Hello,
My brake pads need replacing. In fact, I’d guess probably more than that will need to be replaced. Can anyone recommend a good shop in the area? This car is getting pretty old so I don’t care to have my car in incredible shape, just good enough so I don’t die within the next year. Anyone know a place that won’t rip me off too badly?
Is it an older car (before 1990 or so)? Are you the least bit mechanically inclined? If so you can probably change the pads yourself. It’s easy enough with the right tools and the book, IF you do not have anti-lock brakes.
what kind of car is it?
I have no specific recommendations, but on word of mouth I would stay away from Just Brakes. Don’t know if they are in Plano or not (they are in Austin), but i have never heard anything good about them that wasn’t on one of their commercials.
Frisco Automotive did a really good job on my clutch last year, but I’m not sure if they do minor things like a brake job. They should be in the yellow pages though.
Pep Boys has done a pretty good job on things like brake jobs in the past- the Plano one’s at Spring Creek @ Alma(SW corner).
1996 Ford Thunderbird. I’ve read it’s not exactly rocket science to change the things on this make, but I’m not terrible mechanically inclined (I’m proud of myself when I install a battery or headlight.) There is a little bit of scoring on one of the rotors so I’m afraid they’ll make me buy new ones if I take it somewhere.
let me also add that a lot of mom and pop mechanics will do it for you if you bring them the actual pads and such. It’s seems really easy to do especially for the mechanically inclined. Takes a few minutes for them and they charge you a few bucks. I’m sure if a place can redo a clutch they would do the pads as well. you should give them a call and ask.
Just FYI, greenteeth, part of a normal brake job would be resurfacing the rotors so they can be reused. After a certain point, they cannot be resurfaced any long, due to damage, warpage, or having been resurfaced too often. So, if you’re feeling like a clueless individual when they explain what their doing, and they say that you need to buy new rotors (not cheap), ask them to tell you why they can’t be resurfaced. You can appear a little more educated then, and mechanics are much less inclined to take advantage of people who seem to know something about what they’re going to do with your car.
The problem is most shops will insist on re-surfacing, and as others have mentioned you can only resurface so many times before the rotor is useless.
Truth is that unless the brakes are pulsating (rotors warped), rotors should not be turned. I’ve replaced tons of brake pads in my days on many different cars and only had to resurface once (and that was because they were warped).
As for a shop in Plano, I don’t know. I do all my own work. I would tend to try a smaller independent shop rather than a big chain. The chains will advertise brake jobs @$99, but then tell you it needs a bunch more parts…
A friend at work took his car to city garage a few times and said they did ok, FWIW.
/Markus
I wouldn’t do it yourself if you don’t know what you’re doing.
It’s one thing to make a car not go; but its another case to make it not stop.
Not sure about your area but I would recommend **Midas **if they are like our local shop. 
I took my 4 year old Lincoln to Midas to check the brakes. He put the car on the rack and removed all 4 wheels. In a while he came and asked me to come and look at my brake pads. He said they looked like new. He said that was typical with Lincolns. He put the wheels back on and said no charge.
In the past I always replaced my own pads but I’m older now and lazy. I owned several cars over the years… never needed anything other than brake shoes or brake pads… very simple job that only takes a short time.
Resurfacing the rotors is one of the biggest scams in the auto repair industry. Mechanics will resurface rotors at the drop of a hat, apparently for no other reason than to add a good chunk of change to your repair bill. A “normal” brake job does not include resurfacing rotors. Rotors only need to be resurfaced if the surface is worn unevenly or grooved or has some other type of damage.
However:
This makes me think that there’s a good chance your rotors might need resurfaced, or might need to be replaced completely. If the brakes are long overdue for a change, the metal part on the back of the pad starts gouging grooves into the rotor which will completely ruin them in a short amount of time.
My experience with Midas in our area was much less pleasant than olefin’s. Suffice it to say I won’t go back there again. YMMV.
Now, now, it’s not that black-and-white. In years past, there was a significant number of complaints of noise (typically squealing) following brake pad replacement. Among the several things to do to minimize the chances of having such noise is properly resurfacing the rotors.
Brake pad manufacturers generally recommend rotor resurfacing for optimal seating-in of the new pads. Rotors get glazed with use; resurfacing results in a satin-finish surface texture which is the textbook ideal.
Car manufacturers generally recommend pretty much what e_c_g mentioned–don’t resurface unless there’s warpage, deep scoring, or other measurable and significant problem. Keep in mind though, that car manufacturers have to pay for work done under warranty, and their recommendations have to be the same for warranty situations and non-warranty situations (translation–even if the engineers believe resurfacing is beneficial and want to recommend it, if it’s not absolutely necessary the accountants get the final say.)
Mechanics/repair shops are caught between the above conflicting official recommendations, with the added factor of having to satisfy the customer in a face-to-face situation. No one wants folks coming back upset about noisy brakes.
I used to routinely recommend resurfacing. Nowadays, if the rotors are serviceable as is, I offer the customer the option. I suggest premium pads to minimize the chance of noise, especially if the rotors are not being resurfaced or replaced. I warn customers that unless all the bases are covered (high-quality pads, appropriate lubing of contact points with the right kind of grease, and proper surface texture on the rotors) they are taking a chance of having annoying noise.**
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Sadly, my observation is that most chain operations tend to oversell. I’d be wary dealing with one.
Since you’re looking for advice and recommendations, I’ll move this thread to IMHO.
bibliophage
moderator GQ
Well, I live in your neck of the woods, greenteeth .
So, what are these “brake” things you speak of?
YMMV, of course.
I only wish that I could have my rotors resurfaced. With a BMW, it’s automatically new rotors every time the brake pads are replaced.
Having said that, I happened to stop by a shop yesterday that I was driving past because I needed a tire balanced. They refused to charge me anything for the balancing (I tipped the mechanic). They noticed that my front brake pads were getting pretty thin and they said they would not have to replace the rotors (yea!).
Anyway, I don’t know if they are the least expensive place but I was impressed with their professionalism. The place is called the Driver’s Edge near the south-west corner of Park Blvd. and the Tollway. I haven’t used them before, but I think I may try them in the future.
That doesn’t make sense to me. Looking through the specs for BMW brake rotors (new thickness, minimum machining thickness, and discard thickness), they don’t seem that different from many other cars in terms of metal thickness that can machined away for resurfacing. Maybe BMW experts know something I’m not aware of, but on paper you shouldn’t need new rotors with every brake job.
I think the “BMW experts” are just expert at extracting the maximum amount of cash for a brake job. 
Another thing you might consider is Midas often picks you up & brings you to the store. Besides, if your car has antilock brakes you should take it to pro.