Dealer said my brakes need to be replaced next visit. Is this a realistic quote??

[CivilciviC]

OK so my two cents. Based on average pads and not some name brand street cred race brakes. I changed my front brakes with full ceramic mid range pads for 87 dollars for the pads. Changing the front pads is super simple. It is literally two pins and a spring clamp you slip the pads in done. The rear brakes you can either get a tool for free (rental) from places like autozone and force the e brake caliper back in or buy a e brake reset tool for 60 bucks from amazon and the rear pads full ceramic were again mid range 60 bucks. The rear brakes are a bit harder to do but if you can follow a youtube video I did all my own brakes in less than an hour. Took back the rental tool and all I spend was cost of the pads. I would say that dealer is ripping you a new one. I think my local dealer when I asked said a full brake job on the R was like 460 or something like that which is why I chose to do it myself. But seriously the front brakes are literally something a drunk monkey can do I wouldnt pay anyone. The rear just watch a few videos they aint hard.

Any you seriously probably do not need rotors. Unless you track it. I car that is only a year or two old should not in anyway need rotors. If they are saying you do because they looked grooved. so do everyone brakes on this car. Every single R I have ever seen with the OEM setup has grooved rotors. Its normal for this car.

That’s not necessarily true. The reason you should replace grooved rotors is due to surface contact area. The old pads had grooves that met perfectly with the grooved rotor. They wore down together. Now when you pair a new pad to the rotor, there isn’t the same surface contact area between the two. There are grooves below parts of the pad, reducing surface contact area. The whole idea behind big brakes is surface area. Manufacturers can also design in stuff like drilled holes by oversizing the rotor for more surface area. The holes themselves do nothing for stopping power as they generate no friction. There’s also uneven pressure and uneven heat transfer occurring on the pad’s surface at the groove peaks.

Realistically, I don’t think it will end in catastrophic failure and ensuing death, but pad life might be shortened overall.

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[Harlaquin]

That’s not necessarily true. The reason you should replace grooved rotors is due to surface contact area. The old pads had grooves that met perfectly with the grooved rotor. They wore down together. Now when you pair a new pad to the rotor, there isn’t the same surface contact area between the two. There are grooves below parts of the pad, reducing surface contact area. The whole idea behind big brakes is surface area. Manufacturers can also design in stuff like drilled holes by oversizing the rotor for more surface area. The holes themselves do nothing for stopping power as they generate no friction. There’s also uneven pressure and uneven heat transfer occurring on the pad’s surface at the groove peaks.

Realistically, I don’t think it will end in catastrophic failure and ensuing death, but pad life might be shortened overall.

I guess what I am trying to say is that all the rotors I have seen on all the Rs I have seen have all been grooved on the first set of pads. I find it highly unlikely that the rotors were designed to need to be replaced every set of pads. I know there will be the ones who say oh my god yes. I was saying that if the grooves were the reason for the dealer saying that they needed new rotors then thats hogwash. I put my new pads on with the grooved rotors and everything was fine. Perfectly fine. After a few miles of bedding the new pads the car stopped just as fast, actually if not faster with the new pads. Yes it might wear down the new pad a little faster at first till it matches up with the rotor surface but so what, thats what the bedding process is for. I just thing people spend way more on this car then is necessary. But if you track it or there was something else more than just those grooves on the rotors well then yes may want to spend the extra money and get rotors.

Side note (my opinion) if these rotors are considered bad and require changing just because of some grooves after the first set of pads I would think thats a manufacturing defect. I have never had a car that was new and after the first set of pads needed new rotors. That is just silly and a major waste of money.

 

[Bodhizefa]

Side note (my opinion) if these rotors are considered bad and require changing just because of some grooves after the first set of pads I would think thats a manufacturing defect. I have never had a car that was new and after the first set of pads needed new rotors. That is just silly and a major waste of money.

I completely agree. The rotors have been grooved on every R I have seen as well, and if that is cause for replacement, then Honda has a pretty nasty manufacturing defect on their hands. Alternatively, I haven't had any issues with simply replacing the pads. There's no way I am tracking this car on the stock rotors given how weak they are anyway, so I will eventually change them to something like the Girodiscs. But in the meantime, for regular everyday use, just replace the brake pads. The grooved rotors are fine.

 

[Tev42]

I'm super inept at DIY work. I don't know how to use any sort of tool, don't have a jack, jackstand, or anything of the sort. I could buy them, but the idea of someone who's completely inexperienced with this kind of work trying to do work on a car such as this seems like a terrible idea. I've watched plenty of Chrisfix videos but I can't ever muster the strength to try it myself.

Regarding replacements, I'm not exactly sure what of the three - rotors, discs and pads - actually need to be replaced and what doesn't. To that end I'm also unsure of aftermarket solutions. I checked Hondapartsnow as well to see what the going prices are and the dealer quote definitely seemed quite higher.

There is no way the rotors need to be replaced this early. I took my front brakes apart last week and it took about an hour. Do not pay those prices.

R1concepts makes a quality brake pad and I have been using them for years with no problems. Check them out at r1concepts.com

Pads should be less than $200 all the way around the car

 

[willskiGT]

I completely agree. The rotors have been grooved on every R I have seen as well, and if that is cause for replacement, then Honda has a pretty nasty manufacturing defect on their hands. Alternatively, I haven't had any issues with simply replacing the pads. There's no way I am tracking this car on the stock rotors given how weak they are anyway, so I will eventually change them to something like the Girodiscs. But in the meantime, for regular everyday use, just replace the brake pads. The grooved rotors are fine.

In what way are the stock rotors "weak"?

 

[Schmullis]

Clearly, their prices are way too high.

However, the question is if you can just replace the pads or if the rotors need to be turned. There will be labor for that. If you've been driving your Type R hard, it's conceivable that your rotors could need to be cut. The issue there is rotors can only be cut once, as thinner rotors will more easily warp.

My thought for you to think about is this: Perhaps the front rotors might need to be placed, but I'd be surprised if the rear rotors have to be replaced, given that the front take the brunt of braking.

For my BMW, when I needed brakes, I went to a local shop that fixes them, as the dealer prices were ridiculously high. They put ceramic pads on the front, same as they put on Porches. I did it, work fine, last longer and dramatically less dust!

 

[choffman41]

Having run a truck & equip. shop for 20 years with 60 on-highway vehicles, I can say that outside of extreme abuse, there's no way the rotors need to be replaced. I machined about 1 in 20 rotors and replaced about 1 in 50. Also, I find it extremely unlikely that the rears are worn the same as the fronts. I used to have to replace rears about once to every 3 or 4 fronts. This dealer is trying to rape you royally.

 

[ronny]

zeffy, don't do this job yourself. Your confidence level would make it dangerous. Everybody's not a mechanic; even those who think they are. Check around with friends and neighbors to find a shop that can be trusted. Get an estimate, or two. Be safe and save money.

 

[boosted180sx]

Also, I find it extremely unlikely that the rears are worn the same as the fronts. I used to have to replace rears about once to every 3 or 4 fronts. This dealer is trying to rape you royally.

that would usually be the case on normal cars since majority of the braking is done in the front. Mine was usually around 2-3 front to 1 rear.

however, on the CTR, if you are driving aggressively with all the aids turned on, it actually will use the rear brakes for their "torque vectoring" so the rear brakes can wear quite fast.

 

[Dirt]

I'll replace your pads and rotors for 50% off the dealer price. The rotors and pads will be from NAPA which most garages use instead anyway vs autozone and advance auto parts. Hell I picked up OEM spark plugs from NAPA at a discounted price than buying it at the dealer. Some of the stuff is usually the same.

 

[Tev42]

Do you have the brembo brake package?

Automatically equipped on Type R

 

[willskiGT]

Clearly, their prices are way too high.

However, the question is if you can just replace the pads or if the rotors need to be turned. There will be labor for that. If you've been driving your Type R hard, it's conceivable that your rotors could need to be cut. The issue there is rotors can only be cut once, as thinner rotors will more easily warp.

My thought for you to think about is this: Perhaps the front rotors might need to be placed, but I'd be surprised if the rear rotors have to be replaced, given that the front take the brunt of braking.

Why would the rotors need to be turned?

As long as they are above the minimum Brembo-specified thickness, the only thing you need to do is change the pads.

 

[Bodhizefa]

Having run a truck & equip. shop for 20 years with 60 on-highway vehicles, I can say that outside of extreme abuse, there's no way the rotors need to be replaced. I machined about 1 in 20 rotors and replaced about 1 in 50. Also, I find it extremely unlikely that the rears are worn the same as the fronts. I used to have to replace rears about once to every 3 or 4 fronts. This dealer is trying to rape you royally.

This car is built differently from the standpoint that the rear brakes are used for vehicle stabilization while being driven. This means that if you are taking turns even remotely hard, the rear brakes are being used to aid in stabilization. Think of this car as neither FWD or AWD -- more like FWD+.

 

[Bodhizefa]

In what way are the stock rotors "weak"?

I was probably a little aggressive in my wording, but overall the stock rotors are not really track-worthy. I have seen them wear out with a single day's track use, which, to me, is pretty weak given how this car was marketed. For daily use the stock rotors are fine, but the almost immediate grooving certainly doesn't inspire confidence longterm.

 

[stingray]

you can diy for much cheaper.

piece of cake. If you need to, watch a YouTube video on it. Did my CRV for under $50

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