$1000 Brake Pads + Brake Rotor from Ultra Tune (Ford Mondeo 2012)

Lzzpy20 on 15/01/2019 - 21:49
Last edited 16/09/2019 - 18:58 by 1 other user

Hi everyone, I had my 2012 ford Mondeo serviced today(done 98,000KM), got told I needed to change the all the front and rear brake pads, plus the 4 brake disc rotors needed replacing and they can't machine the surface as it'll be too thin(illegal). I questioned it on the phone as it's rare to replace 4 brake pads at the same time, also why would I need to replace the 4 disc rotors. So I popped in without prior notice to have a look how bad those brake pads or disc rotors were. They showed me the almost worn out brake pads(I wasn't sure it was from my car), also the disc rotors were about 1mm worn out from the edge, but the surface was perfectly smooth, no ridges or grooves. The manger insisted they must be replaced(legal issue again) after I questioned can't I just leave them as they are, because 1mm from each side won't matter too much as the new brake pads are at least 15mm thick. So I had to let them do what they suggested. They already changed the front disc rotor when I arrived.

Then after I came back, I kept thinking, how stupid I was to let them continue to replace all the disc rotor. I suddenly came to realise that those 4 disc rotor were definitely fine, there was no legal issue as such. Many cars would have that kind of wear on the disc rotors. I got cheated from my gut feeling.

They charged $260 for replacing brake pads(4 wheels), and 4 disc rotors for $490, labour for replacing these are $230. Total $969.

To give a little background about me, I am an Asian guy looks about 30Y old. And I certainly don't sound/look like I know much about cars. After I told the story to my colleagues, they all think I got ripped off.

Can anyone share some comments about this?

  1. Were the disc rotors needed to be changed? ( 1mm worn out each side, no ridges or grooves)
  2. The money they charge are reasonable? (I am in Brisbane Metro)
  3. If I feel being ripped off/ cheated, any place I can lodge a complaint? or deal with the Mechanic directly.

This happened in a Ultra Tune branch in QLD.

Thanks so much guys.

Automotive

Comments

            • brendanm on 18/01/2019 - 11:24

              @smpantsonfire: And where did you get the parts from? Pelican parts or eBay or similar?

              • smpantsonfire on 18/01/2019 - 14:09

                @brendanm: Clickable automotive, OEM or same factory, Australian site pay in Australian dollars $10 shipping for nearly everything I've bought.

                • brendanm on 18/01/2019 - 15:01

                  @smpantsonfire: So not somewhere a mechanic normally buys from to get parts within 30 minutes or so. Really need to compare apples with apples here.

                  • smpantsonfire on 18/01/2019 - 18:17

                    @brendanm: Try harder

                    • brendanm on 18/01/2019 - 21:58

                      @smpantsonfire: Sorry? How is you ordering parts from some random place online the same as a mechanic getting them in 15 minutes from global, bursona, hsy etc? It's not.

                      "Your brakes are on metal, but I'm ordering them online so I'll hook you in to get them replaced in a week or so when they arrive, can't drive your car until then though. But you will save $100!!"

    • zzpy20 on 15/01/2019 - 23:44
      +1

      Thanks for your input. Understood.

  • [Deactivated] on 15/01/2019 - 23:28
    +2

    Too late for OP, but (my opinion only) :

    I WOULD NEVER TRUST ULTRATUNE SINCE I GOT SCAMMED 30 YEARS AGO (yes I have a long memory for some things not so much for others)

    Source: in the days when cars had carbys and spark plugs (normal spark plugs which cost $2 each, not the modern ones that cost $400 each!!!), they 'reconditioned' my carby (NO they did not, only cleaned it up a little and adjusted throttle) and only replaced 2 spark plugs out of 6. They scammed me, not because I did not pick it up, but because I made a choice not to bother with consumer affairs and just paid to get my car back.

    EDIT: OK, after my rant above, recently I did pay $600 to replace rotors and brakes on a transit van that in my opinion were just fine. But that was to get a roadworthy to be able to register it.

    In life you have to make compromises. OP, just consider it a lesson learned and move on :)

    • pegaxs on 15/01/2019 - 23:37
      +3

      So, let me get this straight… don’t trust any Ultra Tune, because you feel like you got ripped off 30 years ago at this one franchise and did nothing about it at the time??

      Username doesn’t check out…

      • [Deactivated] on 15/01/2019 - 23:43
        +2

        As I said my opinion only…. and I paid because they would not give me my car back until I did.

        You want details (ok I can't sleep anyway):

        I would not trust any UltraTune because they explained to me their business model:

        Example: They will charge you to "change spark plugs", and while you presume they will change ALL spark plugs, you would be surprised. They will then go and have a look at each spark plug and evaluate if that individual soark plug needs changing. If not, back it goes into your car. Then the next one. Even if NO spark plugs were changed, they will still charge you for the time they took to look at each spark plug.

        So yes, I do not trust any ultratune because their buseness model is designed to scam you (my opinion only). If they have changed their business model I am happy to be proved wrong.

        • pegaxs on 16/01/2019 - 00:07

          Soooooo, you want them to spend labour checking your spark plugs, but you don’t want them to charge you for removing the plugs, checking, testing, cleaning, gapping and refitting them? They should only get paid if they replace them?

          And you distrust every Ultra Tune based on this one interaction at a single franchise from 30 years ago…

          • [Deactivated] on 16/01/2019 - 00:08

            @pegaxs: "business model"

            Good night :)

            • pegaxs on 16/01/2019 - 00:21

              @[Deactivated]:

              they will still charge you for the time they took to look at each spark plug.

              OMG! Those bastards… wanting to get paid for labour costs. What a shitty “business model.” Honestly, who charges for labour?

          • macrocephalic on 16/01/2019 - 12:43
            +1

            @pegaxs: The issue there is that the labour cost of checking the spark plug would be disproportionate to just replacing it. Why bother taking a plug out and looking at and not replacing it (at a few dollars each)?

            • pegaxs on 16/01/2019 - 14:06

              @macrocephalic: Possibly by today's standards, but not by 30 years ago standards.

              30 years ago, spark plugs would have been more expensive than today when compared to wages at the time. So, it was very common practice 30 years ago to remove, inspect, clean, blast, re-gap, test and reuse plugs that worked ok.

              So, to be that bitter to hold a 30 year grudge over what would have been a standard practice back then and hold all Ultra Tune franchises accountable is just childish and unreasonable.

            • HighAndDry on 16/01/2019 - 17:38
              +2

              @macrocephalic: Because then you'd have OP here complaining that the mechanic charged him for replacing perfectly fine and working spark plugs.

    • zzpy20 on 15/01/2019 - 23:48

      Thanks for that. Have read some comments like yours on google review for some ultra Tune stores.

      • bnebgnhunter on 16/01/2019 - 00:53

        Irrelevant

        They’ve performed a task within dollar spec for your car
        Go complain somewhere else
        People like you on the road are the dangers to society driving bombs not up to road worthy standards

      • bnebgnhunter on 16/01/2019 - 00:54

        As others have said numerous times
        They haven’t ripped you off (:

    • brendanm on 16/01/2019 - 08:19
      +2

      Lol please show me a spark plug that is $400, I'll wait patiently.

      • pegaxs on 16/01/2019 - 14:10

        One of my cars needs iridium plugs, and they are still only about $28 each.

        I'm keen to know if these $400 plugs as well.

  • dcep on 15/01/2019 - 23:57
    +5

    what are the odds of both front & rear wear at the same rate ?

    • [Deactivated] on 16/01/2019 - 00:05
      +3

      Indeed.

    • zzpy20 on 16/01/2019 - 00:18
      +2

      exactly, that's why I was suspicious.

    • bnebgnhunter on 16/01/2019 - 01:37

      Depends how you drive I guess ?

    • smpantsonfire on 16/01/2019 - 18:52

      The fronts could have been replaced before, making it 2:1, who knows we don't have enough info

      • dcep on 16/01/2019 - 20:47

        OP owns the car new and never replaced them before

        • smpantsonfire on 16/01/2019 - 23:37

          Ah I thought he said he's only had it a year and a half somewhere.

    • brendanm on 17/01/2019 - 08:22
      +1

      Pretty good actually on a Mondeo. I've seen them wear out tears before fronts. Pajeros commonly wear rears out well before the fronts. Depends on brake bias, diameter of rotors, surface area of pads, weight distribution of car etc etc.

      Love all the people talking crap who don't have the first idea about any of this.

      • gtech on 17/01/2019 - 15:35

        So true, plus the fact that a lot of the driver assistance (ie traction control etc) features found in modern cars utilise breaks for their functions.

  • [Deactivated] on 16/01/2019 - 00:03
    +1

    Just an addendum: (just using long words from my BA education, joke from another thread :)

    There was a chain called Brakes Plus who used to do CHEAP brakes, like $99 for medium cars like yours. In my experience they only did what you asked for, no more. Did not push unneccessary work on you.

    But a seach just now found that nearly all if not all of them are gone. Some have been bought out by Midas, others just completely dissapeared.

    Why is this so if they were so honest? I will leave that question to those here who are better at conspiracy theories than me :)

    • pegaxs on 16/01/2019 - 00:17
      +5

      It’s because $99 brake replacement is an unsustainable business model. You have to use the lowest quality parts, tools and labour you can get. You have to pump the cars in one door out the other with a high rate of turn over.

      Pumping cars through at the required rate using the shittiest parts and labour you can find results in lots of reworks. Not to mention you need a constant, never ending stream of customers to churn through in a day to actually make any money. The margin on $99 brake replacements would be next to zero.

      They didn’t push any work onto people because they would not have had time/skills to do anything more than pads and discs.

      This is hardly a conspiracy theory, it’s just shitty business practices. It might work short term, but was never sustainable, regardless of how honest/dishonest they were.

      Or, you know, they may have just not charged labour costs. Finally caught up with them…

      Cheap brakes comes under the “get what you paid for” category.

      • AdosHouse on 16/01/2019 - 01:14
        +3

        I agree with what you say.

        And holy shit, brakes and tyres are 2 things I never cheap out on. On my VY Commodore, where parts (including brakes) are a dime a dozen, I paid $100 PER disc, that's just the disc, I did the work myself.

    • brendanm on 17/01/2019 - 08:24

      They are all gone? Wow, who would have thought making a loss on every job was a bad business model?

  • AdosHouse on 16/01/2019 - 01:25
    +1

    Here I am just wondering how OP managed to get 100,000km out of a set of discs and pads.

    OP the price paid isn't outrageous, not great, but not bad. Ask them what brand pads and discs they used.

    • bnebgnhunter on 16/01/2019 - 01:35

      Easy enough to do with highway driving
      I’m up to 102k on original discs in my BK Astra 2017 R, still got plenty of meat on them as I drive highway kms every day

      Dreading my first rotor replacement all around though

      • AdosHouse on 16/01/2019 - 01:47

        Yeah fair point.

      • smpantsonfire on 16/01/2019 - 18:53

        1000ks a week no thanks

  • Slippage on 16/01/2019 - 07:44
    +1

    I'll echo everyone else. seams reasonable.

    And 100,000kms out of the originals seams great! but it really does matter what brand they used. for example just the fronts on my car (pads and rotors) are ~$2,000 + labor and i don't get 100,000 out of them

  • TheOtherLeft on 16/01/2019 - 07:55

    I feel changing the fronts at 100k km is very reasonable. However I'm suspect of the rears needing replacing as they're used substantially less then the fronts.

  • Rawrkun on 16/01/2019 - 08:40

    Have u had the car for long or did you bought the car second hand from someone else..

    The Mondeo has never been a reliable car, and there're lots of issues with it, from the DPF filter, gearboxes, A class action lawsuit, etc

    Most dodgy sellers will just patch it up, and tweak the odometer lower so they can score a quick sale.

    Source: I've got ripped off previously… hopefully you experience will be better.

    • zzpy20 on 16/01/2019 - 11:57

      Second hand, I've had it for about 1.5 years, bought it from a private seller. The car has been fine, but who knows how reliable it will be in a few years time.

    • AdosHouse on 17/01/2019 - 23:27

      Bloody Mondeos. My parents had one a bit over 10 years ago, we were told by the mechanic to get rid of the thing because the insulation on the electrical cabling was crumbling and falling apart.

    • [Deactivated] on 18/01/2019 - 03:57

      I believe the early MB Mondeo's were good. Over the teething problems of the MA (first model edition), but before they put in the dual-clutch transmission in later MB's.

      150,000kms in mine 10 years later with only regular service/wear items required and not missing a beat. Fuel use between 6.3~6.8L per 100km's (diesel).

      Incidentally just did the rotors and brakes today and paid a similar price to the OP: actually logbook 150,000km service, 4 brakes + rotors, 1 headlight globe, flush coolant, flush brakes, engine timing chain & auxiliary belts (due after 10 years)… $2150. At a Ford stealership, don't usually service there but best alternate quote I could find was <10% different so figured I could treat the car this once. I believe I ended up paying $900 for the brakes, quote started at $1000 but I bargained for a 10% discount off the lot + a couple of random markdowns.

      Second time I have kept a car to this age > previously had the same experience with a Commodore.. under estimated how many items can be due once you hit 150,000kms / 10 years of ownership. Better to trade in beforehand I think.

  • andyhui01 on 16/01/2019 - 09:26

    Just change the discs too. It is common these days because if you don't and your new pads outlasts the discs, you will be paying for labour again to remove everything and refit the disc. This will end up costing you more. Also if you didn't go with new discs, you would be charged for machining them anyway, the cost of machining + labour to fit the disc when the pads aren't due would end up being the same in the long run. So why not go with the safer way of replacing the disc at the same time for the same price?

    • zzpy20 on 16/01/2019 - 11:58

      Good point.

    • macrocephalic on 16/01/2019 - 12:46

      By "everything" I guess you mean the wheel and the pad retention pin?

      • andyhui01 on 17/01/2019 - 11:14

        By everything I mean everything that had to be removed the first time round to machine the disc. Essentially paying for labour twice.

  • orangetrain on 16/01/2019 - 09:31

    Kudos for naming and shaming. Although I think it's backfiring.

  • Gronk on 16/01/2019 - 09:31

    The price is right OP, rear pads and discs alone will cost you ~$550.

    The question is whether or not the discs really need replacing, but if you or one of your friends aren't positioned to make this determination yourself you're going to have to take the mechanic's word for it.

  • Bargain80 on 16/01/2019 - 09:47
    +1

    seems reasonable.
    My previous car was Nissan Dualis and I had to replace both front brake pads and rotor due to the same reason even though it was only 3 year old car.
    It costed me $550.
    I was told that this is normal for European cars as they use soft rotors so the rotors wear quicker.
    This is opposite to Japanese/Korean cars where they use hard rotor.

    • knasty on 16/01/2019 - 18:04

      Agree. I bought calipers to check the thickness of the rotors on my Kia and haven't worn a smidge in 60k. I replaced stock pads with Euro pads deliberately as hard rotors + hard pads = poor performance. The new pads are noisy and dusty but stick like $hit on a sand shoe (comparatively) so I'm very happy. I spent about 180 bucks on pads all around (excl labour).

  • [Deactivated] on 16/01/2019 - 10:23

    $240 for each rotor + pad + labor is reasonable. It's also good practice to replace the pads at the same time as the rotors because although they rarely wear out at the same time, it avoids a second service and saves money on labor. 100,000km is a bit on the low side but depends on your driving style so not that unusual.

    You can't really compare against the price of pads/rotors on eBay because there's so much variation in quality, materials, and longevity. I have seen some absolute junk from eBay including electrical equipment that I threw straight into the bin (I have an electrical background and this stuff was shockingly bad, haha). I would never buy pads/rotors from eBay. It's not worth saving $50 if your brakes fail and you die or are permanently injured.

    Ultra Tune will use decent-quality pads/rotors because they have liability and reputational damage if the brakes fail or don't last, and so parts alone will cost more than eBay. I'm sure they get their parts cheaper in bulk but that's their profit, not yours.

    If you want to save money do the job yourself. But I've changed rotors/pads before and it's a messy job. Not hard, just messy. I happily pay a few extra bucks for a mechanic to do it for me.

    • chumlee on 16/01/2019 - 12:38

      Ultrtune is a for profit business. Reputation risk means nothing when there's a dollar to be made. Ask the banks & insurance companies if they put profit before reputation

  • lonewolf on 16/01/2019 - 10:55
    +2

    As long as they do a good job then its fine. Payless Tyres and Brakes in Cosgrove Road Strathfield south, Sydney were cheaters and it ended up being that they told me they were putting in Bendix brakes and instead put in some cheapy chinese brand that was atrocious with the black dust as well as squeaking all over the place and also they hadnt installed it right.

    Ended up being my car couldnt brake properly and would skid if i had to brake fast, had one accident and then the NRMA repairers straight away told me there is something severely wrong with the way the brakes have been installed and thats what caused the accident. I went back to the shop and told him to fix the issue, he said he will take a look at it and apparently he tweaked it etc. and again i had a second accident, the exact same way, the car was not stopping like it normally should when i braked.

    NRMA repairers again told me, there is something severly wrong with the brakes and so i ended up going to Toyota and also a second service centre to get brake tests and checks done. The brakes were failing miserably and turns out the guy had cheated me all along. I was down 2 NRMA accident claims (excess fees) and have never gone back to Payless Tyres at Cosgrove. I now go to these other guys who are very reliable and use genuine toyota parts anyway they have heard of Payless utilising dodgy tactics and have had other customers come to them after having been cheated by Payless Tyres.

    Payless tyres a few years ago had also come up with a lot of extra trumped up replacements my car required which the other shop told me , it shouldnt need at its current age, At the time i had thought it sounded a bit dodgy but i took their word for it.

    All I am trying to say is be vigilant about who you go to with your car and sometimes its worth paying a bit more to be sure you are getting good parts and a trustworthy service centre.

    NRMA repairers told me if i kept driving with those brakes Payless had installed, sooner or later i would have had a major accident and / or injury.

    I repeat. dont ever go to PAYLESS tyres and Brakes in Cosgrove Road, Sydney.

  • TheMindsetTraveller on 16/01/2019 - 11:07
    +1

    I would have asked them 1. Go ahead and change it and 2. Keep the removed parts (pads/rotors) for me so I can see the 'actual wear and tear'

    My mechanic does that no sweat but he is 100% honest - and everyone who goes there, confirms their satisfaction.

    • lookalive on 18/01/2019 - 00:24

      I second this.

      I went to UltraTune at fairfield NSW many moons ago, asked them to change the air conditioning belt, guy wanted $80, I asked for $60, eventually he agreed on $70. I asked him if I can watch him install the belt, he pointed me to the sign "customers are not allowed in the work area due to safety reasons", after the job was done, I didn't check the AC as this was in spring. When summer came, I turned on the AC and only warm air came out, seeing how I had already replaced the belt, I assumed it was something else, like low on refrigerant, so I took my car to an independent mechanic, he said you're not low on refrigerant but your belt is loose. The prick felt cheated out of $10 so he just chucked the belt on and left it like that, probably hoping I'd come back so he can screw me for refrigerant.

      One of the owners at the time eventually left the business, I asked him why? he said he was ripped off and had loss alot of money.

  • Baysew on 16/01/2019 - 11:14
    +2

    $1000 Brake Pads + Brake Rotor from Ultra Tune (Ford Mondeo 2012)

    Post as a bargain.

    • pegaxs on 16/01/2019 - 14:13

      Cheaper to buy another used Mondeo… :D

  • Amaris on 16/01/2019 - 11:36

    I’m no mechanic obviously so could one of the very knowledgeable car guys here educate me if all brake pads (or at least those on the Ford in question) have audible wear indicators? pegaxs?

    • pegaxs on 16/01/2019 - 14:21
      +3

      Thanks for asking… Yes and no. What the Audible wear indicator is usually, is a thin piece of metal in the brake lining, that when it comes into contact with the disc, it makes a scratching noise.

      What I have found is that most people dismiss this noise and drive on regardless, putting it down to squeaking brakes.

      Some higher end makes have electronic brake wear indicators. these are equally useless, as they usually wear through and the light goes out again and people continue to wear.

      So, in answer to your question, yes, some manufacturers have wear indicators, some don't. I don't have a list here unfortunately that lets me know who does and who doesn't. But if ever there was a case for getting your car regularly services, this is one of those reasons. Don't rely on brake pad wear indicators. Nothing substitutes for a good visual inspection and a quick measurement.

      • HighAndDry on 16/01/2019 - 17:43

        Honest question - I thought my brakes were making this 'scratching' noise, but it turns out the brake pad (disk?) just had a bit of "glazing(?)" and otherwise had lots of life still left in them. How do you tell the difference?

        • pegaxs on 16/01/2019 - 18:26

          Easy… you take it to your mechanic and get them to have a look at it. There are a few things that can cause the srpcratching/scraping/squealing noises.

          • Glazed pads/discs (from riding brakes usually)
          • Loose pads/badly fitted/loose backing shims (bad fitment or from wear)
          • Wear indicator actually doing its job
          • Metal on metal contact. (This one is usually more of a grinding than a squeal.)

          Because all of these sound similar, people tend to dismiss them. The only way to determine why is to get them inspected. If your brakes are squeaking, for any reason, it’s never a “good thing” They are trying to tell you something. So it doesn’t matter what the noise is, get them checked.

      • aussieolfaction on 17/01/2019 - 10:33

        What I have found is that most people dismiss this noise and drive on regardless, putting it down to squeaking brakes.

        When this happened the first time to me, it freaked me out so much so that I stopped driving after I reached home safely (which was fortunately pretty close). My mechanic came over and explained the same thing about that piece of metal in the brake, and showed how it all works. I had him change the discs and the pads, and everything was peachy again.

        I cannot believe that some people will keep driving with that screechy noise!

        • pegaxs on 17/01/2019 - 10:37
          +1

          What I usually get is “me dad jus’ said it was a rock in me brakes…”

          I have a “rock jar” at work for all the rocks we pull out of things like brakes that were causing the problem… so far, it’s empty.

  • BartholemewH on 16/01/2019 - 11:44
    +1

    I don't think you were scammed after 100,000k's. You said yourself there was 1mm of wear on each side. Have you owned the car from new and are you certain the discs have not been previously machined?

  • SoapyWooder on 16/01/2019 - 12:10
    +2

    I had a bad experience with ultratune, lured with their cheap package (coupon), then they want several additional works done, I told them that I didn't have money & they asked if my uncle or other relatives could help, then finally after some more arguments, they let me go. I now go to a local mechanic by word of mouth.

  • Ninjaboy on 16/01/2019 - 12:31
    +1

    I had experience similar to this with Ultra tune in Campbelltown in SA. They told me that there was a crack in aircon belt in my car when I got it serviced . I took it to another repairer and there was no issue with aircon belt.

  • mezje on 16/01/2019 - 13:03

    I can't believe this isn't a troll. If you think you know better than the mechanic, next time measure the thickness and compare yourself, then head to a mech or replace.

    Well priced and mechanic gave a good explanation, it must be hard dealing with people like you constantly.

  • Filbert on 16/01/2019 - 13:30

    I have a 2011 Mondeo and I think from memory was about $650 from local mechanic for rotors and discs. Price seems fair.
    But what you may not realise that these are The sacrificial design meaning that both pads and rotor wear out.
    If you have had to ever emergency brake you would know as you’re eyeballs end up on your cheeks. These Mondeos pull up so good.
    If it is a diesel just make sure you get the DSG serviced at 60k. I brought mine new and have 183k on mine and it has so far been a fricken fabulous car, knock on wood, eek!

  • [Deactivated] on 16/01/2019 - 14:47
    +3

    Hi OP,
    My two cents, (former mechanic)

    Generally larger chains like autotune, pedders, and dealers have bonuses if they add on work.

    Generally with a car of your age, the pads may need to be replaced, however it is highly unlikely that rotors would need replacing,

    I would even doubt that they would require a machine at this point in its life. (6-7) years old.

    I'd recommend finding a smaller local mechanic with a good reputation for honesty and take this bad experience as a lesson learned.

    • pegaxs on 16/01/2019 - 18:31
      +4

      As an ex-dealer mechanic, can confirm. It was more of a monthly budget target to reach. The more we upsell, the easier it is to get to target. The more we go over target, the better our next moths bonus was.

      But outside that, I don’t agree. Mondeo discs are made of cheese, as are most modern “European” cars. It gives better braking performance at the expense of longevity. Wear tolerance on most brakes is about 2mm where it used to be 5+ on some cars.

      I am actually surprised that OP got this far in a Mondeo without having to do discs much earlier.

      • CVonC on 17/01/2019 - 12:12

        Mondeo discs are made of cheese

        How about the Focus LZ?

        • pegaxs on 17/01/2019 - 12:33
          +1

          as are most modern “European” cars.

          When I say European, anything that is designed predominantly for the Euro market.

          It’s more of a modern vehicle thing. The Focus is a lighter car, so would not suffer as much as a heavier car, such as the Mondeo. Manufacturers wanted better brake performance, so the best way to get this is to make things softer and grip more. The downside is that parts wear out quicker.

          But again, a lot of brake wear is down to outside factors. How it’s driven, where it is driven, what engine and what transmission. So a small, diesel manual that does highway miles will last a lot longer than a city dwelling large, petrol automatic vehicle.

      • Baysew on 18/01/2019 - 11:00
        +1

        next moths bonus was

        Definition: A bonus not regularly paid, as in a moth coming out of bosses wallet.

        discs are made of cheese

        Definition: Usually Swiss for Ventilated Discs

  • BargainKen on 16/01/2019 - 15:01
    +1

    Why not ask for the old parts back then you could examine them and know for sure if they needed replacing or not?

  • eggles01 on 16/01/2019 - 15:21

    did you ask and get the parts that were taken off your vehicle,if not you should have,Ultra Tune are the most expensive mob to go to,ask around your friends if they know an honest mechanic and give them a try out

  • myusername on 16/01/2019 - 15:58

    own a mondeo and yep that sounds about right honestly.

    for future reference go here and ask for Steve https://moretonbayford.com.au/ford-service-moreton-bay-brisb…

  • Montyjpm on 16/01/2019 - 16:03
    -1

    I would encourage the OP to do a quick search on youtube and attempt the job himself next time if he feels he got ripped off. Could start with just brake pads replacement and go into the rotos when he is confidence. Since I played around with the VS including brake, I now do this and not have mechanic touch it since I know I will take care and do the job well. I will soon replace the rotors and pads on the front of a Volvo C70. Would want to buy the parts from FCP but the Aussie $ is still so low against the US$ :(

  • SupeNintendoChalmers on 16/01/2019 - 16:24

    My dads a retired mechanic. You got ripped off, hard.

    Max you should've paid was $700, which includes labour.

    Since your car is front wheel drive, OP, next time watch a few videos on Youtube on how to change your front pads and rotors. VERY EASY TO DO- even if you're a novice.

    Rear brakes are a different story, and should be done by a pro.

    • Lichen6420 on 16/01/2019 - 17:33
      +4

      What's so difficult about rear brakes compared to front? Nearly all cars run rear disc these days, just need a piston rewind tool.

      If your referring to some old POS with drum brakes on the rear then yes… steer clear.

      Your average mechanic will use either RDA or DBA rotors, they run around $140-160ish a pair depending on the car. A decent set of pads $50-70 pair. So say $450 in parts…. a mechanic do a full 4 wheel brake and rotor change for for $250 labour is just an idiot or is using cheap crappy parts, and probably not bothering to bleed the lines of old fluid. There is no profit in that job.

      $900+GST is about right if the job is done properly with decent parts… there has to be a profit margin.

      • pegaxs on 16/01/2019 - 18:41
        +1

        Spot on what jg said.

        At work, we only use DBA rotors and Bendix brakes. I seriously don’t think we could do the job for $700. Rodripa’s dad is dreaming or still living in the 80’s with those prices.

      • SupeNintendoChalmers on 18/01/2019 - 09:24

        rotor change for for $250 labour

        You having a lend here mate? With the right tools, it takes around an hour to replace all four discs and pads on a regular car.

        $250 per hour is more than a GP!

        iirc my dad used RDA rotors, and at the time (late 90s) they cost less than $100 wholesale.

        • freddofrog42 on 18/01/2019 - 11:25

          Really? Maybe in the "Cars Movie" world but not in real life, and certainly NOT with due care and attention.

          Like to itemise that 1 hour down to the minute starting with e.g.

          grab and read worksheet
          order and collate parts
          placing plastic sheet on car seat
          drive car into workshop, position over hoist
          select correct socket and carefully remove 4 x wheels taking care not to scratch the rims etc
          etc etc etc

        • Lichen6420 on 18/01/2019 - 22:55

          $100 wholesale sounds about right for the late 90's…. It's 20 years later now old man.

    • idonotknowwhy on 17/01/2019 - 13:22
      +2

      My dads a retired mechanic.
      Max you should've paid was $700

      How long ago was he working? Perhaps he's quoting a figure from a long time ago.
      My dad said fish and chips used to cost 10cents.

  • Lexan on 16/01/2019 - 18:05

    I paid about $65 for a pair of Bendix brake pads when they're on special. About less than $150 for a set. These were for Lexus 1999.
    Surely you can save more and find your own local mechanic. Just pay for the labour.
    What brand are your brakes now?

    • Lichen6420 on 16/01/2019 - 18:16

      If you take away their margin on parts they will make up for it in increased labour time. I would only supply parts to a mechanic if you want something very specific used.

  • ribze1 on 16/01/2019 - 20:44

    Tyres and brakes are two parts of a car that you should not be a tight*ss about - they are literally what can prevent an accident and save your life.

    • gimme on 16/01/2019 - 23:13
      +2

      Although shit drivers are the weekest link. Moral of the story if you're in the above category spend your money on driver training instead.

  • zzpy20 on 16/01/2019 - 23:36
    +1

    I have read all your comments. This comment here is to thank everyone for your thoughts, comments and suggestions. Looks like the price isn't unfair, or the workshop did just make an extra $200 - $300 profit. That's just how it is. One thing that annoys me is that, even I went and checked the pads and rotors I still couldn't tell if the rotors needed replacing and I could only take their word for it. Lesson learned, insist on only doing the necessary work, and ask around for second opinion on things not sure/clear.

    Thanks again everyone. You guys are awesome.

  • JimB on 17/01/2019 - 03:58

    KMs and price seem fair as long as they use good parts.

    I'm lucky I have a good VW and Volvo specialist for my cars that I trust. Even better they are ok for me to supply my own parts.

    Generally I use DBA/RDA rotors and Remsa pads where suitable.

    RDA rotors are cheap but work ok as I don't overheat my brakes. As I replace them each time the pads are replaced I don't buy expensive rotors.

  • YoungQuan on 17/01/2019 - 07:07
    -3

    You realise parts and labour cost money right? Your brakes are 100% now and you are complaining. Stop being so pathetic.

  • Lucky13 on 17/01/2019 - 09:35
    +1

    It's usually best to steer clear of car servicing chains like Ultra Tune and Midas etc, I always hear bad things like what you've just mentioned. It's best to find a good local trustworthy mechanic. Ask friends, people at work or neighbours if they have a good mechanic they could recommend you, that usually works. Sadly the wrong mechanic can be very expensive :(

  • CalmLemons on 17/01/2019 - 09:53

    You took your car to a branded mechanic in hope that you would get increase peace of mind. That's why you pay more, not much more though the price is pretty fair. There are always some dodgy branded franchisee operators, but regardless that price is fair.

    He needs to charge markup, rent and labour.

    Habib doesn't pay marketing, mainstreet rent and reduced labour.

    • [Deactivated] on 17/01/2019 - 14:38

      or tax lol

  • balbags on 17/01/2019 - 12:14
    +5

    It astonishes me the way you claimed you acted in that shop. Quite frankly you are out of your depth and yet you have the false bravery to discuss a topic you clearly have limited knowledge about. Something you need to get better at is understanding the difference between asking for help and pretending to be an expert. Let me school you:

    "rare to replace 4 brake pads at the same time" - you must have experience/knowledge in this area, clearly
    "So I popped in without prior notice to have a look how bad those brake pads or disc rotors were" - you must be very skilled at knowing what you're looking for too (and that behaviour is not welcomed anywhere either by the way)
    "also the disc rotors were about 1mm worn out from the edge, but the surface was perfectly smooth" - great expertise here, do you know what you were looking for?
    "Then after I came back, I kept thinking, how stupid I was to let them continue to replace all the disc rotor. I suddenly came to realise that those 4 disc rotor were definitely fine, there was no legal issue as such. Many cars would have that kind of wear on the disc rotors." - and your reference to your claim?

    "To give a little background about me, I am an Asian guy looks about 30Y old" - so f*king what?

    Fair enough if you want to know more about the technicals, but complaining the way you have and adding that your asian confuses the public why you are here in the first place - really just says you're a whinging person who can't get by in life without asking for pity.

    I commend the person servicing you for SAVING YOU MONEY in the long run. I encourage you to NAME the ultra tune shop you went to because I want the same helpful service they gave you! If you can't see how they were saving you money in the long run then I wouldn't be claiming that you were ripped-off.

    Now answering the questions you asked (which is really all you should have asked):

    1: Likely if they were close to the minimum thicknesses, taking into consideration the amount of metal that would have needed to come off from machining them. What you need to know is that two surfaces must be matched for proper operation.
    2: I was quoted $3000 for the same job on my european car - you can make up your mind on this.
    3: Sure, Office of Fair Trading Queensland. I wish you the best of luck.

    • [Deactivated] on 17/01/2019 - 16:07
      +1

      hit the nail on the head!

    • bnebgnhunter on 19/01/2019 - 11:29

      Same agreeance balbags (:

      The bloke is bad mouthing a local store for nothing
      I hope they see this thread and never allow him back tbh

      If he come into my mechanical shop with this attitude I’d be charging him a smart ass tax

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