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Topic: Brake Work in the PNW (Read 1489 times) previous topic - next topic

Brake Work in the PNW

Hello All!

Does anyone have any recommendations for an honest, reliable and reasonably priced repair shop here in the Pacific Northwest?
My brother generally does most of the work on Fritz- but on our last pass through Utah he was recovering from hernia surgery and doing brake work is out of the question.

Seems like there's been heavier wear on the brakes on the driver's side of the bus and we're going to need to have some corrective work done to get us ready for our fall trek south.
We may need to have machining done..

There are only a handful of places that seem willing to undertake this issue, and as full-timers this may get a little awkward..

We've got an appointment on Wednesday morning with a shop in Tacoma. They've been upfront about the charges just to get a handle on what exactly it is that we're going to need moving forward.

We've been quoted $750.00 for the cost of disassembly and assessment. This is something that this shop does not have a large enough machine shop to correct and we will also have to order parts, I'm sure.

We've been so fortunate to have been able to have all the work done since Fritz came to us at the shop in SLC, and having been able to stay in the bus while work was being performed has spoiled us to a degree.

I keep reading horror stories about shops holding on to RV's for months at a time. Or not completing work as stated.. or price gouging.
Don't get me wrong, this isn't an area where we want to penny pinch.
Mike (my bro) said he expected that the work would cost around $1200, and I have no point of reference for the kind of work that needs to be done- except his professional opinion. And he's been in the biz for 30 years so I figure he's pretty dialed in.

Still- I thought I'd ask and see if any of y'all wonderful Foretravelers had any advice or recommendations before we take it to a complete stranger.

This shop has pretty mixed reviews and most of the recent ones are not too favorable. I do know that people are far more likely to leave negative reviews than positive ones..

We were ripped off in Utah- had a mobile tech replace the compressor on the Dometic 2 way refrigerator and not only was he way out of his depth but he never completed the job..

So there's that recent trauma haunting me.

Any advice, recommendations or encouragement would be greatly appreciated.

I realize that we got off to a rocky start here on the forum. Not knowing the grey from the black tanks was rather embarrassing.. as was the amount of time it took to even figure it out..

It was a learning experience and I am not sure I'm ready for another just yet!

Thanks in advance. I'll probably have James do the back and forth communication for this particular topic since my memory is a bit spotty regarding what Mikes findings were exactly and what he believed needed to be done.

Cheers!
Julie

Re: Brake Work in the PNW

Reply #1 –
Julie,

The first thing you need to do is go over to the Wiki section of the Forum and download a copy of the 4M disc brake book. I don't care how many log trucks these folks have done as these disc brakes are an animal all to themselves. Look for a truck shop that works on fire trucks as a lot of them have these brakes.

Don't get tooo hard on yourself over the grey/black tanks. We have all made some pretty good goof ups.

Mike

Here this will save you some hunting

The selected media item is not currently available.

Re: Brake Work in the PNW

Reply #2 –
Quote from: Pamela & Mike –
Julie,

The first thing you need to do is go over to the Wiki section of the Forum and download a copy of the 4M disc brake book. I don't care how many log trucks these folks have done as these disc brakes are an animal all to themselves. Look for a truck shop that works on fire trucks as a lot of them have these brakes.

Don't get tooo hard on yourself over the grey/black tanks. We have all made some pretty good goof ups.

Mike

Here this will save you some hunting
https://www.foreforums.com/MGalleryItem.php?id=1701

Mike- from the very depths of my heart I thank you. This straightforward and direct response has deprived my brain wiggies of sustenance. I will immediately take a look at this information. Again- my  gratitude is immeasurable.

Julie

Re: Brake Work in the PNW

Reply #3 –
Julie,
  Call Oregon Motorcoach  Center in Eugene Oregon.

Re: Brake Work in the PNW

Reply #4 –
Or Preiner RV Services.
Service | Premier RV

I purchased my 2008 Nimbus through them.

Re: Brake Work in the PNW

Reply #5 –
My 2 cents worth,no expert but I have rebuilt calipers,how do you know one side is working more then the other?,as far as I
know there is no "machnine shop" work on brakes,you pull a tire off and look at the pads,rotor and check the slide pins and make a diagnosis from there,$750 sounds a little hi to me just to tell you what's wrong,if the rotors and pads are good as well as the slide pins you can have the helper springs installed and you will probably be good,like the above poster said a logging truck is not a Foretravel.

Re: Brake Work in the PNW

Reply #7 –
Quote from: Doug W. –
This company in Tacoma say they have a tech very familiar with the Meritor air disc brakes, might give them  a call.

Auto Repair in Tacoma, WA – Certified Auto Care Experts

Yeah. These are the folks that we had the appointment with.
Have/did you his business with them? Or did the recommendation come from someone who has?
James just now postponed the appointment so I could do a little more research..
Much thanks!

Re: Brake Work in the PNW

Reply #8 –
Quote from: thelazyjays –
Yeah. These are the folks that we had the appointment with.
Have/did you his business with them? Or did the recommendation come from someone who has?
James just now postponed the appointment so I could do a little more research..
Much thanks!

No, I called a distributor of Meritor brake components in Tacoma and asked if they could recommend a local shop that they do business with.

Re: Brake Work in the PNW

Reply #9 –
Got to know,what's a Nyingmapa? ? ? ? ?

Re: Brake Work in the PNW

Reply #10 –
Nyingma Pa is the oldest sect of Tibetan Buddhism

Re: Brake Work in the PNW

Reply #11 –
Quote from: master2301 –
Nyingma Pa is the oldest sect of Tibetan Buddhism

Yup. Thanks for answering master2301, as much as I hate to admit it that's just about the most direct answer there is. And knowing that I wouldn't have answered so concisely, you can imagine my struggles as a practitioner 😂😉🫠

Re: Brake Work in the PNW

Reply #12 –
So- an update and a couple of questions.. we found a great place here in Kent, WA. We've been given the opportunity to save some serious $$$ by ordering the parts ourselves as the repair shop is also a Volvo Tractor dealership.

Is ordering the parts from FT in Nagadoches and having them shipped to the Seattle area really the best way to save $$?

I believe my brother could order them in UT, and as a *well connected* master diesel mechanic, he may be able to save us money on shipping.

It seems a last minute funerary roadtrip to Utah with a friend of mine is in the cards for this weekend. Her car, of course.

And lastly- just how difficult/tedious/time consuming is it to do it ourselves??

It's not that we don't trust the folks who checked it out last week- they're awesome and a warranty is always welcome.
I have a tiny reservation in that.. at the time of the inspection/estimate it was just the one caliper (drivers side), but since they're doing the work I believe they would like to do both sides..
I understand the philosophy and the necessity to have both sides done. I think.

**The only brake work I have done myself was on my first car, a 1964 Ford Falcon. 2 door, with a pithy 160 engine and a single barrel Holly carb.
And that's the scope of my experience. James likely has much more, but never heavy duty air brakes.

Anyway...
I have a list of parts that they've asked us to order:

 2 x Rear Rotors
 2 sets of Rear Brake Pads
 1 Rear Caliper, driver side
 1 Rear Caliper, passenger side
 2 Rear Wheel Seals
 2 Rear Axel Gaskets
 Caliper Mounting Bolts, both sides
 Pin and Slide Kits

No mention of helper springs- and I understand that we would need special grease, lubricant and perhaps a grease gun.

We travel with an Un-Godly amount of tools- metric and standard.

The only thing that might present a problem is doing it on State Park Land. Actually, the land belongs to the Puyallup tribe.. but that's not relevant to this discussion.

I do have a friend who has a home and land in Auburn and we would be able to do the work there, since it seems that disassembly is required.

Much, much gratitude. For your time, your knowledge and for sharing your experiences with us.

Re: Brake Work in the PNW

Reply #13 –
I would have my doubts if you need all of those parts. I understand a shop wanting to replace all of the parts , you probably don't need all of them. There is a member on here that rebuilt the calipers and repaired what ever else it needed. I can't remember his handle on here but journey and roam is part of it.

Re: Brake Work in the PNW

Reply #14 –
Quote from: red tractor –
I would have my doubts if you need all of those parts. I understand a shop wanting to replace all of the parts , you probably don't need all of them. There is a member on here that rebuilt the calipers and repaired what ever else it needed. I can't remember his handle on here but journey and roam is part of it.

That would have been John44 AKA David.

Re: Brake Work in the PNW

Reply #15 –
Journy roam explore ordered his parts from Find it parts,I seriously doubt that you need new calipers and/or a rebuild,but if the shop rebuilds your calipers it may be cheaper to put new ones on,make sure you get your old ones back,someone could use them.

Re: Brake Work in the PNW

Reply #16 –
Quote from: thelazyjays –
So- an update and a couple of questions.. we found a great place here in Kent, WA. We've been given the opportunity to save some serious $$$ by ordering the parts ourselves as the repair shop is also a Volvo Tractor dealership.

Is ordering the parts from FT in Nagadoches and having them shipped to the Seattle area really the best way to save $$?

I believe my brother could order them in UT, and as a *well connected* master diesel mechanic, he may be able to save us money on shipping.

It seems a last minute funerary roadtrip to Utah with a friend of mine is in the cards for this weekend. Her car, of course.

And lastly- just how difficult/tedious/time consuming is it to do it ourselves??

It's not that we don't trust the folks who checked it out last week- they're awesome and a warranty is always welcome.
I have a tiny reservation in that.. at the time of the inspection/estimate it was just the one caliper (drivers side), but since they're doing the work I believe they would like to do both sides..
I understand the philosophy and the necessity to have both sides done. I think.

**The only brake work I have done myself was on my first car, a 1964 Ford Falcon. 2 door, with a pithy 160 engine and a single barrel Holly carb.
And that's the scope of my experience. James likely has much more, but never heavy duty air brakes.

Anyway...
I have a list of parts that they've asked us to order:

 2 x Rear Rotors
 2 sets of Rear Brake Pads
 1 Rear Caliper, driver side
 1 Rear Caliper, passenger side
 2 Rear Wheel Seals
 2 Rear Axel Gaskets
 Caliper Mounting Bolts, both sides
 Pin and Slide Kits

No mention of helper springs- and I understand that we would need special grease, lubricant and perhaps a grease gun.

We travel with an Un-Godly amount of tools- metric and standard.

The only thing that might present a problem is doing it on State Park Land. Actually, the land belongs to the Puyallup tribe.. but that's not relevant to this discussion.

I do have a friend who has a home and land in Auburn and we would be able to do the work there, since it seems that disassembly is required.

Much, much gratitude. For your time, your knowledge and for sharing your experiences with us.
Yep I'm not going to that place. I'm guessing your past 4k in repairs. They are selling you alot

Re: Brake Work in the PNW

Reply #17 –
By the list of parts you got from this shop I don't think that they have ever had a set of these disc brakes apart. They are selling you a pig in a poke. Those calipers are made to be rebuilt not replaced. To replace one may take 6 months to get a new one much less both sides. I hope you can pack up and get on down the road to a better shop or DIY (right now this may be your best option) If you have ever done an older front brake job on a 3/4 or 1 ton GM pickup you have the skill to do these they are just bigger. If you decide to DIY several of us here that do these can talk you through the job. With the tools you have all you need is a hydraulic jack and a couple of jack stands to get started. When you really need part numbers let me know and I will repost them for you as these are not FT specific parts and a truck parts store is your best bet for what you are really going to need.

Mike

Re: Brake Work in the PNW

Reply #18 –
And probably a torque multiplier to get the wheels off and back on

Re: Brake Work in the PNW

Reply #19 –
Wheels are the easy part,wait till you get to the rotors!!!!!!!