Cost of changing brake pads on VW?

How much would it cost if i just wanted to change my brake pads on my VW Jetta, 2008. I will buy the brakes separately, so i want to know price of installing them. anyone have an estimate??

thanks!

(full points for best answer...)Cost of changing brake pads on VW?
The cost will vary depending upon the hourly charge for labour; shop rates vary from shop to shop.. it will also depend upon what you need to have done.



To replace brake pads only, you should expect to pay between .5 to .8 of an hour charge x times the posted hourly rate for labour. It is also quite possible that you may need additional work; the rotors might need to be machined or even replaced, depending upon the amount of runout on the rotor (yeah, its possible that you might not need to do anything but replace pads, but given the material OEM brake pads are made up, that's unlikely). If you need to machine the rotors (or replace the rotors), expect to pay at least 1.0 hours of labour for replacement, up to 1.8 to machine rotors, in addition to the basic charge of of replacing the pads.



Brakes are something that you don't economize at: a quality brake job is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! Your safety is something you don't want to gamble at, inferior brake pads, poor workmanship, will effect the braking distance and wear characteristics of the brake job. On my own every day driver, (also a front wheel drive compact car), I don't even machine rotors, I replace them because they will almost always be at or below minimum safe thickness after machining. And, dare I say, a good brake job will include new mounting hardware, anti-rattle clips (if your car is equipped), cleaning and lubrication of the caliper sliding pionts, etc... I've seen too many %26quot;cheap%26quot; brake jobs where the customer wasn't happy with they got: noisy brakes, %26quot;grabbing%26quot; brakes, brakes that wore unevenly or wore out very quickly and steering that pulled from one side to the other when braking. I've redone countless %26quot;cheap%26quot; brakes over the last 30+ years; I'm amazed at the poor quality of workmanship and/or materials that exist in automotive service market place.



There are places that you can economize on your vehicle; a brake job isn't one of them. I have a cardinal rule: if it rolls (drives) on the street, several things have to be in top shape, no matter what the car looks like: it has to steer, (means good tires, alignment, steering linkage), it has to brake (brakes that don't fade under hard usage, stop straight and don't pull, stop in the shortest distance possible and still be stable), and you have to be able to see: clear windscreen (windshield), mirrors that work, lights that work and are aimed correctly, defroster(s) that work etc.



As a practical matter, I agree with the previous writer that you don't go to a shop to have them install your supplied parts. The shop that installs your supplied part won't be responsible for the failure or wear on your part (as long as it can be proved that the installation was done correctly), so you could end up paying for labour twice...



Should you still decide to purchase the part yourself; don't buy the cheapest brake pad you can find. You need to purchase at least an OEM grade of brake pad; brake pads are frequently sold in grades, the more expensive the brake pad, usually the better the material that the pad is made up. Also, in some brake pads, they include the mounting hardware with the pads as well as a anti vibration/noise shim, usually glued on the back side of the pad. For the most part, better quality pads are the only ones that include the hardware with the brake pad.



I know that some people might say I'm just ranting, not at all, I just want to you to understand that there's more to a quality brake job than just replacing the brake pad. A good job will save you money, time and perhaps, personal injury.



Hope this helps, a car nut.Cost of changing brake pads on VW?
Depends on where your at, but $75.00 to $95.00. Just one question for you though, when you go to a restaurant do you take food in and have the chef cook it for you so you do not have to pay full price? Shop owners have overhead that the profit they make on parts helps cover.