Good morning, everyone. Currently, I am in the market to change the brake pads on my Mazda CX-5 (First brake pad change after ~73K on the odo). Have booked an appointment with my car dealer for the same. Before going to the dealer, I just wanted to consult with a trusted and reputed technician for a quote on this and I will choose accordingly.
Thank you all.
Thank you, will have a look into them.
This guy did my lpg conversion 10-15 years ago. Good to see he's still in business!
If it’s just the pads you’ll save a bunch of cash by doing it yourself.
If the rotors need changing, you’ll be paying more & may be best to leave it to a professional.
Have no idea about only the break pads or rotor also so will leave it to the professional this time. Thank you
If you are calling them "break pads" you definitely should not be touching them…
Ha ha ha..sorry for the typo…
Thank you, Will check nearby first, then I will see how it goes.
Haha well rest assured just about ANY place will be significantly cheaper than via the Mazda dealer. It's a very basic consumable item to change so while I would say with some cars the dealer is the 'safest' - to have your front pads done it's just pissing money away.
FWIW we lived in Parramatta (Harris Park to be exact) for a decade - and though it was a tiny bit further to go we ALWAYS went to a little owner run mechanic in Fairfield. The one family has run it for 50years! Which has to be pretty bloody rare.
https://www.tyreworldfairfield.com.au/about-us/
The current owner, Michael Spillane is a terrific guy with incredible integrity when it comes to dealing with customers. He does stuff the old school way, will call and let you know what he thinks needs to be done before proceeding, talking through options, giving feedback on how to avoid issues etc.
I can say hand on heart he saved us THOUSANDS on more than one vehicle we had via him purely through going the extra mile in giving us info and options on it RATHER than just doing what he was being paid for.
We moved up North and it's one of the few thjings about Sydney that I miss - really a terrific business and well worth the extra 15mins effort to get over to see him. Suffice to say I highly recommend him for anything auto related, especially if you're not a car boffin/expert he's a godsend in helping you get the right outcome for your needs.
Thank you, I can go there. Its nearby. Will call and check with them.
Thanks for being open minded and for the reply - it's much appreciated.
If nothing else, I'd again emphasise that they've been open and trading as a family owned & operated auto mechanic for 50 years. Which I didn't know until I saw their website.
We all know that alas mechanical stuff is an area where sometimes unwitting folks can be mislead pretty badly for a businesses short term gain, but that type of thing tends to catch up with you after a while. Tack on that many are fighting to win customers via pricing alone, i.e $50 oil changes etc. But where are they saving the dollars to make that viable?
If they've been open to 50years plus, in a very culturally diverse suburb like Fairfield (which is terrific for a weekend eating and shopping trip) - they're doing something right.
I hope they work well for you. :-)
Neg'd for what in that post? Love some clarity.
Just DIY. It's not rocket science. There will be dozens of step by step guides on YouTube specifically for a CX5.
Time is money.
Yes it would be cheaper to DIY but if you've never done this before then you're looking at 5 hours at least of videos and tinkering around with it. Plus if you don't have the requisite tools laying around.
I know how to change the brake pads on my motorbike and have all the tools, but I still can't be bothered and just get the mechanic to do it when it's up for a service. an extra $50 to save an hour or two is worth it.
I guess I have too much free time then.
There is also the personal achievement, new skill set, going outside your comfort zone and time management factors.
People (not necessarily OP) will spend more time mindlessly scrolling Fakebook and ShitTok on the weekend than it will take to acquire and complete the new skill of changing brake pads.
Brake pad changes are intermediate difficulty level for car DIY (IMHO). It's best to have a bunch of tools that many won't have (car stands etc). Also while the confidence level for many of changing oil is fine, messing with your brakes often fills folks with dread.
I fully endorse your rationale & do my own (well I have the new front pads sitting in the garage but no need yet) but while its easy-ish to do yourself, doing properly can be a tad more tricky. But yes price your research time out, prep, cleanup, etc and if you know a good mechanic it can be worthwhile going to them instead for peace of mind.
Is also physically demanding for some as you need to get wheels off & on etc.
Also well worth doing a complete change of your brake fluid at the same time.
I guess I have too much free time then.
Given how much time you spend on OzBargain, I thought this was a given?
Thank you, I am not sure on my mechanics skill, but will go through the videos and if seems to be easy then maybe perhaps :) I will give it a go.
That's the spirit. I believe in you.
I have used R.W Brown Automotive in Parramatta for two cars and a motorbike.
They are honest, straight forward and fast. They let you know things like "your brakes are at x% we recommend changing them but up to you, you'd probably get another xxxxKM on them as they are".
They even managed to diagnose an issue that the dealer couldn't with a clicking sound.
Can't recommend them enough.
Thank you. I will check them
Morning
I have used the gas man in Seven Hills before and they seem reasonable.
They even dropped me off at the local shops and picked me up again too so I didn't have to wait around in their office whilst they did the work
https://thegasman.com.au/