Replacing brakes and rotors on 2018 Tesla Model S 100D

[besnova]

I'm taking the car to a service center Wednesday morning, the 14th, to replace all 4 brakes and rotors, as well as a brake fluid flush. My brakes vibrate when I use it, especially at highway speeds.

Below is their estimate. Is this a good price? Should I consider an aftermarket replacement? Any thoughts?

 

[tldickerson]

How many miles do you have on your car 41K? I have over 110K on mine and the brakes are fine. I would consider going to a brake shop and have them inspected. If they art bad which I doubt they could give you a price quote.

 

[maximizese]

I would definitely get an evaluation from a trusted brake shop that is confident in working on Teslas. Giving a price quote where they're replacing everything but the calipers sounds like a potentially expensive experience. The issue should be as simple as turning (resurfacing) your rotors, lubricating the caliper pins, or simply checking that your lug nuts are properly torqued. Perhaps Tesla Service won't charge you the entire $2,240K but I'm typically someone who doesn't want to pay more than necessary. I have 9.7 yrs/127K miles on our S and have never serviced the brakes...but I also live in a region that never sees snow and rarely sees rain too.

 

[houstonian]

...Is this a good price? Should I consider an aftermarket replacement...

It's probably in line with the work which is quoted but I think the real question is, what work actually needs to be done?

That I don't know and this is where seeking out the opinion of a brake shop may prove useful.

For example, if it's just the rotors then replacing just the rotors may put the system back into spec and save you from replacing otherwise good parts.

For better or worse, TSLA seems to fire the parts cannon at problems...which may be overkill at times.

 

[Darmie]

I was looking for rotor and break kits for our Model X. This is the average price that I found on A/Z. Many are cheaper some are more.
At Tesla pricing, I would probably get a second opinion. The job especially with a hat type rotor is not that hard of a job. The rear brakes are a little tricky as to how the parking brake is intergraded. A/Z and most part houses offer for free rental a brake kit tool that helps with the piston caliber to be pushed back in place. Tesla dose or did offer service manuals on line free if you wanted to see how they recommend doing the job.

Service and diagnostic information for independent businesses and individuals involved in the professional maintenance and repair of Tesla vehicles.

service.tesla.com

 

[TLLMRRJ]

The vibration is almost certainly coming from the front rotors since they do most of the work, so the back brakes almost certainly don't need to be replaced. It's a good idea to do the regular recommended brake service of cleaning and greasing the moving parts though, and after 5 years, it's time.

So I wouldn't have anyone replace the rears if the pad thickness looks good. It does not save you money to do both front and rear at the same time, so in the 0.001% chance the brake pulsation is still there after the fronts are repaired, then you can do the rear.

That will massively cut down the bill right there.

If it were me, I would definitely go with aftermarket parts, like the brand Darmie posted, because I have had very good results with PowerStop rotors and ceramic pads. I do all my own brake work, so I can easily choose the parts. Ordering parts and taking them to a shop to install is not appreciated by most shops because they lose out on the money of selling their overpriced parts. So they won't give you any warranty for their work, and that stinks not having them warranty their work. They can do a crappy job and then you have no recourse because you brought them the parts.

 

[beatle]

Just buy some new front rotors. They're cheap:

More Information for POWER STOP AR84001EVC

You can get pads as well, but they're probably fine as long as they haven't seized in the caliper. You have to remove them to get to the rotor anyway and they're not very expensive either. I just replaced mine at the same time.

Flushing the brake fluid isn't bad preventive maintenance, but you can get a conductivity checker and see if it has absorbed a lot or a little (or zero) water. I found that even at 7 years old, my brake fluid was fine.

 

[besnova]

So I went with the repair anyway and got a brake flush. I paid around $3,300 for parts and labor.

The vibrations disappeared for 2-3 months and came back again about 3 weeks ago. I tried different tires and still same issue. I dropped off the car again and they had to replace some rusted parts. I picked it up and nothing was fixed. I paid like $1,600 for this visit for not even fixing the issue.

I'm not sure what to do now but I messaged them telling them should I bring it back or get refunded, nothing was fixed. And the issue was find for 2-3 months but came back. Not sure what to do. I don't go heavy on the brakes, I drive smoothly. Most heavy braking is done by FSD.

 

[beatle]

I would abandon taking the car to a service center. They are just throwing parts at it to generate revenue. None of which are related to the brakes. A set of decent pads and new rotors will only set you back around $200. A brake shop should only charge you a few hundred for labor.

Either that or just live with the pulsing brakes, assuming the car is still capable of stopping in an emergency and the car is not shaking when not on the brakes. My 2019 is starting to pulse as well with only 52k on it, and my 2015 was the same at similar mileage. Since I use the brakes so infrequently I will probably let it go until I'm ready to sell the car, and then replace the pads/rotors for the next owner.

 

[besnova]

Gonna probably dispute the charge if they don't refund which they probably won't.

I had a 2014 Model S P85 and sold it with 130k miles, no issues with brakes at all. My 100D had issues since it had 19k miles when I picked it up CPO but didn't address it until July of this year.

 

[dustinfl]

My brakes vibrate too, they only feel normal when I brake hard.

I'm still researching, but one of the potential causes I've come across lately is a piston in the caliper seizing up. I'd have to replace the caliper.

Since you've done pads, rotors, and hubs, it could be worth looking into as well. I'm gonna call around and see if anyone is willing to inspect my caliper pistons, then go from there.

 

[dbldwn02]

So I went with the repair anyway and got a brake flush. I paid around $3,300 for parts and labor.

The vibrations disappeared for 2-3 months and came back again about 3 weeks ago. I tried different tires and still same issue. I dropped off the car again and they had to replace some rusted parts. I picked it up and nothing was fixed. I paid like $1,600 for this visit for not even fixing the issue.

I'm not sure what to do now but I messaged them telling them should I bring it back or get refunded, nothing was fixed. And the issue was find for 2-3 months but came back. Not sure what to do. I don't go heavy on the brakes, I drive smoothly. Most heavy braking is done by FSD.

At the risk of sounding mean...I gotta ask...after all the good advice everyone gave, you still let Tesla replace the parts for 2-3 times as much as a good brake mechanic? 6 people told you the same thing..."take it somewhere else." And then you took it back again, expecting different results?

Why even ask the question about what to do?

 

[TLLMRRJ]

Gonna probably dispute the charge if they don't refund which they probably won't.

I had a 2014 Model S P85 and sold it with 130k miles, no issues with brakes at all. My 100D had issues since it had 19k miles when I picked it up CPO but didn't address it until July of this year.

Can people get away with that with Tesla? They have you by the balls in general with control of your car and not many alternatives for many repairs. Of course, they could suddenly decide you are due for a BMS_u029 OTA update.

 

[TLLMRRJ]

My brakes vibrate too, they only feel normal when I brake hard.

I'm still researching, but one of the potential causes I've come across lately is a piston in the caliper seizing up. I'd have to replace the caliper.

Since you've done pads, rotors, and hubs, it could be worth looking into as well. I'm gonna call around and see if anyone is willing to inspect my caliper pistons, then go from there.

As a very advance DIY'er, I can tell you that it's not really practical to just inspect caliper pistons. There's so much work to remove the pistons to inspect them properly, that you would either rebuild them or replace them at that point. If the cylinder walls look good after removing the pistons, it's easy work to change all the seals and boots before putting the calipers back on. However, if you one of these people that doesn't think brake fluid needs to be changed every 2 years, then as they remove the pistons, they may very well find pitting of the cylinder walls from moisture in the brake fluid, which would best be resolved with new calipers.

 

[TLLMRRJ]

Why even ask the question about what to do?

He needs our advice so he can do the opposite.

 

[besnova]

I called a few brake shops and they said that this usually happens if you don't break in the rotors properly (about 700 miles) which I didn't know about or wasn't told to do. I told them that after the brake service I intentionally tried to replicate the issue by braking hard to see if they really did the job, which they did. But I guess just testing that messed them up again. No one mentioned anything about breaking them in or telling me not to do any heavy breaking first few weeks or so.

They also mentioned that the breaking in is really important and the rusted hubs might have not even been necessary. I went by their recommendations to fix it and it didn't help so I'm going to try to refund it or dispute it. I didn't want to replace rusted hubs, I wanted to fix the shaking. Also, upper control arm on the driver side was replaced due to a squeaking bushing which I've been holding off for a while. They did the job but it still squeaks lol. Literally spent $1,700 and nothing changed.

 

[besnova]

He needs our advice so he can do the opposite.

I just wanted it done completely and correctly by Tesla so if anything happens they have a warranty. Plus the loaner helps a lot. Anyway I'm learning the hard way that Tesla's aren't that special, most things like suspension, wheels and brakes can be done at a regular shop. I don't mind too much about paying a little more to get it done right but when things aren't done right that is just really upsetting.

 

[dustinfl]

As a very advance DIY'er, I can tell you that it's not really practical to just inspect caliper pistons. There's so much work to remove the pistons to inspect them properly, that you would either rebuild them or replace them at that point. If the cylinder walls look good after removing the pistons, it's easy work to change all the seals and boots before putting the calipers back on. However, if you one of these people that doesn't think brake fluid needs to be changed every 2 years, then as they remove the pistons, they may very well find pitting of the cylinder walls from moisture in the brake fluid, which would best be resolved with new calipers.

This is very helpful, thank you!

I called a few brake shops and they said that this usually happens if you don't break in the rotors properly (about 700 miles) which I didn't know about or wasn't told to do. I told them that after the brake service I intentionally tried to replicate the issue by braking hard to see if they really did the job, which they did. But I guess just testing that messed them up again. No one mentioned anything about breaking them in or telling me not to do any heavy breaking first few weeks or so.

They also mentioned that the breaking in is really important and the rusted hubs might have not even been necessary. I went by their recommendations to fix it and it didn't help so I'm going to try to refund it or dispute it. I didn't want to replace rusted hubs, I wanted to fix the shaking. Also, upper control arm on the driver side was replaced due to a squeaking bushing which I've been holding off for a while. They did the job but it still squeaks lol. Literally spent $1,700 and nothing changed.

Did the brake shops recommend any next steps for the problem itself, like turning the rotors and / or getting a new set of pads?

 

[besnova]

This is very helpful, thank you!


Did the brake shops recommend any next steps for the problem itself, like turning the rotors and / or getting a new set of pads?

The brake shops said that anytime they install new rotors, they clean the rust out as much as they can so it is flush. They did say it is possible that you can get pulsing again if the hubs were also warped. But they mentioned the breaking in part is very important.

So either Tesla didn't clean the hubs, or the hubs are actually bad. Either way, it was doing fine for 2 months. Then the pulsing came back. Now that the hubs have been replaced and the pulsing is still there, the only thing is to re-replace the rotors.

They only replaced the rear hubs so I assume only the rear rotors need to be replaced and that should be under warranty.

They said go back to the shop and tell them to replace the hubs in the rear because there should be warranty for the work. Especially after replacing the hubs.

Honestly it would have probably been cheaper and less of a headache to just sell the Model S and buy a Model Y, all that $ could have put into the taxes and such.

 

[RGGC]

I have '17 S and I have 55k and my brakes started screeching. Service quoted me 2300 for all 4. I asked how did all 4 go out at same time. I have rwd. Anyway manager came out and said oh we can do the front only for $1220... I went with that as I wasn't sure how much brake parts and labor costs these days. But seemed like way more than other cars and other than the parts there's nothing unique about Tesla right?? Anyway next time I'll find a reputable shop. It's too expensive. This was in Dublin. Ca , today March 25, 24...