The AAA suggested me to change front pad and rotor which costs nearly $300. Shall I change it myself by buying them at autozone? Is it very hard to do it? I'm a rookie.

6/13/2011 10:29:15 AM

what kind of car do you have? its usually very easy, on some cars the rotors are more difficult.

6/13/2011 10:36:03 AM

its easy, do it yourself. what car do you have?

6/13/2011 10:46:34 AM

2003 Ford taurus
I called philips 66 at avent ferry. They ask $90 for labor fee.
Also how about power steering fluch, coolant flush zerox and fuel injection cleaning? Can I do it myself?

6/13/2011 10:47:06 AM

do you have access to tools? jack and jackstands?

6/13/2011 11:02:12 AM

I probably can borrow them from a friend. Is there a garage at NCSU? I know some schools have that.

6/13/2011 11:08:30 AM

This is something you can do in a couple hours even as a rookie. Assuming you have the right tools. You could always borrow tools from Autozone for anything your friends don't have.

It's a Ford Taurus so you should easily find lots of information about it out there. Also, There should be quite a few step by step instructional videos for that car.

6/13/2011 11:24:41 AM

Quote :

"pad and rotor "

dont attempt to work on something you cant say correctly. not being an ass hole, just being serious

6/13/2011 11:41:17 AM

i was gonna make this thread too. i have a '05 toyota highlander.

6/13/2011 11:42:19 AM

^^ so because he didn't pluralize them he shouldn't work on his car? you all are silly, everyone has to start somewhere and this is a good one.

rotors are kind of a pain when they need to be pressed in (and out) of the hub but are usually a breeze. i'd definitely encourage you to go for it, you should be able to find some pretty good directions online.

as to fluids, what did they quote you? i might just give them money to do the coolant and power steering fluid and not have to deal with it. by fuel injector cleaning i'm assuming that you are talking about running some kind of additive through them? i wouldn't pay for that.

6/13/2011 11:56:10 AM

Yes. I'm an international student. So I don't take care of grammar a lot. I definitely need more practice. As you said, this is a good start.

6/13/2011 12:09:12 PM

lol @ ragged ragging on someone's spelling/grammar.

the fact that he's not a native english speaker and his posts are clear than ragged's is just gravy

6/13/2011 1:20:03 PM

^i get it all day long so i can point it out too. also its clear the op doesnt have a clue what hes doing or talking about so i pointed that out.

6/13/2011 1:30:08 PM

^ That doesn't mean he can't learn. I'll bet you were BORN with all kinds of automotive knowledge huh? And by the looks of your old mustang, driving skills too. GTFO with your negative attitude ragged...

with that said... pads and rotors are some of the easiest tasks in vehicle maintenance (generally speaking). Rotors can be difficult to remove, but not in complexity as much as the fact that sometimes they are "stuck" on the hub and take some force to remove.

6/13/2011 1:58:51 PM

^ if you must know. Ive sent respective pms out.

[Edited on June 13, 2011 at 2:22 PM. Reason : you have no clue what youre talking about. ]

6/13/2011 2:20:46 PM

i need to change my pads and rotors too (i think the rotors are warped... all of the symptoms are there but i haven't checked.)


2003 Silver Honda Accord

6/13/2011 3:08:35 PM

Quote :

"lol @ ragged ragging on someone's spelling/grammar. the fact that he's not a native english speaker and his posts are clearer than ragged's is just gravy"

6/13/2011 3:10:28 PM

^^ I know how to change them on a red accord, but not the silver version

6/13/2011 3:41:34 PM

^^^ To clarify, your brake disc rotors have an uneven deposit of brake pad material on them. You would have to severely overheat your rotors to warp them, in which case, it's also quite likely you've transferred an uneven amount of break pad material to the surface of the rotor. This is why rotors are often turned (to clean off the surface of the rotors), not so that they can be "straightened out." If your rotors warped, you'll be having issues with your wheel bearings most likely.

6/13/2011 5:17:16 PM

What are you even saying. I hope your kidding

6/13/2011 7:20:34 PM

according to

http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/wp_warped_brakedisk.shtml

he is not crazy

6/13/2011 7:36:02 PM

You're

6/13/2011 10:32:58 PM

The phillips 66 is good from what I've heard, but I'll change your brakes for half the labor cost listed above and teach you how to do it. It is easy but it is very dangerous if it's not done properly. I'm very near campus. I sent you my phone number.

6/13/2011 10:58:31 PM

what are shims, and are they essential for when trying to change your brakes?

6/20/2011 10:50:44 AM

I think autozone pads come with shims stuck on them

or that may be their "gold" line only

shim is a thin piece of metal that goes between the brake piston and pad. it's for reducing vibrations/noise and helps protect against heating the piston and thus, the brake fluid. That said, I've seen many a mom and pop shop just toss those things to the wind when doing brake services



[Edited on June 20, 2011 at 11:01 AM. Reason : question is, how much are they trying to charge for these shims?]

6/20/2011 10:58:21 AM

Quote :

"^^^ To clarify, your brake disc rotors have an uneven deposit of brake pad material on them. You would have to severely overheat your rotors to warp them, in which case, it's also quite likely you've transferred an uneven amount of break pad material to the surface of the rotor. This is why rotors are often turned (to clean off the surface of the rotors), not so that they can be "straightened out." If your rotors warped, you'll be having issues with your wheel bearings most likely."

If this is true, then why is the rotor runout so apparent when set up properly on a brake lathe with a true spindle?

And why is it that rotors at or below discard thickness develop a noticeable pulsation very quickly after aggressive stops...and again, new runout is stupid noticeable when set up on a brake lathe?

And furthermore, if materials are being deposited on the rotor's face, why aren't the different materials obvious when resurfacing? Pad material is very different from the cast iron that the rotor is made from.

Show me real documentation, provided by SAE or the like, to document the phenomenon you claim.

[Edited on June 20, 2011 at 3:32 PM. Reason : I'll believe this if you can provide irrefutable evidence. ]

6/20/2011 3:29:31 PM

I've changed pads and rotors before. (Front disk brakes on a 94 Civic)

It's worth buying the jackstands if you ever do anything else on the vehicle. It's very doable, it's just one of those jobs where you can run into random crap you didn't expect. (IE: the rotors won't come off) But that's part of any DIY job especially the first time you do it. You'll be fine

6/21/2011 7:41:35 PM