm willing to bet that the parts prices the customer pays at the repair shop are going to be higher than the cost of the parts the DIYers order online.

The last two brake jobs on my cars that I didn't do were:
In 2005, I think replacement of the rear pads on my '96 Honda Accord cost a total of $190 or so if I recall correctly. The rotors were not replaced, and I don't think they were cut/machined either. The split of parts & labor costs was pretty much even. This was done at an independent garage.
In 2007, I think the replacement of the rear pads on my wife's former 2006 Accord cost around $210 or so at the Honda Dealership. This included cutting/machining the rotors as well.

[Leadfootgirl]

Thanks for answering guys! I'll talk to the shop first before doing any work.

AZHitman, I'd post some accident and post-accident pictures I had last year but I'm not clear how to post it - seems like I need to download my pics into some sort of public domain server

[AZhitman]

Correct - Throw 'em on Photobucket or Flickr and go to it.