1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Brake Replacement Experience at Les Schwab Tires

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by biglew8, Mar 19, 2017.

  1. biglew8

    biglew8 Active Member

    Joined:
    Feb 13, 2017
    170
    114
    0
    Location:
    Seattle
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    I wanted to share that I had a great experience at Les Schwab Tires. They replaced my rear brake shoes, drums, wheel cyclinders, and did a brake flush. I got this job done because a local Toyota dealership told me they couldn't do a brake flush on their rear brakes because the rear drums were rusted out and the bleeder screws were seized (see pic attached). Dealership quote me around $807 with tax. I declined their recommendation and called around for quotes. One local brake shop was $540 with tax. Our local northwest tire chain Les Schwab Tires quoted me $416 with tax for entire rear job with brake flush. That's about half of what the dealership wanted. I decided to let Les Schwab Tires do the job since they have a pretty good reputation for brakes and tires. They've also worked on a lot of Prius since we have a lot of them in the PNW. Keep in mind that not all Les Schwab Tires locations are good just like dealerships. My Prius feels new now! So if anyone is needing brake service and have a Les Schwab Tires around, feel free to have them do the job. IMG_0923.JPG
     
  2. SFO

    SFO Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 7, 2017
    5,286
    4,225
    0
    Location:
    Northern California
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Curious how many miles you have now?
     
  3. andrewclaus

    andrewclaus Active Member

    Joined:
    Sep 15, 2009
    993
    323
    0
    Location:
    Golden, CO
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Good news, and thanks for the recommendation.
     
    biglew8 likes this.
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,571
    48,862
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    that's some serious rust.
     
  5. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 30, 2008
    23,069
    14,973
    0
    Location:
    Indiana, USA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    Do the replacement drums they put on have the two M8 tapped holes, like the OEM ones, that you need for getting the drums off in the future if they rust up?

    -Chap
     
  6. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    54,470
    38,103
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    Maybe that's common practice. I first heard about that from Eric the Car Guy, he works on a variety of vehicles.
     
  7. andrewclaus

    andrewclaus Active Member

    Joined:
    Sep 15, 2009
    993
    323
    0
    Location:
    Golden, CO
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Every drum brake vehicle I've ever worked on since the 1960s (not M8 threads back then) has had those two holes.
     
  8. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    54,470
    38,103
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    Rotors have the same two holes. The first time I removed a rotor was on our Prius, and the threaded holes were so rusty (and this is not a high-mileage, snow-belt car) there was a lot of resistance screwing in the the M8x1.25. I was seriously wondering if I was stripping the threads.

    I'd screw them in till they really resisted. Then back them out, blow out the rust, do it again. Think I used a drop or two of liquid wrench too. Finally got through, and after a bit more screwing in the rotor popped free with a resounding bang, lol.
     
  9. biglew8

    biglew8 Active Member

    Joined:
    Feb 13, 2017
    170
    114
    0
    Location:
    Seattle
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    170,900 miles now. I bought it with about 169,990 a month ago.
     
  10. biglew8

    biglew8 Active Member

    Joined:
    Feb 13, 2017
    170
    114
    0
    Location:
    Seattle
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Yep. Previous owner lived in New Hampshire. He bought it new in 2005. According to owner records, the rear brakes were never worked on.
     
  11. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    54,470
    38,103
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    Just looked at the Maintenance Booklet on Toyota Tech Info, like all Prius, and in-depth brake inspection was proscribed tri-yearly or 30K miles. It's kinda subtle: the typical maintenance interval says "visually inspect...", and the more in-depth inspection is worded "Inspect the following: brake linings/drums and brake pads/discs". Footnote 3 is also on the subject:

    upload_2017-3-19_9-52-35.png
    upload_2017-3-19_9-53-29.png
    upload_2017-3-19_9-54-12.png

    The wording is not that clear, and Toyota Repair Manuals do not have a clearly delineated section saying this is what should be done. It's a bit of a mess. I think owners looking to cut costs, and lackluster dealership service departments, are leading to widespread neglect of brake maintenance.
     
  12. biglew8

    biglew8 Active Member

    Joined:
    Feb 13, 2017
    170
    114
    0
    Location:
    Seattle
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Yeah I'm not sure if previous owner was cutting costs or his dealership quickly glanced at it. I do know that Les Schwab Tires will inspect the brakes each time I go in for a tire rotation. They will even clean them for you if needed. All of this is complementary! They offer these services for free in hopes that you keep coming back for tires, brakes, batteries, and alignments. I usually go to a further location because they've always taken great care of my cars and go above and beyond. The location closer to my house does the bare minimum and try push unecessary work.
     
  13. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    54,470
    38,103
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    Yeah the people make a big difference. We had ONE Honda Service Department manager that was really conscientious, would come out personally and explain what was going on, especially if there were multiple options on how to proceed. Great guy, didn't last there long. Last I heard he was teaching mechanics at a local vocational college.
     
  14. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 30, 2008
    23,069
    14,973
    0
    Location:
    Indiana, USA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    I've seen some posts on PriusChat of people putting in cheap aftermarket rotors, with the pics showing no holes. Makes me wonder what their next job will be like.

    I've owned 1 or 2 vehicles (made since the 1960s) without those holes, and have done some rather creative things to get rotors off.

    If I bought a set that didn't have them, I'd seriously consider drilling and tapping them before putting them on....

    -Chap
     
    andrewclaus and Mendel Leisk like this.
  15. cyberpriusII

    cyberpriusII Prodigyplace says I'm Super Kris

    Joined:
    Oct 1, 2009
    1,135
    1,560
    0
    Location:
    Iowa
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Glad you are happy with your PARTICULAR Les Schwab location. I would not let the two locations near me, touch my car after previous experiences at both.
     
  16. biglew8

    biglew8 Active Member

    Joined:
    Feb 13, 2017
    170
    114
    0
    Location:
    Seattle
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Do you mind sharing what happened?
     
  17. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    54,470
    38,103
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    I appreciate this doesn't work for everyone, but if you can manage to DIY, you can do brake inspections more frequently (per the schedule), not just when the pads need replacement. And the price is right. Out there today:

    IMG_6490.JPG

    Pins three years on since last Sil-Glyde application:

    IMG_6492.JPG

    Pads disassembled and cleaned. All at 7mm remaining, around 66K kms:

    IMG_6496.JPG
     
    #17 Mendel Leisk, Mar 23, 2017
    Last edited: Mar 23, 2017
  18. cyberpriusII

    cyberpriusII Prodigyplace says I'm Super Kris

    Joined:
    Oct 1, 2009
    1,135
    1,560
    0
    Location:
    Iowa
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    How about the time I went in, they put on new tires, I came out and asked where one of my wheel covers were.

    The tech said that wheel cover was missing when I brought the car in. Absolute lie.

    I looked about and saw it leaning against a pillar about 8 feet away.

    Or the time they told me they had tires that fit and I went out and they had upsized the tire size without asking me. I made them dismount and put the old tires back on.

    Or, the time I told them I needed new tires and please check the brakes (I knew that the front disc were dangerously worn). When they were done with the tires, I asked about the brakes -- they said, "Oh, they are fine."

    Went down the street to the mechanic I usually use and he confirmed that the brakes needed replacement soon.

    Same thing, different part when my strut was leaking.

    From what I understand, it is the management at each particular store that makes the difference.

    I don't know, but the two I am talking about are within five miles of each other. I would not be surprised if they shared a manager.

    So, four strikes and they are out. Oh, I still use them when I absolutely have to use them, but I always really check over everything they do and say.
     
  19. biglew8

    biglew8 Active Member

    Joined:
    Feb 13, 2017
    170
    114
    0
    Location:
    Seattle
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    I'm sorry you had bad experiences with them. Yeah there are bad locations in Seattle area too. Sometimes the Yelp reviews are spot on with each Les Schwab location. I agree with the location management making the difference. One Les Schwab location I went to for my other car has employees that don't really care about the customers. I didn't have a good vibe going there. That's why now I drive further to another location for better service. I hope they stay good!
     
    bisco likes this.