Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2000 17:23:39 GMT From: jw <johnwebster1nopsamhlink.net> Subject: Re: 1984 900 S brakes cost (master cyl., calipers, etc.)
Jeremy Brown wrote: > > Hello, > I also just had to replace my front calipers and pads plus have the rotors > turned, and it cost me about $320. The kicker was that I had just had them > replaced only 18 months before by a mechanic that was not my regular guy. My > mechanic showed me the old calipers and they looked as about as old as the > car (16 years). It was obvious that the first mechanic put used parts on my > car and charged me for new. The moral? Make sure that whomever does your > brakes can be trusted!! As it turns out, I will probably have my local Midas do it. They do a lot of work on Saabs (there's lots of Saabs around here) and the mechanic took me into the bay and showed me the calipers and rotors. The calipers are completely rusted out, heavily corroded and look so bad, they might be the originals (car has 115K mi., I bought it used last year). Interesting to see the price you quoted above though, because Midas wants to charge me $169.99 for each front caliper, including pads, I think. Labor will be an extra $50 each, for a grand total of $439, and that's just for the fronts. Hmmm. I also need to replace the rear calipers and one rear rotor (the other can be turned), as well as emergency brake cables ($40 parts, $212 labor). The e-brake doesn't work at all. Total estimate for four calipers, one rotor, e-brake cables, and misc. parts and labor is a whopping $1200! Even then, I may still need to replace the master cylinder, but the Midas mechanic says maybe the slight squishiness in the brake pedal is just due to all the worn out components, and to fix all that before getting into the master cylinder, which will be another $209.99 plus $70 labor. Anyway, I'm probably just going to have them do it. It's a lot of money, but I'll have pretty much all new brakes, so I should be good to go for at least a couple years. > -Local Mechanics: If you use a local mechanic, make sure he is ASE certified > and in good standing. Also make sure the person is Saab knowledgeable. I > have a local guy near me who is Saab certified and is a crook. I had him > look at my car and he tried to sell me another saying mine was no good. > Profit was his only motive. My regular guy is real good and will stand by > his work even a few months out. My local mechanic has been good in the past (they did an excellent job installing a new clutch for around $400 total), but they wanted to jump right into all new calipers, plus master cylinder, and Midas will hold off on the master cylinder to see if new brake components help the brake pedal travel. Either way, I think I'm going to be forking over four-digits worth of repairs, but that's what happens when you have 16-year-old brakes that a previous owner might have neglected to maintain. I haven't been driving the car while I shop around for repair estimates, and I just want to get it back on the road at this point. > I hope that this helps a little, > Jeremy in MA Yes, definitely, thanks for the info. -jw -- john s. webster the vortext group -- writing svcs. 218 waterman st. #306c providence, rhode island 02906 email: johnwebster1nopsamhlink.net -------------------------------------------
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