[mateommm]

Was in a bit of a bind and about to go on a long road trip and with steering wheel shudder at highway braking, turns out I needed new front and rear brakes. Never been to this dealer before and feel like I might have gotten ripped off at just shy of 2k for my 36k service + brake job. Invoice attached. Thoughts?

 

[rodconstel]

At your relatively low mileage, I would have thought they could have resurfaced the rotors instead of having to replace them. If it they couldn't, it doesn't seem like you got much life out of those rotors unless your driving conditions require frequent braking, ie stop and go driving.

 

[FozzieBalou]

Are you asking if the brake job was too expensive or the 36k mile service was too expensive or ...?

Is it too expensive? Sure. But it is dealer pricing, dealer labor, dealer costs. What's their hourly labor rate? At any dealer you're going to be paying "book rate" - meaning that if the book says the "typical mechanic on the typical vehicle will take X-hours to complete job A". So even if the tech takes 2 hours to do the job, you're still paying for two hours.

Can you get the parts listed above and do it all yourself? Sure. But then you have to have the space and the tools and the capabilities to do those repairs and procedures. You have to have the place to dispose of/recycle the old parts and oil.

Can you do it all for less at some other shop? Probably. I know that when my 2014 Forester needed brakes, I was quoted about $500 per axle at my local Subaru dealer service department. I was able to get it done for about half of that cost at a local (and trusted) shop. Some of the "stuff" included in the X-thousand mile service (air filters, etc.) can be done by you for a lot less, but you're paying for a menu "meal deal" that has all the stuff in one price rather than buying piecemeal.

Short answer - no you did not really get ripped off. It's expensive to do work on a newer vehicle at a dealership.

PS - @rodconstel - many dealers do not resurface rotors for a variety of reasons - mostly a cost vs profit probably - but some dealers will state that they will not resurface rotors due to safety concerns... As another thought - mileage may have very little to do with resurfacing. It's more about the condition of the rotors - are they scored, warped, otherwise damaged?

 

[mateommm]

At your relatively low mileage, I would have thought they could have resurfaced the rotors instead of having to replace them. If it they couldn't, it doesn't seem like you got much life out of those rotors unless your driving conditions require frequent braking, ie stop and go driving.

Fairly severe driving conditions in NYC stop and go traffic for the car’s first 30k miles; dealers don’t generally offer resurfacing, or so I am told.

Are you asking if the brake job was too expensive or the 36k mile service was too expensive or ...?
…
Short answer - no you did not really get ripped off. It's expensive to do work on a newer vehicle at a dealership.

Really asking about both. Thanks for the feedback, and glad to know this is par for the course for a dealership. I’m not complaining, more just wanna make sure that there are no funny games as I would like to use this dealership moving forward. This is the first major out-of-pocket expense I’ve had on this Forrester.

 

[FozzieBalou]

Before going back to them - find out the dealer labor rate. Depending on where you are, labor rates can be a lot higher - sometimes as much as $150 per hour or even more. Local shops and chain repair shops may have much lower posted retail labor rates - even as much as half the local dealerships.

 

[rodconstel]

After reviewing my service record of my Forester from my private mechanic, I see I had both front and rear brakes replaced with OEM pads at 40,000 miles and the rotors were all refinished, too. That was back in 2018 and the cost was $325.00. So, looking at that and the current cost at a dealership today with new rotors, $580.00 doesn't seem out of line.

 

[FozzieBalou]

$580 was just the labor. The parts were another ... almost $800 in parts...

Back to the original post and the invoice/receipt, I'd question about the 15-buck oil additive and the 10-buck "supercharge II" item...

 

[rodconstel]

"$580 was just the labor. The parts were another ... almost $800 in parts..."
Yikes! I thought the $580.00 was for the whole brake job!

 

[Theseus161]

I recently asked my local dealership for a quote on resurfacing rotors. They told me $235 per rotor!! I asked if this was for two or four. He said no, per rotor. Insane.

Good thing I know how to DIY brakes. I don’t have a brake lathe. But at those prices, I’ll just buy new rotors. Oem.

 

[hogtownrocketsled]

That's twice what pay for an oil change in Seattle.
Not sure where you were on time & mileage as brakes are covered under the 36/36,000 warranty.

 

[auntiesuebee]

<snip>
and feel like I might have gotten ripped off at just shy of 2k for my 36k service + brake job. Invoice attached. Thoughts?

I don't think you were ripped off, of course everyone here will expect me to say that since my son is a service advisor.

The labor for the 36k service is pretty standard.

There are 4 hours labor for the brake job @ $145 and hour. That was a bargain. Would have been $180 an hour where my son works.

You paid over MSRP for the parts but that is pretty normal for most dealer shops, regardless of the brand.

Depending on the condition of the rotors, it is possible they may have been turned. Hopefully the tech did a runout check/inspection and determined the rotors were beyond turning.

 

[mateommm]

That's twice what pay for an oil change in Seattle.
Not sure where you were on time & mileage as brakes are covered under the 36/36,000 warranty.

I am beyond the 3 years but at 35,397 miles. I have Gold Plus. My understanding is that only the original warranty covers brake pads within the 3/36k term and that Gold Plus covers “brakes” meaning the ancillary systems and components that make them work.

 

[mateommm]

. . .
Back to the original post and the invoice/receipt, I'd question about the 15-buck oil additive and the 10-buck "supercharge II" item...

yeah that really annoyed me BUT IATA for signing off on it (it was on the statement of work and I didn’t notice). Probably more annoyed by those two line items as a matter of principle, than the exorbitant cost of the brake job lol.

 

[aleekat]

My service department will always contact me on their "recommended" repairs. It's usually exaggerated.

 

[rodconstel]

"

I'd question about the 15-buck oil additive and the 10-buck "supercharge II" item..."

Any idea of what those might be? I thought dealers and auto makers generally disapproved of oil additives.

 

[TTiimm]

I'm familiar with NYC - lived and worked there for the first 41 years of my life and learned to drive in Queens.

NYC or anywhere else short of a race track, I'm not sure why rear brakes needed replacement at 36,000 miles. Rears typically last twice as long as the fronts.

The price doesn't surprise me, given the location. NY ain't cheap.

My last brake job was $996 self installed using premium parts. Documented here if anyone is interested.

 

[Mike Duf]

Was in a bit of a bind and about to go on a long road trip and with steering wheel shudder at highway braking, turns out I needed new front and rear brakes. Never been to this dealer before and feel like I might have gotten ripped off at just shy of 2k for my 36k service + brake job. Invoice attached. Thoughts?
View attachment 580136

I read all the comments and they're all pretty much right on I do see they added an oil additive it looks like and something else to your invoice. Or maybe I'm reading it wrong. But the real thing is hey you got new rotors brakes and a full service it probably runs really nice. Enjoy the road trip.

 

[auntiesuebee]

Back to the original post and the invoice/receipt, I'd question about the 15-buck oil additive and the 10-buck "supercharge II" item...

Really nothing to question. It's listed on the receipt as part of this dealer's 36k mile service. The BG distributor pays the folks at the dealership to move their products.

 

[Quadraria10]

I can only say that I am shocked there is a Subaru dealer charging $180 per hour for standard service. That is ridiculous and practically extortion in my books.

 

[TMX]

So you paid for roughly $1300 for pads and brakes inc labour ? Did they at least buy you dinner first? You must be in New York or California to be paying those sorts of prices !?

Some rough figures if you wanted to do it cheaper next time:
Depending on trim level (Base, Premium got 294mm front discs / Limited, Sport, Touring apparently got 316mm front discs

Discs/Rotors
CENTRIC 12047046 Semi-Coated 294mm $49.79 each Front x2 = $99.58
CENTRIC 12047048 Semi-Coated 316mm $81.79 each Front x2 = $163.58

CENTRIC 12047045 Semi-Coated $50.79 each Rear x2 = $101.58

Pads
CENTRIC 10560260 Posi-Quiet; Ceramic $26.99 Front
CENTRIC 30118080 Ceramic; Includes Hardware $24.79 Rear


Total: $252.94 with 294mm front discs/rotors
Total: $316.94 with 316mm front discs/rotors

Prices from RockAuto - Plenty of other product options if you wanted coated discs or racing pads etc - Ofcourse throw in a bit for shipping.
(Brembo and Performance Friction would be my preference brands but out of stock at Rock Auto currently)

So about $1,000 leftover for tools, consumables and your own time - Or finding a local mechanic to do the work.