Ok, my car needs some major work. 2 front calipers, hoses, rotors and pads, plus an entire new exhaust. (a pot hole the size of the grand canyon claimed the old exhaust) My mechanic (the only one within 50 miles that will even LOOK at the car) said he'll do the brakes and install a brand new original exhaust and muffler for $730 including labor. How does this price seem to you guys?

 

Is he replacing the calipers, hoses and rotors? What's wrong with the exh? Is it just the muffler - you can get that from Racing Beat.

 

Yes, he is replacing all the brake parts with new ones. As for needing an exhaust, it's because I don't have one! ripped completely off from just in front of the CAT. Seems to have a bit more power now but is extremely LOUD!

 

Why don't you do the exhaust yourself? It's just bolt on, really easy to do.

 

I would say

"DAM that is a lot of money"

do you have to pass emissions? if not A bit of pipe and some bending can be done at any shop. I would say 150 muffler included would be high.

Caliper rebuild kit is $10 each, or new should be $50 or so each. $50 each should get new rotors. bearings and seals are 5-8 each. 4 bearing and 2 seals. Could do it your self for 200 or so.

But I am cheep and do it all my self. If you are the type that just puts gas in the car. Then pay his price.

 

I priced all the brake parts (with s.s. lines) and it comes out to $467.56 from Mazdatrix. Labor for this is appx $200 which brings the total to $667.56. So $62.44 for the new exh installed is not a bad deal.

 

Mazdatrix is a bit high. For a Daily driver I would get the parts at one of the discount stores.

 

If you're the mechanically inclined type and have a set of metric open-ended wrenches, you can surely do the brakes yourself. (Although, the bearings in the rotors might require being pressed in by a shop, and perhaps a hit from a grease gun with a bearing packer). The exhaust *should* be easy, but you don't specify what condition the hangers and mounting brackets are in, and who knows how hard it will be to pull out the bolts holding on whatever broke off your exhaust.

If you're not interested in getting dirty, I don't think your mechanic is giving you a bad deal at all. Sounds fairly reasonable.

 

Remember he is in Pennsylvania. Probably as rusty or worse than the cars here. At first that seemed really high but with labor and how much work it's going to take it might be worth it if he has the money.

Otherwise I'd just go to Autozone or a similar place and get rebuilt loaded (with pads) calipers and get a Racing Beat or similar exhaust. I don't know that you'd necessarily need lines. In fact I don't know why you'd necessarily need calipers either.

 

I did the brakes on my car (the WHOLE brakes: calipers, wheel cylinders, pads, shoes, hardware, hoses, master cylinder, inner and outer bearings in front, e-brake cable, fluid and one of the hard metal lines) for about $1200 CANADIAN. The brakes are pretty easy to do yourself. Just read the Heynes very thoroughly (some things are slightly different on some models, but the idea is there), and take your time. Then take it down to get it a free "brake check" by a garage.. They shouldn't find anything wrong, and should adjust your brakes for free while they put them back together.

As for exhaust.. well it's easy enough to do on your own, but I can't quote prices on parts.

Jon

 

i took my car to a muffler shop, along with the muffler i wanted to go on it and got 2.5in pipe all the way back from the header for 70 bucks. that was straight pipe welded to the muffler.

 

That woulda been nice and loud!

 

I'm in the process of doing my exhaust. Staying pretty close to OEM, I spent $25 for new hangers, $15 in gaskets, $20 for used stock cats (all three) + connecting pipe, and $140 for a Borla muffler. The only part that's proving difficult is the gasket for the air-tube connection off the main cat. My local Mazda dealer told me they didn't have it and couldn't get it, so I'm going to try a gasket-in-a-tube for that. $200, give or take, and my exhaust will be essentially stock without that great automatic carbon monoxide poisoning feature.

 

$730 including labor for all that is EXTREMELY good.

If the cat got ripped off as well, DO IT. A new cat alone is something like $2500 from Mazda.

 

If you live in KY why are you putting emmisions back on, even louisville did away with theirs didn't they?

 

Three reasons: I'm trying to keep the car as stock as possible; The used cats were cheap; Boone, Campbell, and Kenton (my county) are all still doing e-check.

 

dupe

 

Thanks for your input guys. If it wasn't for the 6 inches of snow on the ground and 20 degree temp. I would do the brakes myself. The exhaust is another story. As Forcus pointed out I live in Pa. where salt corrosion rusts the heads off bolts and turns pipes into swiss cheese with the thickness of tissue paper.