Newbie repair questions from a new Jeep owner

[FreeBaGeL]

Hey, just got myself a used '99 Jeep Cherokee with 90k miles on it, it needs some repairs and I had a few questions about them. It's 2WD if that helps. I want to keep this thing well maintained and hopefully get another 100k miles out of it.

Brakes:
Mechanic says the front brakes are shot, he said the pads are gone and it's metal on metal, so now the calibers and rotars (one for sure, maybe the 2nd) need to be replaced. He quoted me around $400-450, is that a fair price?

Some other places quoted me less, but that was just for rotars/pads/calibers without looking at it, could there be other stuff?

Further, I talked to another mechanic and he said that if the pads were completely worn through and it was metal on metal, I would either A) hear grinding or B) not hear grinding because the caliber was shot and the car would pull heavily to a side when I hit the brakes. But, I don't hear any grinding and the car doesn't pull heavily when braking. I can see the outer pads and they're worn but not completely gone, though I can't see the inner ones. I didn't have time to have another mechanic look at it yet, could this guy be yanking my chain about the calibers and rotars needing replacing?

Tires:
Needs new tires, how much can I expect to pay for size 265/70R15 tires? Cheapest I could find was around $112 apiece, is that about right?

Waterpump:
He said if it breaks it could go through the radiator, how much should I expect to pay here?

Rear Seal and Bushing on Transmillsion:
Said around $125, sound about right?

Oil Leaks valve cover and oil o-rings:
Quoted at around $170, about right?


Thanks a ton in advance.

[scuba4321]

First lets talk about the brakes, IF you are buying 2 rotors, 2 calipers, pads plus installation 400.00 is not too bad! Take it from me, an ex-tricknician..have them Show you the bad parts while still on your Jeep before you agree to any work! If your pads have equal wear than you should not need new calipers!

I have never heard of a water pump breaking? They will start to leak most often at the weep hole on the shaft.

Tires the price seems high! You can get 31" tires for that, best thing is to check your sunday paper and compare, and what ever the tire sales guy quotes you, he can go lower, just like buying a car!

The valve cover, yes they do leak on jeeps, but first take a wrench and make sure they are tight first. 170 is a little high too!

My advise is to take your buisness to another shop!

[Po Pilot]

SUCKER!

Thats what they are saying when they saw you drive up.

You can do all this your self and save a bundle of money.

Brakes - Even if its metal on metal YOU DONT NEED NEW CALIPERS! Just get new rotors and brake shoes yourself. You can do them yourself and save big. STAY AWAY FROM MIDAS OR OTHER PLACES LIKE THAT! If there was metal on metal and its not too deep into the rotors then you can have them turned for $6 each at Autozone or Napa.

Tires - You get what you pay for. Shop around.

Water pump breaking off and going thru the radiator? Is this person an idiot???????? Waterpump is cheap and you can do it yourself. Also if there isnt coolant dripping thru the weep hole or making a grinding noise then whats wrong with it for him to say its gone out? You cant look at the waterpump and say "ITS SHOT"!

Rear Seal??? Is it really leaking?

The tranny seal is $5 and less then 45 minutes to put it in. You think $170 is fair for just that?

Oil Cover - What the poster above said.




I WOULD GET AT LEAST 3 MORE OPINIONS IF YOU CANT DO THE WORK YOURSELF!

[tblack]

Brakes are how they feel, how they look and most important, how they work. My experience on the late Cherokees is if the brakes are bad they will feel bad, look bad and work badly. The cost you are being quoted is dealer repair costs and if you can safely shop around without getting into an accident because of really bad brakes, you will get the job a little cheaper, but not much cheaper. You are probably not a Jeep mechanic, so it's better to get the brakes done by an ASE certified shop.

Tires are a subjective thing. Goodyear is coming out with the new Kevlar tires this month that are almost indestructable and they will be pushing $200 a piece. It sounds like you care for the Jeep. I would recommend Goodyear Wrangler A/Ts size 30X9.50X15, That is the largest you can get without raising the vehicle if you do not want to have any rubbing against body panels and they fill up the wheel wells real nice to give you the coolest look. When they mount them, the cool kids have them mounted white letters in so the outside is all blackwall. This way it will look stock, but clean and not geeked out. Those Wranglers you should be able to get for about $100-$120 each unless you can wait for a sale at Goodyear or get them at Just tires or on-line. The only problem is they are an on-road/off road tire and sometimes there is no warrantee if you get them cheap.

The waterpump is probably fine if it's not leaking and there is a very remote chance it will ever go through the radiator. Maybe this is one for "Myth-Busters"

Check the battery, if it is original, replace it.

tb

[FreeBaGeL]

Originally Posted by tblack

Brakes are how they feel, how they look and most important, how they work. My experience on the late Cherokees is if the brakes are bad they will feel bad, look bad and work badly. The cost you are being quoted is dealer repair costs and if you can safely shop around without getting into an accident because of really bad brakes, you will get the job a little cheaper, but not much cheaper.

That's the thing, they feel and seem to work perfectly fine. I honestly didn't even think about them until I noticed that the break pads looked worn, I would've never imagined that the inner pads were completely gone because the brakes felt perfectly normal. Just today even I had to stop short and everything worked just fine. No pull when I brake, no grinding, and it doesn't take a long time to stop. My girlfriend just had to have her whole braking system replaced, but her car literally would take 4 times as long as usual to stop if it would even stop at all, so I was very surprised when the mechanic said I'd need new rotars and calipers when my brakes feel and work completely fine. Just from driving the Jeep you would never know there was a brake problem. The mechanic said they could "lock up" at any time.

Originally Posted by tblack

When they mount them, the cool kids have them mounted white letters in so the outside is all blackwall

Really? I always thought the white on the outside looked cooler

Originally Posted by tblack

I would recommend Goodyear Wrangler A/Ts size 30X9.50X15

What tread/aspect/rim diameter are these? I didn't see them on Goodyear's website. The tires I have on there now (which are 30x9.5) are 265/70R15, only two tires show up in that size on goodyear's site, the cheapest of which is $160 I believe.

[gruntsey]

Originally Posted by FreeBaGeL

What tread/aspect/rim diameter are these? I didn't see them on Goodyear's website. The tires I have on there now (which are 30x9.5) are 265/70R15, only two tires show up in that size on goodyear's site, the cheapest of which is $160 I believe.

I'm new here, but I thought I would put my two cents in on the tire issue. I bought a used 1997 Cherokee last summer and I went round and round with myself until I finally made a decision about what tires to put on it. I ended up choosing the Wrangler AT/S (which has already been suggested) and am completely happy with them. The best price I could find in my area (northern California) was $118 each at America's Tire Co. I could have driven 100 miles to get a somewhat better price than I did get but I figured it was worth it to stay in town as I would have spent the difference in gas.
Hope this helps.

[thinmints]

[quote=FreeBaGeL]Hey, just got myself a used '99 Jeep Cherokee with 90k miles on it, it needs some repairs and I had a few questions about them. It's 2WD if that helps. I want to keep this thing well maintained and hopefully get another 100k miles out of it.

Brakes:
Mechanic says the front brakes are shot, he said the pads are gone and it's metal on metal, so now the calibers and rotars (one for sure, maybe the 2nd) need to be replaced. He quoted me around $400-450, is that a fair price?

Well first off i think you will be happy with your jeep once all is fixed, As for the Brakes you may first want to see if your jeep was included in the recall of the front rotors my 96 was included and i just took it to the dealer and they replaced the rotors FREE of charge as for the tires my jeep came with the GoodYears and they were the worst tires ive had, i now have the Firestone destionation's and i love em you can go to

Tirerack.com to compare tires and read the reviews

[FreeBaGeL]

Originally Posted by thinmints

Well first off i think you will be happy with your jeep once all is fixed, As for the Brakes you may first want to see if your jeep was included in the recall of the front rotors my 96 was included and i just took it to the dealer and they replaced the rotors FREE of charge

I talked to a guy at a brake shop today, and he says the brakes on the '99 were reDESIGNED after they were released but not reCALLED. Meaning if I want to replace anything on the front brakes other than the pads, I'd have to replace the ENTIRE front brake system, but Jeep will not pay for it :\.

[tblack]

The XJ is a fairly light vehicle and they will stop pretty well sometimes with brakes that need replacing. You will notice they stop a whole lot better with new pads and a turned rotor. I would suggest getting the brake job before you do anything else. Your rear brakes may be doing most of the work right now. You don't want that.

The Goodyear tires I was refering to are the Goodyear AT/S size 30X9.50X15. I know they will fit your 15 inch rim and they have a nice deep tread. They are a true truck tire, not the car tires that usually come with the Cherokees off the assembly line. They are on road/off road tires so they will give you good grip off-road and still give you a nice smooth ride on the road. They are a little noisy and I kind of like that brawney whine/hum they give off. It gives you the feeling you are riding in a rugged vehicle not a Honda or Toyota. Mine are two years old with 30,000 miles on them and tread and sidewalls still look new. It's a good choice. I don't like all that wheel well space you have when you are using the factory tires. I think it sort off looks geeky and too docile.

I would go to your Goodyear dealer or if you have a "Just Tires" store in your area, they should have them at a wholesale price. As an option, B.F. Goodrich also makes a very good 30X9.50X15 tire that is just awesome looking. I only went with the Goodyears to kind of keep the rig a little more original. The tires on it when I bought it new off the lot had Goodyear tires, but the smaller factory car tires.

One thing I have found universally true is that you need to go down to the tire store in person and not call them on the phone. The tire store guys have so many tire specs running through their heads if you are not confused before you call them, you will be before you hang up with them. Unless your Jeep has a body lift, 31X10X15s will rub a little, but the 30X9.50X15 are just right.

Later
tb

[sklater]

Not sure if you live in the west. But if you do, the best place service wise and being able to get the best deal is les schwab tires. They also have great warranties. But they are only in the western U.S. And with them, you can negotiate prices, like maybe drop a 100 bucks off your tires, and they aren't even paid on comisison. Just my 2 cents.

[FreeBaGeL]

I've actually read some reviews on the Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revo's and heard some really good things. I'm in Florida so not any snow down here (but plenty of rain), and I don't really do the off-roading like some, so is this just overkill?

Also their specs say they're 29.6", would these be any smaller than the Michelin's I've got on there now? Both are 265/70R15, so they should be the same size, right?

[89ltd]

black walls must be out, if you have the white letters out you will look like a sissy high school student, may as well put a STP sticker in the back window.............

[tblack]

Originally Posted by 89ltd

black walls must be out, if you have the white letters out you will look like a sissy high school student, may as well put a STP sticker in the back window.............

Don't forget the leaf spring shackle spacers to lift the back end up and the chrome tail pipe extension. Paint your rear axel the same color as the body and stick a "Moon Equipped" sticker on the banjo cover and be sure to wear your white platform shoes and polyester sansabelt pants and a Panda Bear shirt. A tape of "ABBA" in the 8 track blaring through your quadraphonic speakers will help too.

White letters out spell.........really nice guy, or someone who forgot to tell the tire store how you want your tires mounted.

Just kidding guys, I don't really care how you mount your tires! But I like white in/black out. It seems to work better for me in SO-CAL.

[FreeBaGeL]

So what's with the stigma about the white letters? I always just thought they looked better . What's the deep-seeded meaning behind having the blackwall out?