should the cost of brake fluid flush and bleeding lines be included in the $550.00 dealer charge for front and rear brake pads and resurfacing? I was charged an additional $129.99 for the fluid work. And the car only had 33,000 miles and I had brought it in for a 30,000 mile service. Thanks…
That sounds like a restaurant charging you for the napkins, spices, and toothpicks in additon to your steak dinner.
To do a 4 wheel brake job, the lines have to be bled properly to get the air out, and the fluid used (if all of it was drained) may cost about $10.
Was this a dealer or your friendly chain? I once had a brake job done and wanted the tires rotated, and, yes, they tried to charge me $5 per wheel for “rotating” the tires!
P.S. That was a 4 WHEEL brake job I had done.
dealership. And they charged me for rotating tires, when I told them I was buying 2 new for the front as they were in bad shape, before the work was done. Now I know I have a reason to complain and ask for a refund…
I agree with Doc, as I frequently do.
This superfluous (or grossly overpriced) charge is reminiscent of a Midas tactic, where nobody ever gets out the door for the advertised price. Even with their “Lifetime Warranty” mufflers, free replacement of that muffler always involves the replacement of an incredible number of other parts that did not have a warranty, and the “out the door” price for that “free” muffler can wind up being mighty pricey.
Even if it was not Midas, I would suggest that you avoid this particular repair place in the future. Their billing/pricing policy seems to be designed to take advantage of those with scant automotive knowledge.
That being said, if your car had 30k miles on the odometer, it was ready for a brake fluid change.
Edited to add:
This dealership owes you some money. I strongly suggest that you ask to speak with the General Manager, and then show him a print-out of all the responses that you receive in this thread.
thank you very much for all your help…mpfgc
Are you telling us that for brake pads and resurfacing of the rotors (which, by the way, rarely needs to be done), you were charged $550.00?!!! If the dealer was holding you at gunpoint you could press charges for armed robbery. Check with your police department. And $130.00 to change out the brake fluid?!!! I’m not a prosecutor, but, I’m reasonably certain they’re up to grand theft on your deal. I wonder, does you dealership have chandeliers and offer free coffee while they break into customers’ bank accounts? Find a new dealer. Changing out brake pads is a 20 minute job. If ever rotors do need “resurfacing”, like I said, rarely needs to be done, it’s better to have them replaced. Sorry you were mugged at the dealer, but, I’ll bet the waiting room at least had a TV, so, it’s not a total loss.
How best to deal with the complaint?
Sorry, but the price for all of this is very fair and anyone who doesn’t think so simply does not understand how business works.
You’re looking at 4 wheel pad replacement along with surfacing of all rotors.
That means pad replacement, brake rotor R an R, and machining of the rotors.
The dealer has an hourly flat rate labor charge and this is multiplied times the flat rate labor times used.
Subtract the cost of the pads from that 550. Now divide the remainder by 4 and do the math. I think you’ll find there is nothing out of line.
The problem is that many have a mindset of comparing the cost against what “they could do it themselves for” or what they perceive it should be; and they often perceive that any cost is “too high”.
Changing the brake fluid at 30k miles is recommended. Changing the brake fluid is NOT part of a brake job unless the hydraulics are involved. (master cylinder, calipers, etc.)
And since servicing of the pads, rotors, etc does not involve opening the brake lines or fluid loss this service is additional.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with what was done.
I was not comparing to doing my own work, as I do not do any auto work. I was just questioning why they charged extra for the brake fluid work, and did not tell me about it in the beginning. Also , the prices just seemed very high in the first place.
are you in the automotive repair field? Thanks.
OK; thanks for the explanation. To me a complete brake job involves pads, discs, hydraulics, etc., but not wheel cylinders at this mileage.
The OP was quoted the basic parts replacement at $550, not the complete job. In this case, I would say that only the “tire rotation” should be taken off the bill.
Where I live a complete brake job with pads, discs, and hydraulic work for an ABS equipped car is about $800, all inclusive.
thanks for the help. They may get away with the brake fluid, but the tire rotation is totally out of line. AVOID Hoffman Honda of Avon, CT.
Yes, until recently and now only to a certain extent. (very major, near fatal surgical intervention speed bump you might say)
I’m just trying to clear the fuzziness up about this repair.
The brake fluid work is not a requirement when doing a 2 or 4 wheel brake job unless the hydraulics are involved. However, brake fluid replacement every 30k miles is recommended. Check your owners manual and you’ll likely find a reference to this in there.
What I do have an issue with is doing this without discussing this with you in advance. I’m a firm believer that every facet of a repair should be discussed with the car owner up front.
There’s also the possibility of a miscommunication in the chain of command. You the car owner deal with a service writer and this places a usually mechanically clueless person between you and the tech who’s working on the car. It is quite common for misinterpretations to occur and it’s kind of like the old saw about Boy Scouts sitting around the campfire passing a story around. By the time it makes a round the story has changed considerably.
I hope that helps and if you would like a further explanation of how this 550 was done you might break the bill down (labor, parts, taxes, etc.) and post it.
I had forgotten the tire rotation part of this and charging you for a rotation when the wheels are already off for brake work is ethically wrong. No way should they bill you for this.
thank you so much…
This is a major dealership, brand new buildings to pay for…
Costs were as follows:
Replace rear brake pads and resurfaced rears brake rotors, lubricated rear brake caliper slides total 273.95
replace or service front brakes and or rotors combined (that’s all it says $273. 95
Flush brake system and bleed lines with brake fluid $129.98
I think they wanted to make up for the warranty work which was n/c to me but was a very big job - something to do with a sensor which required dismantling the engine cause was "bulletin 09-042…
thanks
I’ve read the replies to your post and your comments up to this point too. The charge for rotating the tires is bogus, as all the wheels were off to do the 4 wheel brake job and you bought 2 tires. They should refund that line item from your bill.
As per the brake flush, Honda recommends this every 3 years regardless of miles. If your Oydessy is an '06 or '07 you were due for this service. The replacing of the brake pads does not require flushing of the fluid. Honda charges a high rate for their brake flushes claiming to use a special machine to do a complete flush. Since you had other items serviced on the car perhaps they can knock off $20 off the brake flush.
Your Honda dealer is calculating their charges “a la carte” as if you only were having one service performed at a time. Since you had several things done they should be willing to give you a better price. If not, start taking your car to a good local mechanic. Most are as good as the dealer and might be less expensive.
Let them know you are unhappy with the amount of the bill and if they don’t adjust it to your satisfaction you’ll be taking your car elsewhere for service in the future.
Yes, the bill I received was itemized for each individual item, and the warrantly work was n/c. I most definitely will go to my preferred local mechanic (Lyons at Bishops corner, West Hartford, CT) The only reason I didn’t go there in the first place was because of the engine light and the issue with warranty work. I thought it would be safer there. I wasn’t expecting brake work, but they did not seem as good as originally. This is a leased car…Thanks
The numbers sound a little on the high side but within reason for brake job and resurfacing the rotors for all four brakes (especially at a dealer). It’s been my experience that brake fluid doesn’t need to be changed during a typical brake job but however is recommended in the ballpark of every 30k miles.
The cost might be a little high but I wouldn’t consider it the highway robbery that some people are suggesting.
It’s not bad when I consider my own brake job on a 2002 GMC Sierra 1500 4WD. Four new rotors, new pads and some brake quiet gunk. I used 16 ounces of brake fluid. The price was about $230.
If I did that for anybody else I would want $950 for it. The owner would not get it back on the same day either, but I can barely lift the rear rotors.