his_eminence

So I took my GS4 down to the Lexus dealership here in Tucson because they were squeaking a little. I thought it was just some vibration, but the service tech called me at work to tell me the horrible news...the front pads were only at 5% and the rear ones were at 15% remaining. I was shocked to say the least, since I've only had the car a little over 5 months. My GS was pre-owned, so a little wear was inevitable, but so much so that I only had 6 months left on them??? That was just the start of my shock. She told me parts and labor would come to $300. I know this is Lexus, but 300 bucks!?!? Am I the only one that thinks this is a little steep? Well, I hung up with her, called a few places and found that I could definitely get the pads and do the job myself for a lot cheaper. I then thought about it and decided that this is something that should not have happened so quickly into my ownership of a supposed certified pre-owned Lexus, especially given that I am not an aggressive driver nor am I heavy footed with the brakes. I called back, told the service tech this and asked her if there was anything they could do. Her Pre-owned Manager agreed to cut the price in half...$150...definitely a much better proposition. What started out as a complete disappointment turned into another example of how well this particular service tech treats her customers including myself. I hope everyone else out there has as much pleasure dealing with the service department of their respective Lexus dealerships as I do.

mooretorque

H_E, you didn't mention how many miles your CPO had when you bought it. But apparently the previous owner abused the brakes. Hard, quick stops, even at urban-setting speeds will wear pads much more rapidly than more gradual deceleration.......hopefully, the PO didn't treat the rest of the drivetrain the same way.

Good service dept you've got, too!

VQT

I think that's the going price to replace brake pads. Just ask your local garage how much to replace a regular car brake pads so you have a good idea how much to compare with the dealer.

If you do it yourself, I would guess the cheapest pads you can buy would be less than $100 for all four wheels. More expensive pads will be less than $200.

VERY IMPORTANT. Tell them to replace all brake hardware, replace all sling bushing and grease the sliding bushing at NO EXTRA CHARGE because that's what a correct brake job is. Even dealer mechanic don't do it because most car owners don't know what a brake job entails. Ask to see the old parts to make sure they did it.

How many miles on the car any way?

his_eminence

Well, there is just about 63k miles on it now...and, yes, it is possible that the previous owenr was really harsh on the brakes, so that may have been why they were so low. The problem I have with that is that it should have been noticed during the certified inspection. Granted, I too should have asked more, buyer beware and all, but the fact is, as a CPO, this should not have been a problem so soon after my purchase. Like I said though, the dealer agreed with me and lowered the price, so I really don't have much to complain about. I did call around before I gave the go ahead though, just to be sure. In fact, calling around and hearing other's prices is why I argued so emphatically with the dealer. I guess this is more or less a wake-up call to me letting me know that with a luxury car comes luxury maintenance.

alexulan

Sounds like a super deal to me. $300 is cheap!

I also have a 97 Accord and the Honda dealer billed me +$400
on all four brakes with turning the rotors.
This seems expensive, but here is what happens if you go to Joe Shmoe at your local garge.

1. They don't properly bleed the air out of your brake system.
2. Screw up the AntiLockBrake Master Cyliner/Antilock computer.
You go to the dealer six month later to get it fixed under warranty and they send you back to the shop where you got your breaks done.

My dad's car is in this boat. The master cylinder antilock computer is like $1500 bucks for the part alone.

Today's antilock brakes are more sophisticated and sometimes only the dealer has the right equipment to bleed and condition
the system. (I don't know if the Lexus dealer use special equipment to drain and bleed the brake fluid. SF Honda does.)

The $100.00 you save doing the brake job at your local garage might come back and bite you in the *** to the tune of a few grand.

I would definetly let the dealer replace my brakes.

60K miles on brakes is great. I doubt that these are the factory brakes that you are replacing. Probably the second pare. These will probably last you another 30K under normal driving.

As a comparison.
Parts alone on a ML430 brakes $350.... no labor.
The car is so heavy, normal city driving my friend got 10k miles on the fronts.

VQT

I know people works for dealer and see them in action at work
I do my own brake
Bleeding the air is the same as any other cars. My 93 Honda Prelude didn't need any special tool to bleed the air.

Do youself a favor and buy a shop manual, Lexus dealer will wants $160+, call Carson Toyota 800-908-6968 ask for Gordon. They sell Lexus parts cheaper than dealer. I paid less than $90 for mine. Without the manual and don't work on car too much you be lost. With the manual, you can fix some.

This is when your car is not under warranty anymore...