bad breaks? need INPUT help advise?

[Sean Price]

aight everyone i have a 2000 honda civic ex sedan

and it seems the brakes are going..


I have to press on the pedal harder and further down then wud i remember to stop and it seems to take longer to stop...
I'm about to hit 60k miles with NOTHING but oil changes done to it...

so is that the brakes? or wud else could it be?


assuming it is the brakes what needs to be repaired? i'm thinking something about the shoes? what is that? how easy is it to do? can i do it? what am i lookin at in regards to cost?

is there info somehwere like a manual type to help me out in this process of changing the shoes or pads or whatever?

there a link somewhere for a helms manual?


thanks all i appreciate this and ANY help!!

one

[CivicSiRacer]

I change my brake fluid every year. What happens if you get moisture and air bubbles in it. It would be like a balloon or rubber ball between your feet and the brake pedal.

Also you prolly need new brake rotors and pads. And since you have an Ex you prolly have drums and shoes in the rear. Those stuff need changing like every 20-30,000 miles.

As for a website just http://www.google.com and look up Civic brakes

[Miataracer]

are you the original owner of the car? how on earth have you made it 60,000 miles with no brake jobs?

[Ricochet]

Brakes are easy. Just take off the brake fluid cap under the hood, take off your wheel, and go from there. Two 14mm bolts hold the caliper on, and once you get those off just pull the caliper off the rotor and swap the pads. Use a C clamp to press the piston back into the caliper to fit the new pads though, then just go in reverse and do the other wheel, then put the fluid cap back on. Start the car and push the pedal a few times to get pressure built back into the system when you're done. You can figure it out... easy.

[BullShifter]

No maint. for 60K? LOL I would suggest by starting with the 60K maintenance service, brake inspection included - replacement additional.

The dealer I worked for
60K service - $439.00
Brakes - $239.00 per axle(front or rear)

Don't skip on maintenance, that is KEY for a long lasting Honda. You have timinng belt replacement coming up @90K, there is no reason to wait! Replace the water pump at the same time.

My experience with honda's & brakes: I've seen them last as much as 75K(how I have no clue) or as little as 11,000 miles. Customer brought in a '00 V6 acc & needed front rear pads & front rear rotors. The rotors were so bad we couldn't even cut them. Hint: DO NOT ride the brake pedal.

[Sean Price]

Originally Posted by Miataracer

are you the original owner of the car? how on earth have you made it 60,000 miles with no brake jobs?

I dont know I jus figured it was a honda and EVERYBODY knowz they last FOREVER..so yeah the original owner of this car, go it wit 8 miles...

n the only reason I think the brakes are bad right now is because I have been driving 80 miles everyday, 40 to work and 40 home..and thru RUSH hour traffic, isn't that a brake destroyer? during the winter months i have my stock rims on there but durring the summer months I put my 17's on there...would that affect brake life?

and antyways guys its done, got it done ricochet was right not too hard i guess...thanks all!!

Originally Posted by jackasssi

Brakes - $239.00 per axle(front or rear)

YOU can't be serious? i only changed the front brakes and pads, it was only $20 for pads at autozone? $20 v/s $240 now you got me worried are these pads uhm inferior or soemthing? holy smokes what a price difference!!

Originally Posted by jackasssi

60K service - $439.00

basically a tune up right? is there a list you can provide me so that my dealership doesn't "jack" me on my tuneup.. does a tuneup include transmission fluid change cuz I haven't done that..

is it better for them to do it or should one do a tune up themselves?

guys I just want to say thanks for all your help n INFO!!

mad appreciated!!!

peace

one

[supapoopa]

Originally Posted by Sean Price

i only changed the front brakes and pads, it was only $20 for pads at autozone? $20 v/s $240 now you got me worried are these pads uhm inferior or soemthing? holy smokes what a price difference!!

one

$20 brake job at autozone?

He wrote that the whole job of replacing the brakes per axel is $239. Did you install the pads that you got from autozone or just stating that you can get pads at autozone for $20


Sounds like you definitly need to catchup on some maintainence if you have only done oil changes. Shop around local shops and ask around for any shops someone might recommend other then the dealer. Dealer services are pretty expensive compared to possible local shops that are just as qualified to do the same job. It's also been my experience that dealers can half ass a job just like a bad independent shop, so check around to see what other people you know recommend.

[BullShifter]

Honda's last a long time if taken care of & maintained properly.

Pad slap is easy - remove tire - remove 1 caliper bolt - remove pads - compress piston - install new pads - done. 5 min per side. Rotor cut & bleeding is important. While the brake are apart you should lube the slide pins.

"Rush Hour" traffic is a CAR killer, not just a brake killer. 17's can affect brake life/performance if the rotational mass is greatly higher than stock. If your rims/tires are 3lbs heavier than stock then it's actually like adding 24lbs (per wheel/tire) 1lbs=8lbs once its rotating.

Yep the Honda dealer I worked @ charged $239.00 per axle, $199.00 each if front & rear done + tax.(pads&rotor cut) I'm sure it's higher now because the labor rate has increased from $88 per hour to $93.00 per hour since I left. There are inferior pads & from my experience w/ Honda's I'll say that OEM works best for stock applications. At the shop I work @ now, we use a Ceramic type pads a lot & haven't had any complaints yet. We still rec. OEM pads.

60K maint. is a major tune-up. You could pick up a maint. list from your dealer(free) or purchase a Honda repair manual that will walk you through the entire process www.helminc.com 60K does include trans drain/fill. If your distributor cap & rotor have not been replaced, it's highly likely you will need those. Follow severe conditions(stop n go)

Some online manuals : http://www.icelord.net/honda/repair/

IMO it's better to have an experienced Honda tech that works on them every day do the maint service, but if you can do it yourself why pay for the labor & marked up parts? www.hondaautomotiveparts.com for wholesale Honda parts.

60K(same as 30K)
Oil/filter change - new drain plug washer
Auto or manual trans fluid change
Fuel Filter
Brake fluid
Spark Plugs
Air Filter
Tire rotation - balance extra
Brake inspection/service *adjustment for parking brake & rear drums*
Valve adjustment w/ new valve cover gasket
*Coolant changed at 45K then every 30K after that(75K next service)*
Then they will inspect the entire car looking for more work to sell to you. Like $439.00 + tax isn't enough already. Just think if you owned a new Ferrari $439.00 is only about 50% of an oil change - $750

[KSAV8TOR]

240.00 dollars for brakes per axle...WHAT A JOKE!
Well...thats why they call the dealer "THE STEALER"..LOL.
Just put 2 front calipers on @15.00 a piece,and 41.00 for pads..lets see...i think that comes to 112.00 and it took me roughly 1 hour to do it..that means the "stealer"charges around 128.00 an hour for labor...HAHAHA.