Replacing Brake Pads

[CosmicGrooves]

I found a local service department that seems reliable to me.... mostly. Since I don't have the means, they're replacing the brake pads, turning the roaters and pack barrings if applicable... I think that's what they said.

I bought Toyota brake pads from the Toyota service department for them to put on. I wasn't sure if they would do this but they are for 109.00 an axle.

The Just Brakes, Midas and all those places seem like such scam artists. Just Brakes ripped me off years ago, right before they got busted on the News. The online Midas reviews sounded just the same.
Hopefully, buying the Toyota pads and having a local mechanic put them on seems to be the best way to get this done. I don't want to go the the Toyota Dealership for the brake job because they start trying to tell me all kinds of things need to be done and money spent.

Anyways, anyone else done this?

Oh yeah, I attached the bike rack and brought my bike to the mechanic, dropped off the car, and rode the bike home. I'll ride it back when they call me. At least I'm not sitting in the waiting room for 2+ hours.

[CosmicGrooves]

Yeah, long crazy story.

Anyways I just picked up my car and I have no uneasy feeling about any of the work they did. I never felt this good about leaving it at the dealership.

I think this is how I'll have future work done as well.

This is where I went.

http://www.kinneysauto.com

And where all the hot rods seem to go; the sister shop across the street.

http://www.kinneysmufflershop.com/

[Sparky5e]

I have a personal mechanic that services many people I work with in his home garage. He is a former toyota certified mechanic and I trust him more than a dealership.

If you find a good service center they are worth their weight in gold.

Glad things worked out well for you

[MrMikeL]

To find a good quality independent service center for your Solara, visit the AAA website (www.aaa.com), click on Automotive, then click on Approved Repair Facilities. Fill out your city & state, and a list of approved facilities appears. AAA doesnt certify everyone, so you have a good shot at finding a good mechanic this way.

[kingkakyle]

i just have the dealer do it.....
only costs a little more than my local mechanic

and if they say i need this and this and that i just say no thanks
they cant force u to do things lol

[NightRider]

Don't go to Les Schwab to have your brakes done. They did my girls brakes on her eclipse and they still sounded and felt like how they were when she brought it in. They were changed and resurfaced because i checked and looked. Still got the squeaks, Les Schwab no bueno!

[KSolara]

usually buy brakes at pepboys and do it myself

[lambition]

These days, I don't trust anyone. LOL

DIY is the way if you have tools.

Brake pad is really easy job. Don't even need much tools. (A socket wrench and a clamp is all I need)
Resurfacing the rotor is something that you cannot do at home, but you don't actually have to resurface it everytime.

When I have to resurface them, I'd just get a new set of rotors.

[NightRider]

I need to service my brakes soon. How much do pads cost these days for our solara's?

[gnegroni]

usually buy brakes at pepboys and do it myself

I'm having a slight drag problem after replacing my front and rears with the Pepboys ceramic pads. Any problems with that? It seems that my rear brakes are dragging the car and sometimes I get vibrations on highway speeds that later go away.

Didn't have those problems with the old (original) pads.

[Black Bob]

^^^^I just had all my brakes and rotors replaced, when a friend and I popped off one of the rear rotors we found that the emergency brake spring was broken and just lying inside in 3 pieces. Luckily all the rubbing that was produced didn't burn out the shoes or whatnot. Also, I would suggest to check to make sure the calipers aren't frozen (mine were) and just reinstalled by Pepboys without freeing them up.

In any case, feeling drag (no matter how slight) shouldn't be present after getting new pads. And in regards to vibrations, make sure the wheel nuts are torqued correctly, most chain shops around my way use the same setting for every car that drives in.

I might also suggest that you check your tire pressure. I went to frikken Conrad's to get a tire replaced last week and was driving home and found out the new front tire was at 38psi, the rears were at 28psi and the other front was down to 22psi--just 2 weeks earlier I personally had them all at 32psi!!!! And I have no leaks!!!! Not only was my car pulling to the left it was also vibrating, so checking that also wouldn't hurt either.

[jimmm]

The mechanic who did the last brake job on my
Solara is named Chang Soo Kim. I call him Soo
for short. He is from South Korea, but he
has been my friend and mechanic since 1980 when
he used to work on my 1966 Oldsmobile 98 in his
dad's Texaco Gas Station garage. I have lots of fond
memories of eating freshly grown Korean food from
thier garden behind the garage which his mom and
sister cooked right there in the shop. Now his dad has
retired and he is the old man at the shop, and one
of his son's works with him. He will do my timing belt
on the Solara when I am ready and I completely trust
him for all of my car needs and advice.
I went to his wedding, watched his children
grow up, and now we are both growing old together. It
is a rare thing to have such a friend who is also a great
mechanic.

[gnegroni]

^^^^I just had all my brakes and rotors replaced, when a friend and I popped off one of the rear rotors we found that the emergency brake spring was broken and just lying inside in 3 pieces. Luckily all the rubbing that was produced didn't burn out the shoes or whatnot. Also, I would suggest to check to make sure the calipers aren't frozen (mine were) and just reinstalled by Pepboys without freeing them up.

In any case, feeling drag (no matter how slight) shouldn't be present after getting new pads. And in regards to vibrations, make sure the wheel nuts are torqued correctly, most chain shops around my way use the same setting for every car that drives in.

I might also suggest that you check your tire pressure. I went to frikken Conrad's to get a tire replaced last week and was driving home and found out the new front tire was at 38psi, the rears were at 28psi and the other front was down to 22psi--just 2 weeks earlier I personally had them all at 32psi!!!! And I have no leaks!!!! Not only was my car pulling to the left it was also vibrating, so checking that also wouldn't hurt either.

Will verify the emergency brakes again and check the rear calipers...although they should not be "frozen" due to temperature (90°F over here), though will check for them being plain stuck due to rust or whatever.

Are the calipers supposed to return to their normal resting position with certain speed (slowly, faster) with normal operation? I'm planning on taking out the wheel first and watch for operation then take the caliper out to take a second look.

The mechanic who did the last brake job on my
Solara is named Chang Soo Kim. I call him Soo
for short. He is from South Korea, but he
has been my friend and mechanic since 1980 when
he used to work on my 1966 Oldsmobile 98 in his
dad's Texaco Gas Station garage. I have lots of fond
memories of eating freshly grown Korean food from
thier garden behind the garage which his mom and
sister cooked right there in the shop. Now his dad has
retired and he is the old man at the shop, and one
of his son's works with him. He will do my timing belt
on the Solara when I am ready and I completely trust
him for all of my car needs and advice.
I went to his wedding, watched his children
grow up, and now we are both growing old together. It
is a rare thing to have such a friend who is also a great
mechanic.

Yep, its nice to have a friend-mechanic like that!

[youngblood]

By 'frozen', he meant corroded/ rusted to the point of seizing. We're not talking temperature, here.

The normal resting position for the caliper and pads is only slightly backed off from the rotor. Think less than 1 mm.

Final thought-- it seems that the act of pressing the piston back into the caliper while replacing pads is the often the first time you will see the effects of a bad caliper. Remember, when you push that piston back in, it will now be operating in a different area of the caliper bore than it had been previous to the brake work. This part of the bore can become rusty over time and 'grab' the piston enough to prevent it from retracting normally.

[GzNutz]

When I had my pads replaced, I found one of my calipers to be frozen along with another caliper's bracket bent. Needless to say, a simple brake job turned into a real nightmare.