2009 CRV brake maintenance question

[alapointe]

My daughter has a 2009 Honda, she bought it last year slightly used with 12K miles on it. She does much highway driving and is currently at 38K miles. This past week she got her 36 mile service from the dealer. About $200, it included oil change, brake inspection, transmission fluid change and differental fluid change. On the invoice they recommended a brake service that includes: resurfacing rear rotors and servicing pads, and servicing front brakes - cost $370. While they said it wasn't critical it was highly recommended as a complete brake job could run her $1700. She was unsure and decided to pass on it and to ask me. I'm not a mechanic but know enough to do some research. Attached to her invoice was the vehicle inspection sheet. Everything was checked off in the green box except front brakes were in yellow, 7mms, with the comment getting sticky. The rears were checked on the line of yellow/red, 6mms, with the word frozen. No comment or reference made regarding the saftey brake.

My questions: Is $370 for their recommended service reasonable? Is this a normal service item for her vehicle. This is her frist "new" car and first Honda in the family. Second if a report has the word "Frozen" listed isn't that something serious that should require immediate attention? I want to advise her properly. So far she has been meticulous regarding maintenance, recently put on new tires and has even waxed it every 3 months. Thanks in advance for comments.

[Shryp]

The sticky and frozen are probably referring the slider pins. Some searching here and youtube will show you how to grease those yourself. As for the pads there was someone else saying recently they just them them go to about 1mm or when they start squeaking and then just replace the rotors too.

If you are the DIY type this is a pretty easy fix to do yourself.

Rotors are about $25 - $45 each and pads are about $20 - $40 per set.

Sounds like for the $370 they are going to grease the front and rear slider pins, replace the rear pads and surface the rear rotors. That would probably run about $55 to do yourself.

[tcmalker]

The sticky and frozen are probably referring the slider pins. Some searching here and youtube will show you how to grease those yourself. As for the pads there was someone else saying recently they just them them go to about 1mm or when they start squeaking and then just replace the rotors too.

If you are the DIY type this is a pretty easy fix to do yourself.

Rotors are about $25 - $45 each and pads are about $20 - $40 per set.

Sounds like for the $370 they are going to grease the front and rear slider pins, replace the rear pads and surface the rear rotors. That would probably run about $55 to do yourself.

+1 Do it yourself! It's super easy to do.

[11Molavi]

You might not even need to resurface the rotors if you are doing it yourself. If you get vibrations then you will do it. With 7mm of pad material left I doubt you have rotor damage, unless you have pulling/vibration right now.

[mark318]

Just pop the pads off and put on some new ones. < $50. There are videos on U Tube shows how. So easy. All the places will tell you the same thing until you just tell 'em to change the pads. But then I've been a mech for 40 yrs.

[Ratchet]

. . . My questions: Is $370 for . . .[resurfacing rear rotors and servicing pads, and servicing front brakes ] . . . reasonable? Is this a normal service item for her vehicle[?] . . . Second if a report has the word "Frozen" listed isn't that something serious that should require immediate attention? . . . .

Mr. Alapointe: As others have noted, if you or (heaven forbid) your daughter were to do the work you described, you could save a good bit of money. But you didn't ask what it would cost if you did the work yourself, so let's move on to your questions.

First, let's define a few terms so we are thinking the same thoughts.

"Resurfacing" is a process that involved "turning" a brake rotor in a device that grinds off a portion of both sides of the rotor until the resurfaced sides are smooth. It's a common industry practice, but I don't recommend it for your daughter. Why? Simply because that grinding process obviously reduces the thickness of the brake rotor and this, in turn, makes it much more susceptible to distortion or warping. That often results in a nasty vibration, which then requires either regrinding the brake rotors or replacing them.

Why would anyone resurface brake rotors rather than replacing them? To save money, of course. But (IMHO) it's a false economy and almost invariably results in having to replace the rotors within a few thousand (12-15k) miles, which is likely if your daughter uses her brakes a lot or applies them heavily (say, at the end of an freeway off ramp).

So, let's discuss the cost of Honda replacement parts so you can decide what's best.

Replacement rear brake pads are $58 for a set of "Genuine Honda" pads. You can buy them online for less (approximately $40), but then you have to pay for shipping, another $12 or so. New rotors are $102 each (or $71 each online plus shipping). So, you're looking at $262 retail for parts. Add an hour for labor to do the work. Ballpark estimate, $350. The alternative, resurfacing the rotors instead of replacing them, would reduce the cost by roughly half.

Returning to your questions, the estimate you were given included "servicing the front brakes," but that doesn't tell you much, does it? (It also didn't tell you what might be "frozen.") My guess is that "servicing" includes removing the front brake pads and the devices that hold them in place ("slider pins" and clips), cleaning & lubricating those items, cleaning the brake calipers, and reinstalling the pads. That should take about 30-40 minutes. Add to that the cost of shop supplies. Ballpark estimate, $90.

So, resurfacing the rear rotors plus new pads and servicing the front brakes totals approximately $270 plus tax and, usually, a charge to dispose of the used brake pads. (As aggravating as that is, disposal of parts is usually the subject of state disposal laws. Brake parts cannot simply be thrown away.)

Thus, the estimate you were given is high (IMHO). Not outrageous, but still high. And, obviously, it would be much higher if you include the cost of new rear brake rotors and new front brake pads ($75, retail; $52 + shipping online), something we haven't discussed.

Can you get this work done more cheaply elsewhere -- someplace like Midas or Autozone, etc.? Sure. But if you do, there's a good chance the replacement brake rotors will be Chinese, the brake pads Mexican, and work will be done by someone who may or may not be familiar with your daughter's Honda. That's why people often choose to get their work done by a Honda store if they can afford the expense.

Here's my recommendation: Ask to speak to the service manager at your Honda store. Discuss this with him. Ask him what specifically will be done, and after he gives you an explanation, ask if he can do the work for less than the original estimate. Be reasonable. You now have an idea of what's involved, and you can decide what's best for your daughter and can negotiate what you think is a fair price.

[downunder47]

While they said it wasn't critical it was highly recommended as a complete brake job could run her $1700.

My questions: Is $370 for their recommended service reasonable? .

No! And his price for a complete brake job is about $1,000 too high!

The sticky caliper slider tends to move to make contact when braking so it feels normal but sticks and fails to release. My'07 did this and the dealer claimed that when this happens it can grind a pad to metal to metal in only a few thousand miles. And it will very likely be the outer pad to be ground away so the wear indicator on the inner won't indicate so the first indication you may have is the outer pad grinding metal to metal.

To "service" the sliders on all four ought not cost more that an hour labor? Period. I would do that.

On the other hand, you, or someone you trust, ought to CLOSELY inspect the pads to make sure they are wearing at about the same rate. If all 4 pads on each axle are about the same thickness, servicing the sliders is probably all you need. On EX and EXL this can be done with a flashlight through the wheels.

But then, of course, this is all predicated on there being NO symptoms of poor brake performance such as pulling either way when braking, vibration when braking, or requiring excessive pedal pressure? If you have any of these symptoms you may need the services they suggest.

If it drives good and stops good, freeing and lubing the rear sliders is probably all you need. Should be an hour or less.

And then with all this I would take it to another dealer and tell them the rear brakes don't feel quite right just for a second opinion.

[KnowNot]

So, let's discuss the cost of Honda replacement parts so you can decide what's best.

Replacement rear brake pads are $58 for a set of "Genuine Honda" pads. You can buy them online for less (approximately $40), but then you have to pay for shipping, another $12 or so. New rotors are $102 each (or $71 each online plus shipping). So, you're looking at $262 retail for parts. Add an hour for labor to do the work. Ballpark estimate, $350.

Sorry for reviving an old thread here... but have a question regarding the following:

1) where would you recommend buying brake parts - rotors and pads?

2) Do new rotors need to be turned slightly or are they acceptable to mount and go from the mfg?

3) I've read a little about ceramic brakes for CRV; what type are recommended?

4) I can weild a wrench but have no specific knowedge of new-fangled items like late model cars. What is the degree of difficulty of a brake job on the CRV? Would you recommend DIY or Pro?

Thanks for any input, KN

[dernp]

I just did the front pads and rotors on my /08. Total cost was $125. I got the parts at AAP in Pt Huron MI. It's a breeze. The rotors are good to go right out of the box. No turning needed. Degree of difficulty is a 5/10.

[8695Beaters]

Sorry for reviving an old thread here... but have a question regarding the following:

1) where would you recommend buying brake parts - rotors and pads?

2) Do new rotors need to be turned slightly or are they acceptable to mount and go from the mfg?

3) I've read a little about ceramic brakes for CRV; what type are recommended?

4) I can weild a wrench but have no specific knowedge of new-fangled items like late model cars. What is the degree of difficulty of a brake job on the CRV? Would you recommend DIY or Pro?

Thanks for any input, KN

1) I put EBC brake pads and rotors on my 1997 CR-V. They have worked perfectly and make no noise, very little dust, and were far cheaper than Honda's parts. I bought my brakes from Summit Racing. I have also used Prostop parts (the Pep Boys brand) with good success. I tow with my CR-V and off-road it as well, so I wanted the extra fade resistance and self-cleaning the EBC brakes offered.

2) No. Follow the manufacturer's recommendations for break-in. It will be listed on their website. Every brake maker has a slightly different procedure, so make sure you follow the directions for the brakes you buy.

3) The biggest benefit of ceramic brake pads is low dust and noise. Again, I used EBC Greenstuff pads and they work great. They were a bit noisy for the first 200 miles or so, but after they broke in they were silent and have very little dust. I would recommend them any day of the week. They are cheaper than a lot of other ceramic pad options and work very well.

4) Modern disc brakes are super easy. On CR-Vs (and most Japanese cars for that matter), you simply remove the caliper, the caliper mounting bracket, and the screw(s) that hold the rotor to the wheel hub. Push the caliper's piston in with a big c-clamp, and put it all back together. If you use Google, you can find tons of videos and how-to guides for this job. I did the front brakes on my mom's car in 50 minutes using nothing but hand tools. A handy tip I figured out for removing the rotors is here: Easy Brake Rotor Removal Tip It will save you a TON of time and furstration when removing your rotors.