Any good retailers that do brakes?

[Forscythe87]

While i'm fairly confident and have gained a lot of knowledge in the short time i've been on this board, i'm not sure I feel confident doing my brakes.

Do places like Midas do a quality job? Or would you just recommend I do em myself? If so what are some good quality brakes and such?

[Scrapper]

i would do them myself save you alot of money. you should have a double piston in front and in rear you have to turn the calaper piston in.they sale a unnaversable tool to turn them in at autozone or advanced. that is if you have 4 wheel disk.and be sure the rubber lines arn't cracked also going in to caliper. they usually crack at top comming from master cylinder.

[jeffcoslacker]

Originally Posted by scrapper1

i would do them myself save you alot of money. you should have a double piston in front and in rear you have to turn the calaper piston in.they sale a unnaversable tool to turn them in at autozone or advanced. that is if you have 4 wheel disk.and be sure the rubber lines arn't cracked also going in to caliper. they usually crack at top comming from master cylinder.

The LS has single piston front and drum rear...it's pretty ol' school...

[jeffcoslacker]

Midas's M.O. (at least around here) is to tell you everything is bad and you need hoses and calipers, etc or they won't warranty the job.

Are you having problems with them, just worn, or what? Front, rear or both?

Have you done brakes before, if so on what type of car?

[Forscythe87]

Originally Posted by jeffcoslacker

Are you having problems with them, just worn, or what? Front, rear or both?

Have you done brakes before, if so on what type of car?

They are starting squeal and on a steep incline they sound like a metal elephant noise.

I've never done brakes, but I am pretty mechanically inclined. I'm just not sure if I wanna learn from trial and error on something this important, mainly because of risks of killing someone else if I don't do it right.

I'm mainly looking at the retail places for that reason.

If you suggest I do them myself, what kind of brakes and rotors do you recommend? I know what I need in terms of sizes and types, but know almost nothing about the performance of certain products or brands. If my rotors are in good enough shape to be resurfaced ill take them to my friends shop to do that.

[Scrapper]

that's is easy than the other set up so i would do them myself and if you think you forgot you can look at other side while your doing one side. most places will tell you 50 point check then your bill will be higher and higher. it's up to you wether you want to get scerwed or not. but good luck eather way.

[jeffcoslacker]

Originally Posted by scrapper1

that's is easy than the other set up so i would do them myself and if you think you forgot you can look at other side while your doing one side. most places will tell you 50 point check then your bill will be higher and higher. it's up to you wether you want to get scerwed or not. but good luck eather way.

You know, I think you were right...I forgot from the last time I had mine apart, but I think it does have dual piston front..but also drum rear...

I think the LTZ was the only one with 4whl disc in the last generation...

[jeffcoslacker]

Originally Posted by Forscythe87

They are starting squeal and on a steep incline they sound like a metal elephant noise.

I've never done brakes, but I am pretty mechanically inclined. I'm just not sure if I wanna learn from trial and error on something this important, mainly because of risks of killing someone else if I don't do it right.

I'm mainly looking at the retail places for that reason.

If you suggest I do them myself, what kind of brakes and rotors do you recommend? I know what I need in terms of sizes and types, but know almost nothing about the performance of certain products or brands. If my rotors are in good enough shape to be resurfaced ill take them to my friends shop to do that.

http://www.autozone.com/shopping/rep...00c15280091190

Pretty good directions here...pay close attention to properly cleaning and lubing the sliding hardware, this is key to good working disc brakes, and usually overlooked. When you get done, before pumping the brake up to seat the pads, the caliper should be so free sliding on the guides you should be able to slide it back and forth easily with a thumb and two fingers...

And be sure whether you use the old rotors or get new ones, clean the mounting surface of the hub,\ (around the lug studs) with a wire brush to get rid of any rust scale...any crud between the rotor and hub flange will make the rotor and wheel wobble slightly, and you'll feel it...

There's good directions for the rear drums in another section, but really if you've never done them it's best to have someone who knows drum brakes to show you...it can be really frustrating and there's a number of small details that need to be done right...it's one thing to read it, but doing it can be a handful until you've developed some familiarity with them. Major points are lubing the pads on the backing plate where the shoes rest, and disassembling and clean/lube the adjuster screw...both are usually dry and froze on Luminas, which is why the rear brakes don't do much...they don't adjust like they should...

[jeffcoslacker]

As far as brands, there are so many, it's hard to pick one.

Stay away from what Autozone sells, go with at least what O'Rielly or Carquest sells, NAPA even better...having a mental block and can't think of specific BRANDS, but try to stay away from stuff made in China, Malaysia, India, etc...it's cheap but not worth doing it twice...

Rotors on these are thin to begin with, usually after machining they are so close to min spec they'll warp the first time water gets splashed on them hot, so I'd replace if in question...

And remember the LS's alloy wheel lugnuts have to be torqued evenly at 100 ft/lbs or they'll make the rotors warp and it'll pulsate when you brake...

[Forscythe87]

Thanks guys. The help is greatly appreciated .

This should save me money and give me better brakes. If I don't post back here you know i've done it myself and survived.