Forum Discussion

dsgem's avatar
dsgem
Explorer
Jan 12, 2015

Brakes

I have a 2007 Winnebago Sightseer 35J on a Workhorse Chassis. Its time for new breaks. Does anyone have an idea what new brakes will run me? What questions should I ask to make sure I'm not getting the shaft. Thanks for your help.
  • X2 on the truck shop. Get a written estimate before they start. If they call for add ons latter go to shop and have them "show you" or at the least have them save the bad parts.
    also this is not a job out of the range for most Diyers library will have the manuals Napa can turn the rotors and pads are cheap. Places like O'Rileys will loan specialty tools for free with a deposit.
    Jim
  • I agree with the post above. The truck shop/repair would be a way better deal than any RV dealer. If you have a trusted mechanic many will work on the brakes as well. The cost has a lot of variables. At BEST I would say $200-$250, at worst is hard to define. If the brakes were working well and just need pads/shoes, it should not be that bad. If cracks are in the brake lines, lack of pressure, bad calipers etc., things can go up.
  • Do you need just pads or do you need new rotors and calipers? Unless your brakes have been abused, you should be able to resurface the rotors, rather than replace them. Due to the Workhorse recall, you should already have new calipers so the existing ones should not need to be changed.
    A lot of RV shops just like to throw parts at your coach, while you foot the bill and do not have the equipment or the knowledge to do the job right.
    If you take your coach to a TRUCK shop, I am sure that you will most likely do better than taking it to an RV dealer. For chassis work, I always prefer a truck shop than an RV dealer.
    If a shop says that they flushed out your brake lines and only used 1-2 quarts of brake fluid, they only bled them and did not flush them out. It will take 3-4 quarts to completely flush out all of your brake lines, calipers, and master cylinder.