I think we might be getting hosed. I took my X in to the dealership today to get the oil changed and because the red warning light in the dash reads "brake". Checked the owners manual and it said it could be due to emergency brake, checked and nope, another option was it could be low brake fluid, checked and nope. Now the stealership calls saying its some $550 for a frond end brake job!!! Since my mom answered the phone and she is technicaly the owner of the car she gave them the go ahead because they guy made it seem like the brakes dont work at all, or that how my mom took it. When I had a small run in with a low wooden post as a boat launch I clipped the front bumper and the people at the dealership recommended me to a body collision shop that is owned by the same guy who owns "suburban imports", my nissan dealer. Long story shorter they wanted $1,100 and I said F*** you and got it done for $350, so if they wanted to try to pull one over me then what makes ya think they arent trying it again? Maybe they are right but I think that its hard to put $550 into front brake!

they wanted $550 just to change the brake pads? that seems steep. i would ask what a front brake job includes. maybe your rotors were shot or something but on an 03 that doesn't seem likely...

I paid about that for an entire 60,000 mile service that included new pads and resurfacing the rotors (and coolant flush, brake fluid flush, other new fluids and all the other 60,000 mile stuff). So, yes, it sounds like you are getting hosed.

I got a front brake job at my local firestone for about $200, and that included new rotors.

You can change the front pads yourself in a couple of hours for less than $100.

My Nissan dealer charged me 105. 80 for the pads, the rest for labor on my '02

You are getting hosed. I'm guessing you're around 35K miles, and the light came on because the fluid is reading low in cold weather despite looking fine... As your brake pads wear, you need more fluid in the system to fully extend the pistons. The fluid is also less viscous in cold weather, so it senses different. Same thing happened to me a couple months back.

Lifetime pads cost me ~25 bucks at O'Reilly and it takes all of 30 minutes to change the front pads out.

Unless there is a need to replace or turn your rotors, there's no reason a front brake job should cost anywhere in that range. New rotors run about $80-$100 each.

If you've got a couple thumbs, a large C-Clamp and a socket set, just about anyone can change their own front pads.

I would have driven over to your house and done it myself for much less than that. Unless they replaced some expensive hardware, you are getting screwed!

Im at 20K miles. Guys this is rediclious, picked the truck up today and the rundown went like this 137.22 in parts, changed out front pads and didnt a brake flush (charged $80 for that!) Here comes the kicker $372.77 in LABOR!! Correct me if im wrong but thats INSANE! There is a disclaimer that in short says that they use a flat rate for labor. I think this is something worth complaining over becuse come on now $372.77. I also has the pins that hold the fabric to the back of the back seats in replaced dont know if they charged any hours for that, and the seat bottom of my drivers seat was coming off dont know how much time was spent on that. The guy who wrote it up said some stuff about it being difficult on a 4X4? Is there any truth to that? Im not to happy with Suburban Nissan of Troy, Michigan right now.

We charge 3.3 hours (we're at $115 per hour), replace the pads, pack the wheel bearings (using new wheel seals), turn the rotors, lube the pins and perform a 27pt. inspection on the vehicle for every 4x4 (and some 2x4's) front brake job. But I think we change the price down to around $300 or so, not exact on that.

Some have decent luck just replacing the pads. If your rotors are perfectly flat, not tapered or grooved, your pins are nice and well lubed and your bearings are bathed in good grease (not the blackish/brownish crap found in most), then go for it.

If not, then pay someone who knows what they're doing, how to properly adjust the wheel bearing preload, will clean all the old crap grease out so as to not contaminate the new stuff and then install a good pad (not the half metal 'lifetime' crap found in Carquest and Autozone's nationwide).

But that's just me. I like stopping. Kind of a sticking point with me, I guess.

Not saying you need to spend a grand doing it, but a "$99 4 wheel friction reline" isn't all it's cracked up to be either.

Had a full brake job done at the Boulder dealer for around $400. Pads/shoes, resurfacing, labor, and I think an oil change was part of that price. Seems if any place would be waaaay high on prices, it would be Boulder. Maybe they are making up for not giving me a better price on the X itself.

Well I guess that I wasnt as hosed as I thought I was. It just shocked me that at 20,500 miles I would need to put $500 into the truck to keep it stopping. Yeah 20,500 miles is short for break pads but my driving is almost all city I probably spend as much time stopping as I do just cruising around where I live, it almost seems like when I drive to school every day that if I spend a minute crusing at 35 that im gettin somewhere, always slowing and speeding and stopping and going.

$500!!!! whatever. do you live at home? if so, you really need to learn to do this stuff yourself. if you are like most of us when we we're at your age you won't have the cash to pay that much for repairs you can take care of. having a friend/parent showing you is the best method. Dealerships have the proper trained mechanics and oem parts that is why you pay a lot there as they are going to do it by the book, and they are trying to make money as well. Hell a Haynes or Chilton manual would be a good read to get you started as they walk you through the repair. Parts for this job should have been around 30-50 bucks unless you got the Nissan pads.

Im a mechanical idiot. Even if I didnt know how to change the brake pads I wouldn't have the time. The parents dont know much about cars either so they wouldnt be of any help. Maybe I'll learn when it gets warmer outside.

I'm literally sitting here waiting for someone to come get me so I can go pick up my X. I was not happy with what I was being charged either so I decided to come on here and snoop to see if anyone else got "hosed" like I felt I was being. I too got the ER brake light coming on and checked my fluid...nope.. all full. Then came that nasty warning screeeeching sound from the front left. Ugh.. need new front pads. No big deal I'm thinking. Maybe $100 or so. Then comes the phone call from my local Merlin Muffler and Brakes (and I thought I was being clever not getting sucked by a dealer). Almost $600. New front brake pads and new rotors. They said my rotors are warped. The big thing is coming from labor because I have a 4x4 they need to disassemble my hubs or some crap like that to replace the rotors.
I'm not happy. I love my X, don't get me wrong. I've never been happier with a vehicle nor have I ever enjoyed driving so much. I'm just getting a little sick to the stomach thinking that I'm getting some minor issues fixed and it turns out to be a big expensive project. With crap like this busting my wallet I'll never be able to get my mods!

I took the truck for the 50 000 km ( 30k miles ) maintenance. They charged me for 6 or 8 hours, don't exactly remember, but I remember a door-to-door of under 4 hrs. It did piss me off that I was still paying them labor time when my truck was sitting at home in my driveway. They could of at least take the time to wash it a bit or whatever, just pay some kid to make up the rest of the time, so this way it wouldn't be as obvious that I'm getting hosed.

And yes, they mentionned brakes as well, I should probably get the rotor surfaced, but after giving them 600$, I just didn't feel like it, week before christmas and all.

Hey LOSS, where did you take your car again? I mean, the location of the shop?

Brake shops and such are always....ALWAYS going to tell you that the rotors are warped, the wheel cylinder are bad, the master cylinder something major is always wrong,,,,you think they are going to let you drive in for $50 in brake pads??? this is a do it yourself job that takes a total of 30 min. loosen lugs on one tire, lift that side remove tire, remove one bolt that allows the caliper to swing upward take out old pads, insert new swing down caliper, reinsert bolt, tighten bolt, put wheel on hand tighten lugs, lower side of truck, tighten lugs, repeat......... check for deep grooves in rotors when you are removing pads.

damn, you folks must be hard on your brakes I've got 36k on my X. Just had a brake inspection and I've still got 50% life left on my fronts and about 70% left on the rears...mostly city driving.

I took it to Merlin's Muffler & Brakes in Downers Grove off Lemont Road.
More to this story.......
So I get an alignment done while the truck is in there because it has been pulling to the right. I had already had an alignment about 3 months ago from Just Tires in Westmont and got new front tires because the pull was bad and a wear pattern was noticable on the old tires.(Just Tires doesn't know how to do alignments either) The guy at Merlin's says they don't have an alignment machine at their shop but they'll have one of their guys come pick it up and take it to one of their shops that does. When paying I find out that none of the Merlin's shops have the machines and they actually contracted my truck out to National Tire and Battery to have them do the alignment (would have been nice to know cause I have a $20 off coupon for there). NTB charges 79.99 for an alignment and Merlin charges me 89.95. They also wouldn't accept the NTB coupon! They give me the alignment spec sheet and the numbers aren't within specifications. I ask the guy why and he said he didn't know because they don't do alignments... they don't know how to read the sheets. (this is how I found they gave my truck to NTB).
I get in my truck... PULL PULL PULL to the right.
I figure I've got the "X"tended warrany on the truck I'll take it to the dealer. Dealer tells me the truck was all out of alignment and he doesn't know what the hell NTB did to it.
I'm getting ready to go pick up my truck now from the dealer and I'm driving over to Merlin and getting my freaking $89.95 back. If they put up a fight I'm gonna show them my 4x4 capability by running over the little modded rice burner the counter kid owns in the parking lot.
I hate paying dealer prices and dealing with the runaround you get but Oscar the servce manager at Bill Kay Nissan in Downers Grove is a good guy. I'd recommend him!!

SouthernX,
Is it the same task when dealing with a vehicle that has 4x4 capability?
I've never done my own service so I get sucked in a lot.
They were telling me it was more expensive with labor charges due to the fact my X has 4x4 hubs and they need to take that whole mechanism apart to change to rotors. Is this crap???

if you don't have to turn the rotors (no gouges in the rotor surface) just change the pads and you should be fine...don't let the brake places screw you. get a chilton or haynes and read up on it if you have to.