NickTee

Unless you screw it up and it costs more to fix than it would to have the work done in the first place.

roadfrog

No question, it CAN happen, but it rarely does. The value and reward of a learning experience and accomplishment of a given task is worth the minimal risk, IMHO. That said, I know my limits and would NEVER tackle something such as a transmission. That kind of repair involves dabbling in witchcraft.

CRowe14

I'd have to second mostly of what everyone has said here.
I replaced my fronts and back myself; rotors and pads, cost me a few hundred bucks and some time in my garage. Also, this was my very first brake job, so, it's doable.
Roadfrog said it best my friend. The level of satisfaction is immeasurable, and it's really not a hard job.
But do what makes you most comfortable.
Good luck!

jdiron29

$600 sounds about right, LS 460's have brake wear sensors that brake through and are about $100 a piece, one in front and one in rear. Also caliper bolts have to be replaced along with anti rattle springs and shims as required by Lexus. Most people will say you don't need them that is unless you like being annoyed by squeaky brakes. Brake calipers should not be rebuilt in any Ls460 so double check on that. And always go with oem pads, you'll avoid a lot of problems. In the end it's a Lexus and more important an LS which is the most expensive model to maintain. Dont take it to just any shop, make sure they specialize on Lexus. You'll save headaches, money, an most importantly time. Hope this helps!

CRowe14

I'll have to politely disagree regarding the statement about you "must".go with oem pads.
It's an undisputed and well documented fact that many LS owners have used Akebono pads with great success. As far as shim kits go, that's up in the air as well. I personally did y own brake job and used the same shims and have zero squeak/rattle.
But again, this is just my 2 cents and, its your call.

NickTee

That being said, if you don't have a quality tool set, don't bother. Using low quality tools yields low quality work. I got a set from Costco when they had them, high quality tools for a great price, and it has served me well for years. I eventually bought a rolling toolbox as I expanded upon it. Using those dinky 20-30 kits you find at Walmart is a good recipe for rounded bolt heads. They don't fit tightly and the play wears down the heads. I've also snapped a 3/8" cheap drive socket. Also, get a torque wrench. Sears had them on sale for $39.99 on Sunday, not sure if that sale is still going on. I also had SYWR points and saved an addition $10.

LexusManny

I just spent $238.32 to replace the front rotors and front brake pads. This included tax and labor at my local repair shop.

1. Front Rotors $59.42 (Bendix PRT5929 @ Ebay AutoParts Tomorrow)
2. Front Ceramic Brake Pads $59.90 (Akebono ACT1282 @ PlaceForBrakes.com)
3. Labor $119
4. Total $238.32

Let's see how well this setup works.

Manny

GregoryNP

Update:

Found out they were not going to rebuild the calipers. The regular price for this is $702 for brake shoes and turn rotors. I negotiated it to $492. Local Toyota dealer would have done it for $179 per axle. I learned a expensive frustrating lesson. Never go to dealer, or at least get an estimate from a comparable provider.

nthach

I stumbled in this thread while I was doing some research for my parents and their prospective LS460 purchase.

Euro-spec pads compliant to ECE90 have some graphite in them - and the Europeans still insist on a semi-metallic pad, while the US, Japanese and Koreans are still using non-asbestos organic brake pads. Ceramic is a marketing buzzword.

There are also only handful of OEM friction suppliers as well - Akebono, Nisshinbo, Advics, Federal-Mogul and a few others. Nisshinbo - also known as NBK bought out TMD Friction who is an OEM supplier to all the European OEMs, and Federal-Mogul who is known for their Wagner aftermarket brake brand bought out Honeywell's friction division including Jurid who also supplies OEMs in Europe. The pads you get from an auto parts store won't be an exact match to OEM but if you get one from the OEM supplier, chances are it will be close. However, some aftermarket brands like Wagner do have fit issues, caveat emptor.

Doublebase

You did very well for yourself, it doesn't even look like they marked up the parts.

Doublebase

I agree 100%, in fact I didn't replace any of the hardware either and everything is fine. In fact I never even turned the rotors.

wayman28

As another data point my Lexus dealership charges $210 per axle in labor to replace or turn rotors and to replace the brake pads. In other words they charge the same for replacing the rotor and turning it, and they don't charge "extra" for replacing the pad since they're taking the rotor off anyway. My local indepedent mechanic charges $150 per axle for the same labor which isn't much of a discount.

I bought Akebono pads for both front and rear for a total of about $100 on Amazon.

Does anyone have a recommendation for good aftermarket rotors?

roadfrog

I used Bendix rotors. Replaced them about a year ago and they're performing flawlessly. I paid about the same as the others who posted above....about 60 bucks for bother fronts and free shipping (Ebay). Can't beat that.

NickTee

What's the weight comparison between the OEM and your aftermarket? I wonder if part of it is Toyota using lighter rotors to reduce rotating mass, because additional rotating mass has a relatively large impact on performance compared to static weight gains, but it results in rotors that more easily warp.

swfla

iTrader: (1)

Regarding rotors. It's not clear to me. Are Toyota brand rotors lighter and wear quicker? Can oem be turned down safely? It's clear that many have used aftermarket rotors successfully. Are these more friendly to being turned down? I'm a gentle driver but wouldn't knowingly want a measureable decrease in stopping power/safety. I also like to be smart with my repair dollars. I had a Volvo once and the mechanics told me the rotors are made to be replaced instead of turned down. That's why I'm unsure in this case. Thanks.