I bought an 07 Hyundai Elantra in August 2008. It had about 34,000 miles on it. In July, I took the car to the dealer because of noise coming from the rear brakes. He claims that the car needs an entire rear brake job ($500) and that it’s not covered under the 60K warranty. I’ve only put less than 15,000 miles on it in 13 months. Is this possible that I burned through a set of brakes in 15,000 miles. I’ve never done that with other cars I’ve owned.
Am I missing something?
34,000 plus 15,000 = 49,000 miles total on vehicle… need new rear brakes? possible.
No…you weren’t missing anything. It was poorly worded…sorry.
Should a complete rear brake job run $500?
“Is this possible that I burned through a set of brakes in 15,000 miles?”
No, but it is very possible at 49,000 miles.
Do you really think that the dealer installed new brakes before you bought the car?
If the brakes were totally worn out at 34k, then it is likely that new brakes were installed before you bought it, but used cars get extremely minimal attention from dealers before they sell them, and unless the brakes were totally shot, the dealer would not have spent any money on them.
Is this something that would fall under 60k warranty or is the dealer trying to screw me?
Brakes and clutches are “wear” items, and thus are not warrantied.
The reason for this is that a really bad driver can wear out these parts prematurely, and there is no reason for a car company to bear the cost of someone who “rides” the brakes or who does not know how to use a clutch. Please note that I am not implying that you are a bad driver, but since you wanted to know about warranty coverage for brakes, I am just giving you an explanation of why they are not covered by warranty.
Incidentally, this might be a good time for you to read the coverage of the various warranties (there are several) that came with your car. The info should be in your glove compartment, along with the Owner’s Manual and the Hyundai Maintenance Schedule, all of which you should read.
Since replacing brake pads can be done by any competent mechanic, there is no reason to go to the dealer for this. An independent mechanic should be able to do the job for far less.
DO NOT go to Midas, Meineke, Monro, Sears, Pep Boys, or any other chain operation. Look around for a well-reputed independent mechanic.
Thanks to all who answered. You’ve been a big help. I do have a local independent mechanic who I trust that I will take it to.
THANKS AGAIN
Only at a dealership…