Just wanted to throw this out there to see if it seems legitimate.
Bought a 97 Wrangler from a private seller with spongy brakes. I took it to the Jeep dealership to have the brakes checked and to get an inspection so that I could register the car.
They said there was a loose fitting on one of the brake lines and it was leaking brake fluid, they tightened it, flushed the lines and put in new brake fluid. They also said the steering box needed to be replaced and a few other things. Paid the $1020.00 bill and left.
Brakes seemed much better for the first few minutes, then a car pulled out in front of me and I slammed on the brakes and locked up the tires. Thankfully I didn't get into an accident. Immediately after that it seemed a bit harder to get the jeep to accelerate and it felt like the brakes were still being pushed. I put the car into neutral and it came to a stop relatively quickly. At that point I realized that the brakes were messed up and turned around and headed back to the dealership. By the time I got there the front brakes were literally smoking.
The guy who did the repair came out and said "yep they smell hot". He took the jeep back and 45 min later they came out and told me that the entire front brake system needed to be replaced. New pads, calipers, rotors, master cylinder, etc. They initially said total cost was $1850 but they would work with me on the labor and got the cost down to $1500.
I know a lot of people on here do their own work and I could probably do it on my own given the time and youtube help but I had surgery on my wrist earlier this week and I'm out of commission, so doing it on my own is not an option right now.
Basically I was just wondering if anyone else had experienced anything like this or for those who have forgotten more about these cars and brakes then I'll probably ever know, does this seem reasonable? When I asked why the brakes were fine when I left and now it all needs to be replaced, they just said because it is an old jeep and the brakes and lines are old. I know the brakes, rotors, etc are glazed from the heat and are shot and absolutely need to be replaced. Just wondering if I exposed a weakness in the brake system that was eventually going to be an issue or if they messed something up or if they don't feel like chasing down the problem and instead just want to replace everything.
Sorry for the long post and thanks in advance for any advice or information
Bought a 97 Wrangler from a private seller with spongy brakes. I took it to the Jeep dealership to have the brakes checked and to get an inspection so that I could register the car.
They said there was a loose fitting on one of the brake lines and it was leaking brake fluid, they tightened it, flushed the lines and put in new brake fluid. They also said the steering box needed to be replaced and a few other things. Paid the $1020.00 bill and left.
Brakes seemed much better for the first few minutes, then a car pulled out in front of me and I slammed on the brakes and locked up the tires. Thankfully I didn't get into an accident. Immediately after that it seemed a bit harder to get the jeep to accelerate and it felt like the brakes were still being pushed. I put the car into neutral and it came to a stop relatively quickly. At that point I realized that the brakes were messed up and turned around and headed back to the dealership. By the time I got there the front brakes were literally smoking.
The guy who did the repair came out and said "yep they smell hot". He took the jeep back and 45 min later they came out and told me that the entire front brake system needed to be replaced. New pads, calipers, rotors, master cylinder, etc. They initially said total cost was $1850 but they would work with me on the labor and got the cost down to $1500.
I know a lot of people on here do their own work and I could probably do it on my own given the time and youtube help but I had surgery on my wrist earlier this week and I'm out of commission, so doing it on my own is not an option right now.
Basically I was just wondering if anyone else had experienced anything like this or for those who have forgotten more about these cars and brakes then I'll probably ever know, does this seem reasonable? When I asked why the brakes were fine when I left and now it all needs to be replaced, they just said because it is an old jeep and the brakes and lines are old. I know the brakes, rotors, etc are glazed from the heat and are shot and absolutely need to be replaced. Just wondering if I exposed a weakness in the brake system that was eventually going to be an issue or if they messed something up or if they don't feel like chasing down the problem and instead just want to replace everything.
Sorry for the long post and thanks in advance for any advice or information