DIY Front Brake Job - 2007 Dodge Charger SRT8 Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.com

DIY Front Brake Job - 2007 Dodge Charger SRT8 Long-Term Road Test

Our 2007 Dodge Charger SRT8 needs front brakes, so I bought some new Brembo brake pads, drove home to my garage and got to work.

Read the full story here

kirkhilles1

So... you guys will do a brake job but won't do a simple oil change?

grijon

Excellent writeup, Dan - I'm sure I'm not the only Edmunds reader who really loves this stuff.

miata52

Glad to see you guys doing some DIY posts...

longtimelurker

Even just a cursory search reveals these OEM rotors at $103.40 each, with free shipping, at Amazon. These OEM pads are $74.50 each, with $8.50 shipping. So that's $290 to your front door...even if they charge you tax, that's probably $105 you left on the table.

I can see paying that kind of premium when you have a breakdown and need parts TODAY, but for something that's been in the planning stages for awhile like this...? I would say it's those dealers' lucky day rather than yours.

daryleason

I liked the write-up, but I've got a couple of questions...
1) How hard was it to pull the tire's rim off the hub? My 2013 F-150 with Aluminum Wheels almost welds itself to the steel hub. The only way I've been able to get the wheel off the truck is loosen the lugs, put the truck in reverse, chomp the brakes, put it in drive, chomp the brakes (rolling about 2 foot forward and rear), jack the truck up, take the lugnuts off, and pulling the tire. I've tried beating it with a hammer, but no luck.
2) If replacing the Rotors, wouldn't it have made sense to look at a rotor upgrade? See what option you had?

miata52

The wheels on my wife's Honda Odyssey also weld themselves to the hub for some reason (I torque the lug nuts to 80 lbs so it ain't super tight). They would weld so tight that my wife or daughters would not be able to change a flat if they had to. I could get them off by karate-kicking them (repeatably), but I'm a bit bigger than them. Finally, I started adding some brake grease to the back of the wheel before I put it back on and problem solved.

5vzfe

kirkhilles1 said:

So... you guys will do a brake job but won't do a simple oil change?

I've done brakes before and short of replacing the calipers I think it's less of a hassle than changing oil simply because I tend to make messes with anything oily - anything. It's a talent I have.

desmolicious

Very cool you are doing this Dan, but why aren't you using that fancy lift at Edmunds HQ?

bankerdanny

longtimelurker said:

Even just a cursory search reveals these OEM rotors at $103.40 each, with free shipping, at Amazon. These OEM pads are $74.50 each, with $8.50 shipping. So that's $290 to your front door...even if they charge you tax, that's probably $105 you left on the table.

I can see paying that kind of premium when you have a breakdown and need parts TODAY, but for something that's been in the planning stages for awhile like this...? I would say it's those dealers' lucky day rather than yours.

I made a similar comment in the original post that quoted the $695 brake job. I simply would never buy parts from a dealer unless I absolutely have to (and sometimes you do have to).

On a side note, what happened to the shop with the 2 post? I use jack stands because I have to, but if I had easy access to a lift I would use it as much as possible.

wheelmccoy

Heh, so you "Dodged a Charge" of $695. Nice write-up.

s197gt

nice wrangler. looks familiar.

longtimelurker

You use Never-Seez on the rotor hats, hub and studs so you can get your wheels off...thought everybody did that.

roadburner

Yep, wire brush the hub and apply a thin coat of anti-seize where the center hole of the wheel aligns with the raised ring on the rotor. End of problem. I've been following that procedure for over 30 years and honestly thought that it was common knowledge.

texanatheart

How has the brake dust been on the current pads? The OEM Brembo pads are very prone to put off a lot of dust, so many SRT8 owners choose to use non-Brembo pads (Centric or similar) for comparable performance on the street with much less dust.

iamthestig

kirkhilles1 said:

So... you guys will do a brake job but won't do a simple oil change?

longtimelurker said:

Even just a cursory search reveals these OEM rotors at $103.40 each, with free shipping, at Amazon. These OEM pads are $74.50 each, with $8.50 shipping. So that's $290 to your front door...even if they charge you tax, that's probably $105 you left on the table.

I can see paying that kind of premium when you have a breakdown and need parts TODAY, but for something that's been in the planning stages for awhile like this...? I would say it's those dealers' lucky day rather than yours.

desmolicious said:

Very cool you are doing this Dan, but why aren't you using that fancy lift at Edmunds HQ?

bankerdanny said:

I made a similar comment in the original post that quoted the $695 brake job. I simply would never buy parts from a dealer unless I absolutely have to (and sometimes you do have to).

On a side note, what happened to the shop with the 2 post? I use jack stands because I have to, but if I had easy access to a lift I would use it as much as possible.

This is a tough crowd! We're always commenting back that the Edmunds staff should do more maintenance on their own. I agree -- it's always an interesting read and helpful to see well-documented DIY jobs. So here we have an Edmunds staffer taking on a good DIY job, and I see several comments challenging why other DIY jobs aren't being done, why parts weren't purchased at the absolute cheapest price, and why the job was being done at home rather than on a lift. What gives? For me, I'm happy to see this post, I'm eager to see the follow-up posts, and I hope I get to see more content like this down the road.

texases

Good post. And I'm not interested in oil changes, it's this kind of work that is worth the read.

longtimelurker

iamthestig said:

kirkhilles1 said:

So... you guys will do a brake job but won't do a simple oil change?

longtimelurker said:

Even just a cursory search reveals these OEM rotors at $103.40 each, with free shipping, at Amazon. These OEM pads are $74.50 each, with $8.50 shipping. So that's $290 to your front door...even if they charge you tax, that's probably $105 you left on the table.

I can see paying that kind of premium when you have a breakdown and need parts TODAY, but for something that's been in the planning stages for awhile like this...? I would say it's those dealers' lucky day rather than yours.

desmolicious said:

Very cool you are doing this Dan, but why aren't you using that fancy lift at Edmunds HQ?

bankerdanny said:

I made a similar comment in the original post that quoted the $695 brake job. I simply would never buy parts from a dealer unless I absolutely have to (and sometimes you do have to).

On a side note, what happened to the shop with the 2 post? I use jack stands because I have to, but if I had easy access to a lift I would use it as much as possible.

This is a tough crowd! We're always commenting back that the Edmunds staff should do more maintenance on their own. I agree -- it's always an interesting read and helpful to see well-documented DIY jobs. So here we have an Edmunds staffer taking on a good DIY job, and I see several comments challenging why other DIY jobs aren't being done, why parts weren't purchased at the absolute cheapest price, and why the job was being done at home rather than on a lift. What gives? For me, I'm happy to see this post, I'm eager to see the follow-up posts, and I hope I get to see more content like this down the road.

For my comment, it's about context...this is supposed to be the cheap millennial performance car. I can't see a cash-strapped millennial with $100k in student loan debt doing his own brake job to save money...and then paying $400 for $300 worth of parts.

actualsize

Well, said cash-strapped-millennial probably wouldn't have the SRT8 with the pricey Brembos. Regarding how MUCH I paid and could have saved elsewhere, this is more of a how to do it post. If someone can save even more and justify it to an even higher degree, that's great. And I didn't use the lift because it erodes to whole DIY tutorial aspect. It's great for photos and big jobs, such as *spoiler alert* installing entirely new Jeep axles, but it doesn't make it seem easy because no one can relate to the starting point tool.

longtimelurker

Totally agree as to why you used the driveway/jackstand method. Same reasoning, and also there is zero benefit to the lift for this kind of job...just kneel or sit your butt down on one of those gardening pads or something and have at it.

Damn...look at those clean fasteners and threads...the ventilation web between the rotor faces is not even corroded...you don't even need a wire brush.

Do they even SELL PB B'laster in California?

thecardoc3

I took a moment to look up the factory labor times on this. .4 hours to do the pads, and .1 for each rotor for a total of .6 hours (36 minutes)

When you stop to think about the fact that this includes getting the repair order and finding the car. Then do what ever testing is required to confirm what it needs. I.E. road test, rack and disassemble for inspection which includes making all of the correct measurements (mic the rotors). (NOTE: The tech may even be required to machine them to prove that they cannot be returned to service and that does not pay additional time)

The tech then has to get the authorization to do the work, secure the parts, do the repair, and then road test to confirm that the repair is complete and correct as well as burnish the pads, I wonder how many people could actually work mistake free at such a pace?

longtimelurker

I would not even try...and that's why I do my own brakes and other work...because I can afford to take the time to do it right. So the $695 quote they had...the shop was going to put $250 worth of parts on it, have the bay tied up for 36 minutes, pay the tech (including benefits) maybe $45...and pocket $400 in profit.

roadburner

longtimelurker said:

I would not even try...and that's why I do my own brakes and other work...because I can afford to take the time to do it right. So the $695 quote they had...the shop was going to put $250 worth of parts on it, have the bay tied up for 36 minutes, pay the tech (including benefits) maybe $45...and pocket $400 in profit.

Now you've gone and done it.

actualsize

longtimelurker said:

You use Never-Seez on the rotor hats, hub and studs so you can get your wheels off...thought everybody did that.

Is that an east-coast thing because of all the road salt and whatnot? I've never done that out here -- and didn't on the subsequent rotor change you'll read about soon.

texases

From what I've heard it's a high-salt-area thing. There is debate about using it on the studs, changes the torque needed, I think.

stever

I always heard it was a no-no. For example:

NEVER, NEVER use anti-seize compound on fasteners

devildog19954

I was going thru the same thing too with my 2007 Super Bee SRT 8.Replace the whole front end just short of sway bar.Took my rotors to brake masters to get it turned and told its no good.took second opinion and took it to a machine shop and was told the same thing.too thin.way beyond the allowable thickness.Shop around for rotors and found A1Auto.Front rotors drilled and slotted including brake pads for $184.00 for the kit for SRT 8 thats after taxes with free shipping. A1Auto.com.