brakes have been grinding and squeaking a lot lately so i coughed up $170 and took it to the dealer, only to be told that i need all four calipers and brakes to the tune of $3K :'D

now i have all the parts lined up to order, but i was thinking, "how about having them rebuilt instead?" would that just be delaying another rebuild for a couple years or just replace them and be done.

i posted my parts list below, if im missing anything please alert me.

i plan to order these tomorrow.

 

What did they say was wrong about your calipers? And what caused their demise?

 

they said theyre seizing and causing uneven wear on the pads/rotors

 

It's very hard to say without seeing the state your calipers are in. If you're mechanically inclined and a DIYer, I would visually inspect it and see exactly how bad your calipers are and then research what's involved to get them back in working order. Then weigh that with the cost of buying and replacing all of it. Generally, calipers that tend to seize up means they're salvageable. Strip it down, clean it up, replace the parts (dust boot, o-ring, etc.), lubricate the parts that need it, etc. I'm over simplifying but you get the idea. I've seen calipers burnt to a crisp that were restored. They're a pretty bullet-proof car part, but I have seen a cracked piston, however.

 

im gonna call the shop that im going to take them to, and ask for a rebuilt estimate then just get pads/rotors.

now if the pistons are the issue, would that warrant a new caliper or can they be sourced?

front caliper piston:4773160300
front seal kit:0447860080

rear caliper piston: 4773160020
real seal kit: 0447960030

thanks

 

I wouldn't trust the dealer. I have seen far too many instances of dealers raping their customers for money. Get a second opinion about the calipers in particular.

 

Sounds like the dealer is going the easy way and just replace instead of repairing, could also be that their hourly rate vs new parts it might be so close that it does not make sense for dealer to repair.

Pending how you drive, I would say that rear calibers could be seized /not moving, but front I have hard time believing they are seized.

One factor is also the location you are in, are you in dry California or up north where they use salt in the winters to keep road more drive able?

As Seanzky mentioned, need to see the calibers at what state they are in. Take it to an independent repair shop and get their opinion as well, if you know and honest shop in your area.

 

I had my 4Runner front driver caliper freeze up twice during our time owning the truck (purchased used). Definitely could see one piston pretty much stuck and causing the un-even wear. I'm surprised all 4 of your calipers are affected. After the second time (approx 2.5 years later) I started to research and from my findings one possible cause is the brake fluid and having moisture present in the fluid. This was my first 4runner (2003 limited V8) and was just learning/diving into doing all my own DIY/maintenance.

Purchased this off of amazon to test moisture in my fluid resi. Came up "red" as the fluid was original and by this time over 6 years old.

Since that truck I check my vehicles about once every 18 months and routinely flush the system. Ordered a set of speed bleeders http://www.speedbleeder.com for my last 4Runner. Makes changing the fluid a one person job. Surprising how moisture seeps into the system over time. Since my 2003 4Runner and having several 4Runners since then I've not had any pistons freezing. Only thing I did differently was test and flush the brake fluid. The wife's 19 GX will be getting its first brake flush this spring and will also be putting on speed bleeders.

 

Check if the pads are the problem, they can rust on the part that slides on the caliper and not retract with the piston. I had this happen to a car not driven regularly.

 

called shop that I plan to have install all the parts, and they said that they don’t do repairs.

there are a couple shops that i’ve been recommended and ill call and ask them if they do repairs, if not i’ll get the parts ordered and get this done.

i drive my gx like a sports car and im up north. the noise started the day after the recent snow storm. i can hear it while driving and it gets louder when i brake, i can also feel it in the pedal


all the shops i called don’t do rebuilds, so new parts it is.

 

i drive mine daily, before any work is done i will get a second opinion.

 

Autozone / Orielly's carry reman Calipers for roughly 75-80$ a piece for the front one's. My front right caliper piston was seized few months ago, just got these reman calipers from Autozone and replaced both the front ones.. It's been 15k miles with the replacement and all looks good.

On the reman caliper, they do put in new pistons and rubber seals, should be as good as new calipers.

 

hindsight 20/20

ive already ordered the parts, just waiting for them to ship.

 

You learn from mistakes, some learn more than others

I would have gone with new parts and done it myself, had not thought about the reman from Autozone or similar.

 

I would be very surprised if all 4 of your calipers were seized at the same time, seems very unlikely.