Brake job on E450

Brake squeal without worn out pads might not be covered under a warranty, Just saying. 32,000 miles on a RV that gets most of it's use on the highway shouldn't have worn out brakes.

SidecarFlip wrote:

....."I have a aftermarket warranty and I checked with the Ford dealership and they will honor it. I had to ask because it covers A LOT of the chassis components. (engine,transmission, etc... ) as well as the coach parts".........

Good deal. I have the Ford extended warranty on my car. I figured with all the electronic stuff (that I have no idea how it works) that an extended warranty would be worthwhile.

I do all my own maintenance including brakes and tires but electronics befuddle me. Part of being old I guess.

Well, I agree with you. And one of the few good things about being old is having the wisdom of knowing that a warranty let's you have qualified people fix it, instead of yourself PRICELESS..... But being an old mechanic is a double edged sword, on one side, you know how to do stuff and want to, but your body tells you different. The other side is glad that you don't have to worry about it BUT... You worry about having it done right. That's why I get a little crazy researching things before I take my RV anywhere to be repaired. I wouldn't take the RV anywhere other than Ford, to have the chassis components worked on. I also trust the RV dealer I bought the RV from to do the coach work. ( they have been in business for over 40 years. ) these days, trust is something I don't have in many things / people

....."I have a aftermarket warranty and I checked with the Ford dealership and they will honor it. I had to ask because it covers A LOT of the chassis components. (engine,transmission, etc... ) as well as the coach parts".........

Good deal. I have the Ford extended warranty on my car. I figured with all the electronic stuff (that I have no idea how it works) that an extended warranty would be worthwhile.

I do all my own maintenance including brakes and tires but electronics befuddle me. Part of being old I guess.

If you can remove the front pads, inspect them, if they don't need replacement, use this on them and put them back on. Brake quiet

SidecarFlip wrote:

suprz wrote:

pickjare wrote:
Personally, I think the dealership is the best place to take your vehicle for repairs, but you have to find the right one. At 32,000 miles, for $1900 it sounds like they are replacing everything. Ask why??

At 32,000 miles I would expect the front pads to be getting low and the squealer tabs contacting rotors to alert you. The calipers should be ok. Ask why they were quoted? Many companies consider it a liability to reuse things so they replace everything. But service manual won't say it is required. Rotors have a minimum thickness, ask if yours are below minimum. If not, why were they quoted? The rotors should be ok but will need machined as part of front brake pad replacement.

You get what you pay for and brakes are important obviously, as well as having qualified person do the work. My suggestion is to get a second opinion and ask the above questions if price is also $1900. A front brake job (lu be caliper slides, replace pads, machine rotors) should cost less than $500 using good Ford parts. I'm betting rear brakes are still only half worn which is fine for another 30,000.

I agree, and I only contacted the dealer because of the squeaking and to get a quote on a brake job so I can get the $$ ready. The 1900.00 quote was only for the brake pads, all four rotors, and the seals for the rear axles. It doesn't include calipers. (but my aftermarket warranty does cover calipers if they were needed). Sooooo.... This year it looks like I will do a roof re-coat, and a new A/C. And next year brakes

I have to ask... Do you have the Ford extended warranty or a third party warranty? reason I ask is if it's 3rd party, you need to check and see if the Ford garage will honor it.

I have a aftermarket warranty and I checked with the Ford dealership and they will honor it. I had to ask because it covers A LOT of the chassis components. (engine,transmission, etc... ) as well as the coach parts

suprz,

You have Ford's 5-speed (6 ratios, internally) computer controlled TorqShift transmission in your 2006 E450 chassis.

Regardless of what you do now concerning a brake job, going forward you can get better brake life by leaving your transmission with it's Tow/Haul mode engaged full time when traveling. This gives you engine braking all the time - on the level whenever slowing down and stopping, and whenever controlling speed going down grades.

I have used Tow/Haul mode a lot in the past with our 2005 E450, and I pretty much use it full time now. At the ~60K mileage service point, some time ago, we still did not need brake work.

By the way, using Tow/Haul mode full time in an E450 based motorhome should yield longer brake service intervals than using Tow/Haul mode full time in an E350 based equivalent weight motorhome because of the more aggressive (higher) rear differential ratio of the E450 chassis. There is more engine drag when letting up on the gas in a vehicle with higher rear differential ratios.

Unless you regularly drive the Rocky Mountains, or live in San Francisco, or tow constantly in city traffic at max GVRW, it hard for me to believe after 32,000 miles the brakes your Ford chassis need that much work.

If they stop consistently without fade, shudder, pull etc., chances are all you need are front pads and a brake fluid change. That said, I can't see or drive your vehicle. As previously mentioned putting anti-squeal on new pads can help as well as cleaning and relubing the caliper guide pins.

Get an itemized second opinion without saying anything about your first quote.

Chum lee

suprz wrote:

pickjare wrote:
Personally, I think the dealership is the best place to take your vehicle for repairs, but you have to find the right one. At 32,000 miles, for $1900 it sounds like they are replacing everything. Ask why??

At 32,000 miles I would expect the front pads to be getting low and the squealer tabs contacting rotors to alert you. The calipers should be ok. Ask why they were quoted? Many companies consider it a liability to reuse things so they replace everything. But service manual won't say it is required. Rotors have a minimum thickness, ask if yours are below minimum. If not, why were they quoted? The rotors should be ok but will need machined as part of front brake pad replacement.

You get what you pay for and brakes are important obviously, as well as having qualified person do the work. My suggestion is to get a second opinion and ask the above questions if price is also $1900. A front brake job (lu be caliper slides, replace pads, machine rotors) should cost less than $500 using good Ford parts. I'm betting rear brakes are still only half worn which is fine for another 30,000.

I agree, and I only contacted the dealer because of the squeaking and to get a quote on a brake job so I can get the $$ ready. The 1900.00 quote was only for the brake pads, all four rotors, and the seals for the rear axles. It doesn't include calipers. (but my aftermarket warranty does cover calipers if they were needed). Sooooo.... This year it looks like I will do a roof re-coat, and a new A/C. And next year brakes

I have to ask... Do you have the Ford extended warranty or a third party warranty? reason I ask is if it's 3rd party, you need to check and see if the Ford garage will honor it.

You have to pay-to-play. I always do my own brakes and seals, not hard to do. Rock Auto is my go to parts source and I never have rotors turned, easier to replace and scrp the old ones, Hemcho Mexico or not.

I did the brakes on my F350 4x4 last year, new everything including calipers....300 for parts and my time.

Keep in mind that the labor rate today can be upwards of $130 per hour and brake jobs take time.

I can do the labor, not rocket science, just common sense.

pickjare wrote:
Personally, I think the dealership is the best place to take your vehicle for repairs, but you have to find the right one. At 32,000 miles, for $1900 it sounds like they are replacing everything. Ask why??

At 32,000 miles I would expect the front pads to be getting low and the squealer tabs contacting rotors to alert you. The calipers should be ok. Ask why they were quoted? Many companies consider it a liability to reuse things so they replace everything. But service manual won't say it is required. Rotors have a minimum thickness, ask if yours are below minimum. If not, why were they quoted? The rotors should be ok but will need machined as part of front brake pad replacement.

You get what you pay for and brakes are important obviously, as well as having qualified person do the work. My suggestion is to get a second opinion and ask the above questions if price is also $1900. A front brake job (lu be caliper slides, replace pads, machine rotors) should cost less than $500 using good Ford parts. I'm betting rear brakes are still only half worn which is fine for another 30,000.

I agree, and I only contacted the dealer because of the squeaking and to get a quote on a brake job so I can get the $$ ready. The 1900.00 quote was only for the brake pads, all four rotors, and the seals for the rear axles. It doesn't include calipers. (but my aftermarket warranty does cover calipers if they were needed). Sooooo.... This year it looks like I will do a roof re-coat, and a new A/C. And next year brakes