Brake Repair Costs
When you have to have brake repair you could be faced with a big bill. But knowing what to expect can help ease the shock of the bill.
Maintenance on your car can be expensive. You don't want to be taken by surprise when you get your bill. When it comes to brake repair it can be expensive too,
depending on how much has to be fixed in order to get your car back on the road. If you are trying to get an idea of what your costs will be, then this guide can help.
The most common form of brake repair is, of course, the pads or drums. This is also one of the least expensive as well. If you don't have to replace anything but the pads, you're looking at a bill of around $75 to $100. If you take it into a mechanic, some of that cost will be their labor fees. If you are handy, these are pretty simple to replace and it can save you the labor costs lowering the bill by quite a bit, depending on what your mechanic charges in labor fees.
Another common, cheap brake repair is low fluid. Yes, it can be an indicator that there is a problem, but it could also be just time to add more to it. If that's the case, the repair will only cost you the price of a bottle of fluid. You simply add it to the reservoir's fill line, and you're finished. Be warned though, if the reservoir is completely empty then you will run the risk of getting air in the lines. If you don't know how to bleed them you should take the car in to have this done. If you do that then you will incur some labor costs.
There are a couple of brake repairs that are a little more on the expensive side. If you go to replace your pads and the rotors also need to be replaced, your total bill can go from $75 to almost $300 easily. While that is expensive, it's not the most expensive part. The master cylinder can cost anywhere from $200 to $300 to replace. If you simply have your current one rebuilt you can save some money but remember, it may fail again sooner than a new one. You need to take that into account and find out what the warranty is, if there is any on a rebuilt part.
Brake repair can be as cheap as $4 or $5 for a bottle of fluid. This type of maintenance can also be as much as $750 to $1000 if you have to have extensive work. No matter what work you have done, speak to your mechanic about what types of warranties you have on the work that is performed and how long that warranty is good for so that should something go wrong you aren't out any more money.
