Brakes!

I recently noticed that while braking my car tends to shake and pull to the right and squeel like a stuck pig, so I took it to a nearby place to get a free brake check. They said that it pulled because the pads in the front end were not worn evenly and that it shook because the rotors were old or something. They told me that I needed new rotors, pads, and ithink they said callipers, basically everything. Their estimated price was $660. Is it safe to drive for long on my old brakes? And is their price reasonable?

well yea the price is reasonable but i can tell you right away your rotors are worped thats why your car shakes. sometimes they can put them on a machine and cut them if there not to bad. but if your brake pads are worn pretty bad i wouldnt drive the car that much

I don't suggest to drive around with this braking system. It is very dangerous when you drive fast. Save money and fix it ASAP!!!

wonderfull :banghead:, maybe I can con my folks into paying for it since they value my safety and know that I don't have that much cash, and since i'm jobless now, won't have it in the near future! Would it be good if I bought some aftermarket roters/callipers? and how much would that tack on to the price?

racer6, is that your car in your signature? If so, damn, it looks identical to mine. '94 SL right? LOL Is the paint color Danube Blue Pearl Metallic? Also, do you have a sunroof? How much did you get it for??? :)

Hijack!!! :nono: :lol:

yea my car has the same paint as you and it's a 94 sl yea it has a sun roof when i got it it had 80,000 miles and i paid $9,000 but they wanted 12 but i talked them down

Thourun, my advice:
rotors are definantly warped as racer said. If you have any knowledge of changing your brakes you will save a bit of money for yourself. And if you don't, but can locate someone near you, it may be a good idea. First off, the rotors(depending on how bad they are) may not need replacing, and you may be able to take them to a brake place and have them turned(ie, a bit is shaved off with a lathe to even the surface out again) this usually costs $7 per rotor...a hell of alot cheaper than new rotors. However, places can only do this if the rotor isn't too badly screwed up, otherwise, they would shave off too much and the rotors would become too thin. So ask if that is a possibility. Now as far as that 660, ask them to break up that bill, and see what they are charging for what. It would be more beneficial(most likely) to by performance parts online, and bring them the parts and have them just install them, or like I said do it yourself/with the help of someone who knows what they are doing. Brake jobs aren't hard, just a bit intimidating the first time. As far as the calipers being replaced...I don't know if they would need to be replaced...it's possible, but like I said, I don't know, I wouldn't think it is necessary, so try and get a 2nd opinion and see what they suggest. Free brake places usually offer free consultation, so people will go to them...then they tell you they need to replace everything...after that, they have gained enough in profit to cover the $20 diagnostic fee that everyone else charges. Since you are replacing your pads and rotors, I would upgrade a bit, and if you do your shopping online, you may just be able to get good parts for cheaper than what that place would charge you for average parts.
www.3sxperformance.com
www.tirerack.com
both are good places to check out pads and rotors

I recommend Stillen Metalmatrix pads, or EBC Greenstuff pads and you can find them on those two sites for pretty cheap. Get some other members of this boards' opinions about which rotors to purchase, as I am still running my stock ones. But I hope all that helps some.

Thourunm my badd bro. I seem to always hijack your threads. Hehe I go off on tangents easily so yeah, sorry about that....

And dude, racer6, I think our car's identical. LOL Creme interior right. And the sunroof is manual? And man, we even paid the same price for it. Dude wanted like $13K for it and I was like hell naw so I talked him down to like $9K. Still alot but I love her so it was worth it. But then there's tax and registration at the DMV so that pretty much bumped everything up to $10K. :( But yeah, that's sweet bro.

Hehe, I was kidding Slade, I don't care if my threads get hijacked into small conversations between two people, if they end up becoming a fight.... :nono:.

Thanks Vert500, that realy helped! I was skeptical about the callipers aslo, i'll try to get an estimate on wheather or not they can shave the stock rotors (my dad suggested the same thing). I went to another place today to get a second opinion but they charged the $20 like you said and I didn't have enough cash on me lol. I'll look into aftermarket rotors and pads and stuff but I don't know if I will be able to put them on myself, how are rotors attached? If they are welded forget about it lol.