Options for calipers?

[tbourner]

So Honda quoted me £650 for 2 rear discs and an offside caliper.

I'm not too fussed about the discs at the moment, but the caliper I'd like to get sorted, just not for £400.


Option 1) I could take them off and send them both to Bigg Red, cost about £150 and I get both sorted.
Problem 1a) I'm a numpty, so I'd have to get someone to take them off for me and put them back on when they come back - which either means asking someone to come round and do it or me leave the car with a garage.
Problem 1b) I'd need to hire a car for a week, which is another load of money.
It would probably still be cheaper than Honda, even with £100 hire car, plus I get both of them sorted. Just a lot of faff for me.

Option 2) I could buy some from somewhere like Eurocarparts, I think it's called a Pagid Caliper? Are they any good? Seems to be about £50-£100 for one caliper from various places.
Problem 2a) Same as above really, would have to take it in the garage to get them swapped over.
Problem 2b) I think it's just the caliper part, not the carriers or whatever they are, does that matter?


Any other options?

 

[tribalscribble]

So Honda quoted me £650 for 2 rear discs and an offside caliper.
Any other options?

WOW that expensive... it's usually £250 for back discs and pads. £400 is about normal for the honda dealer to do a caliper. I just had a rear caliper replaced at the Honda Dealer in Glasgow who did it for £170 part supplied, they said to me Honda UK had some in stock they were selling to the dealers cheap... might just have been a story / excuse to cover a big discount because they messed up. Might be worth enquiring though....

On my car it was the sliders which were pitted and the rubber seal on the piston was folding back on itself.

Maybe checkout some garages in the good garage scheme and phone around for a quote with a reconditioned unit?

 

[AndyB1976]

I replaced a rear caliper on my 6th Gen with no prior knowledge - I hadn't even done pads before!! and bought a couple of tools for the job. ( It depends if you already have basic tools, jack, stands, sockets etc)

I decided I wasn't willing to pay someone regardless of the cost, so ordered the new OEM part from Holdcroft along with some brake fluid and done it. I'm sure another 7th Gen owner could describe how to change it. The 6th Gen was two calipers bolts, brake hose banjo bolt and handbrake cable - thats it in a nutshell. Obviously there are little bit of knowledge like cleaning slide pins, not hanging the caliper by the brake hose, bleeding it etc but this could be detailed I'm sure if you were up for trying it.

 

[tbourner]

WOW that expensive... it's usually £250 for back discs and pads. £400 is about normal for the honda dealer to do a caliper.

That's right then isn't it? £400 caliper plus £250 for 2 discs?


I'm hardly confident doing an oil change, I managed to change the brake master cylinder on a scooter once, never had to bleed brakes or anything so wouldn't trust driving it afterwards I don't think.
Still need to get parts anyway, where can I get a caliper from? Are blueprint parts OK?

 

[tribalscribble]

If they're charging you £250 for discs only, it's wrong, if it's discs and pads it's right.

 

[tbourner]

Aha, I don't know really, saw the figure on the sheet and must have missed the details what with all the passing out.

 

[tribalscribble]

Know the feeling I'm out almost £800 on mine this month lol.

 

[brodziu]

what's wrong with your calipers? I would just go to garage to repair calipers which you have now that's the cheapest opinion imho, every garage should do this without any problems you can buy just repair kit and replace all sealant in calipers and that's it because there is nothing else in caliper what may be broken.

 

[tbourner]

I would have thought they'd need a lot of work to refurbish though, cleaning it all out rather than just replacing a few seals and washers?

 

[apintofmild]

I've not long since done this myself ( link ). I wasn't looking for up-rating, looking nice or anything -just safe functional brakes.

My bits came from Brakes International ( link ). I'm only a few weeks in, so can't really endorse (or otherwise) their stuff, but so far so good. Excellent service though.

You could get a recon caliper and / or slide kit from them (or at least compare prices) and have a local garage fit them. I did it in several hours, with no prior knowledge. This is bread and butter work for a garage, I bet they could do it why-you-wait with a bit of planning. If you're not confident I'd say leave off doing it yourself. You don't want to find out the hard way you've over stretched yourself (and then have to pay to have it done anyway!)

Keep us posted.

P.S. Most recon caliper prices are quoted exchange. Price at the check out will probably be higher. You have to arrange to get your old parts back to them and get your deposit back.

 

[OB1]

At those prices I'd forget about going to Honda and try a trusted local garage. It costs nothing to ask their advice as to costs and how long you'd be without your car. I'd ask about the costs of various options such as:

a ) The garage refurbing your calipers with new seals, and possibly new pistons and slides depending on their condition (this would only come to light after the calipers were removed).
b ) The garage supplying and fitting new / refurbed calipers
c ) You sourcing calipers and the garage just fitting them.

As for discs and pads, to give you some idea of costs, I got EBC rear discs and pads last year from here for £57 delivered. A garage would charge labour for fitting, with my local costing £44 an hour. I don't know how many hours they'd charge you for but its not a complicated job. Nor is a specialist job that only Honda can undertake. Even at 2 hours labour you're only looking at £145, leaving you with extra cash for the calipers.

 

[J4JAV]

these prices are just stupid guys! round here you could remove the calliper, strip it down yourself, send it off for painting for £10 each then buy the refurb kit and put it all back together, about £80 tops if you did it yourself or about £150 if you went to a garage...

to be honest I could probably get hold of some working callipers from plenty of scrapyards around here for next to nothing and then just get a mechanic to swap them over! look around mate before you part your money.

 

[riot68]

I have had both my tourer rear calipers changed and for nowhere near that cost, one at Honda in Grantham and the other at a Jap car specialist, both used blue print ones, they are refurbed ones I think as you get the better price but have to leave them your old ones, both Honda and the other garage sorted all this for me, they were about £116 I think, can get you part numbers if needed (and if Diesel same as 2.4 tourer). As for discs, should always put new pads on with new discs. Honda even lent me a Jazz while they order parts and fitted them, then sent someone out in my car to collect the Jazz, can't fault it. Let me know if you need any more info...