I just took my car in for the 65k maintenance and of course Lexus tells me that there is a bazillion things wrong with my car. They said that I need new rotors, pads and CALIPERs for my rear brakes. I understand that the brakes wear, but why would I need new calipers? I am not looking to spend $2k to have them do the service.

Does anyone have suggestions on slotted or cross-drilled brakes? Do you guys have any other advice for me?

 

$2K? Hell would freeze over before I paid that.
I would find me another dealership or another reputable mechanic shop for a second opinion.

 

Did they say why you needed those things? If not, ask. Including asking for the measurements they took of the pads and rotors.


And my only suggestion on cross-drilled brakes is there's no good reason to ever use them on anything but a show car. They're a negative in all functional ways.

Slotted, while it has some drawbacks in normal use, does at least provide some benefit on a car used on the track.

But if you only ever drive it on the street then blank rotors are the best thing to use.

 

They told me that the rears are measuring at 2mm and that the side pins for the calipers are seized and the calipers need to be replaced. I will do the brakes (not from Lexus) but replacing calipers on a Luxury car at 65K miles seems ridiculous.

 

Sometimes you can just have the rotors resurfaced unless your calipers were grinding on the rotors because the brakes were so low. I would take it to a brake shop to get another opinion. A brake shop such as Firestone can un-seize it also.

 

I had to do that once, get my rotors resurface.... anyways, I guess I would have taken it to a brake shop, but I was worried for them doing a not so good job.

Also, for 2k I would just upgrade to the BBK LOL

 

Is your car a 2006? There is a recall for seized caliper slide pins.

 

Do you know the name or # of that TSB? I do have a 2006.

 

^ TSB only applies if your car is still under warranty. However for an 06 the warranty is gone unless you have extended.

 

Would they fix it for free if there was a recall for the issue?

 

I am going to fight the dealer on this one. We have bought like 10 Lexus vehicles from this dealer and if there was a TSB that they didn't replace I will blow a gasket. This is something they probably conveniently forgot to check.

 

Bichon,
does this apply to other years as well? Do you have a link to the recall that I can print out?

OP,
Is this on a IS250 or 350?
I know on the IS250, you can purchase just the pins from the dealer if necessary. Be aware that the top slide pin has a rubber bushing that fits into the groove on the end of it.

There might be a repair shop in your area that specializes in Lexus who may be able to give you a second opinion (as stated above), and do the job for cheaper. If so, ask them if they use OEM parts during the repair when they give you a quote.

 

If it's a recall by any manufacturer, they are required to fix this at NO Charge (required by Federal Law). Even if you don't have a warranty, they have to fix it since it is a Safety Risk.

You should be able to search from Google on that... since it's a recall, I assume it should be available everywhere since Lexus/Toyota is required to notify all affected vehicle owners.

 

^yup... Recall means they MUST fix it - even if you are out of warranty - for FREE.

 

Although I live in Canada I do have a US 2006 IS350 and noticed there were about 6-7 outstanding campaigns for recall issues. Needless to say, the fixed everything for me free of charge and should be consistent anywhere. You could also make a log into on Lexus.com and put in your VIN to see what campaigns you have outstanding or just call. All in all recalls are free as mentioned before =)