The story is I have a 1990 Acura Integra with 204K miles. The anti-lock brake light has been coming on for awhile, but I just ignored it and only drove the car in good weather, since the ABS was not working ( according to the manual). My master cylinder has now developed a leak. I assume the ABS problem could well simply be a sensor, but I am fairly sure that the master cylinder and probably the brake lines need to be replaced for the standard brake leak. I am trying to decide if it is even worth it to have it looked at. Does anyone have a ballpark estimate on the standard brake job, and the range I might be looking at for the ABS system?
I am not sure how far it will help you, but your question was already on the second page of my “new” search, with no responses, so this will at least bump it up a bit for you.
I recently took my car to get the brakes checked. My father-in-law recommended the place I went to, and in fact booked it in for me, as he knew the guy there.
Replacing disk pads on front and rear was $200 incl. labour.
The guy said, and FIL agreed, that the rotors themselves needed to be replaced. The total cost of that, including new brake pads… $750.
We are in different countries, given that you called it an Acura Integra (I am in Australia) so the numbers will obviously not align all that well, but you can see how quickly the amounts start to grow. Something like replacing brake lines etc certainly sounds a lot more complex than simply changing disc rotors…
Add in to that the fact that it’s a sports car, so might have a better (read: more expensive) braking system and you could see a very steep price indeed.
Are there any places that will charge a nominal fee to take a look at it, and waive said fee if you go ahead with repairs. It’s probably worth $50 or so to find out for sure how much it is likely to cost.
In the 'States, many, many places will do free brake inspection. Just don’t fall for the “they’re so bad the law allows me to keep it here” argument. You can drive your car off at your own risk.
From my point of view, it really depends on what kind of shape the rest of the car is in. If, overall, the car is in immaculate condition and you really love the car, then you will probably want to fix it, even if the cost is $700. But, on the other hand, if the car leaves a lot to be desired on all levels, then why bother? Look at it this way. You have a 15 year old car with an engine that is 100,000 miles past its prime. You could trade it in and add the $700 you would have spent on brakes and have a decent down payment on something better. Ultimately though, it is up to you. You know the car and you know what you can afford to keep it on the road in a safe condition.
There is something about the OP puzzles me
First
As compared to what, driving a car with defective brakes, getting into an accident and getting sued? Or buying a new car? Or both? IMHO the cost of either of those would far exceed the cost of a brake repair
Getting back to your problem, first off the ABS warning light is probably not related to the other problem (manny people, or many people if you want, seem to think they are always related. Not true.)
Next the ABS system problem could be something very simple and cheap like a fuse (yes on some cars a blown fuse will disable the ABS and turn on the light) or a single sensor acting up, or it could be the entire control unit has gone belly up. It will most likely take a pro with a scan tool to tell you which.
As far as the brake leak goes, how do you know the system is leaking? Low fluid? The fluid level will drop as the brakes on the car wear, this is normal. If however the fluid level drops, and is topped up, and drops again that is a leak. Where is it leaking from is the next question. In my experience the most common leak is inside the master cylinder, this leak can be observed by looking just below the master cylinder on the face of the booster. If the front of the booster just below the master is wet, most likely your M/C is bad. The second most likely spot is one of the wheel cylinders (If you have drum brakes in the rear) or at the calipers (for disc brakes) You can usually spot leaks at the wheels by looking at the back side of the tires. If the inside of the wheels / tires are wet most likely that wheel is leaking.
The next most likly spot is the rubber hoses at the front wheels, and at the rear (locatons vary depending on how the rear suspension is set up)
The least likely spot for a leak are the metal hardlines (some people who live where they use salt on the road might argue with this one)
Anyway if the leak turns out to be the master or a caliper / wheel cylinder I can’t see why the brake lines would need to be replaced. 
On repair does not always go with the other.
My personal recomondation is to not go to a chain place that offers a free brake inspections. I have seen the employees there oversell like no tomorrow. I would either take it to a trusted independent or to a dealer. (Disclaimer: I work for a car maker, and have worked for independents in the past. I have never worked for a chain, but I have seen some very very bad work and estimates that would curl your hair from them)
Yeah, chains tend to way over sell and then to get you to buy everything they “suggest” they tell you that they can’t guarantee anything if you don’t go for it all. They’ll tell you that you need new brake pads, but in order for the guarantee on the pads to be good, you have to replace the rotors also. It’s a load, but most people aren’t up on the “tricks of the trade” that some shops use.
Basically, if your first impression is that something seems fishy, it probably is, so get a second opinion.
Rick, in answer to your question: I really love the Acura, but it is a spare car, driven once a week for it’s own good, or when one of the other cars needs work. The owner’s manual makes it clear that the anit-brake light means that the anti-lock part of the brakes are not working, but that the brakes themselves are just fine. When I noticed a serious loss of brake fluid (lost a little, topped it off, within two weeks had lost alot) I immediately stopped driving it at all. So the question is, is it likely to cost more than the $1,000 absolute top I am willing to spend to fix it. If I just donate it somewhere, I will not replace it at all.
I take my car to this local gas station with a repair shop that specializes in Japanese models, and is extremely honest. I think they charge book, but never try to get you spend extra money. When the defroster stopped working, they took off the dash, soldered a loose connection, and charged me next to nothing.
To fix the leak, no. It’s likely to be well under that.
To also fix the ABS, hard to say what is likely. It could be less than 200, or over 2000, depending on the cause.
If you just fix the leak, you’re back to having a drivable car with non-functioning ABS just like you did before the leak showed up. Are you not considering this option?
Afterthought: Unless the leak is in the ABS modulator, which probably costs more than that.
Some Honda models had leakage from the modulator plugs, which can be fixed without replacing the modulator. Honda issued a Technical Service Bulletin on the problem. However, this is generally a smaller leak than what was described.
No, I am considering that option. It is acceptable to me. I don’t take it out on snowy or rainy days anyway. As long as I have brakes that work, I can do without ABS.