All four of my brake calipers are the only seriously rusty part of the vehicle. I doubt they’re original - judging from the service docs, the PO seems to have had recurring brake issues, and unfortunately, a tire shop seems to have done the work. I doubt they used OE parts.
I’m not having any problems (yet), but the calipers really look like crap. The piston seals are cracked, the rust, hoses look very old. So, rebuild these or buy reman or new?
A) New Toyota parts: ~$800 for all 4 corners. Current pricing, with available discounts. Serra Toyota advised me not to buy the Toyota reman. They’ll sell them, but it’s only a little cheaper and will take months to ship apparently. Yeah … upsell.
B) New NAPA rebuilts: ~$275 for all 4 corners after core refunds, current pricing, with available discounts.
C) Self rebuild: ~$100 for all new seals, clips, etc. I can sandblast and paint at home. I’ll be sandblasting or at least POR-15’ing the brackets anyway so I’ll paint the calipers to match.
Summary: I don’t think the $500 premium for Toyota parts is worth it, and my time is worth more than the ~$200 I’ll save with a full DIY restore of what are likely economy grade aftermarket calipers.
Anyone think that buying NAPA reman is an objectively terrible idea?
I’m not having any problems (yet), but the calipers really look like crap. The piston seals are cracked, the rust, hoses look very old. So, rebuild these or buy reman or new?
A) New Toyota parts: ~$800 for all 4 corners. Current pricing, with available discounts. Serra Toyota advised me not to buy the Toyota reman. They’ll sell them, but it’s only a little cheaper and will take months to ship apparently. Yeah … upsell.
B) New NAPA rebuilts: ~$275 for all 4 corners after core refunds, current pricing, with available discounts.
C) Self rebuild: ~$100 for all new seals, clips, etc. I can sandblast and paint at home. I’ll be sandblasting or at least POR-15’ing the brackets anyway so I’ll paint the calipers to match.
Summary: I don’t think the $500 premium for Toyota parts is worth it, and my time is worth more than the ~$200 I’ll save with a full DIY restore of what are likely economy grade aftermarket calipers.
Anyone think that buying NAPA reman is an objectively terrible idea?