Depends on whether you need fronts only, or both axels, whether your rotors still have runout left on em, whether they need to machined, whether if you machine them you'll be willing to see them invariably warp, and maybe just beat them to the punch and do rotors at the same time as pads. Due for brake line bleeding?
I know a bit about this as I'm on my fourth set of front pads at 107k. I submit this comedy of errors for educational value:
First, I'll say my local dealer's service menu here does brakes for $175 an axel. That I believe includes OEM pads; emergency brake adjustment; resurface rotors; bleed and refill "as necessary".
Here's my saga though:
First set of fronts I replaced myself in mid-2004, 58k miles. I made the FOOLISH mistake of getting pads at Auto Zone. $29.28 for front pads semi-metallic. Never again. Now, they cheerfully sold me something that was supposedly "for" my car but suspiciously inexpensive. It was all they had in stock. Put em on, they fit fine, the car stopped, though not nearly as well as OEM. The special bonus on these: they shed brake dust EVERYWHERE. My nice aluminum factory Subie wheels never looked clean. 2 years later, these were shot. I later learned that Subaru specs ceramics, and these most decidely were not. These craptacular AutoZone pads lasted only 30k miles.
So, second replacement time for the front pads was 88k miles in March of 2006, I figure maybe I'm an idiot and have no business doing my own brake jobs though I've done 3 other cars over the years (Mazda 626 twice, Saturn SL twice, and Volkwagen New Beetle) that never had issues. So, I went to a local shop. They put something on aftermarket on them that they charged me $65.87 for, machined the rotors, total of $204. And, sure as shit, within a few thousand miles of that, I have friggin braking issues again. Lousy braking feel, and soon enough, pulsation of the warped rotor, and hanging on one pad causing the car to pull.
So, at 102k miles in Jan 07, I meet my current mecahcnic who's an indepedent certified master mechanic with his own shop and a one man show. He seems to know what the was doing. He said the last folks didn't clean up the caliper and guides at all and all the debris and corrosion in the guides were causing the hang and a load of pad wear. The good news: my faith in my own ability to replace brake pads was restored. So we do premium aftermarket ceramics and rotors that were every bit as much as OEM parts after all was said and done. That job cost 85+97+117+95=$394 worth of premium aftermarket parts (pads and new rotors) plus $260 in labor to install them which makes for $654. Add $80 because I also had him do a full brake line flush as it was due. And... get this... at 107k I'm noticing some goddamn pulsation.
The moral of this rant: I'll be visiting my local Subaru dealer for the next brake job on this Outback and making it their problem. They've got access to the OEM parts, and to use OEM parts elsewhere is going to cost you, Joe Consumer, damn near $500 in parts alone for 4 pads and 4 rotors, and I believe the quote I got from them for doing
4 new rotors and 4 new pads was just around $600. For $100 they can certainly have all teh fun of putting them on.It's become apparent to me that the only pads that will last on this car are original Subaru. And no, I'm not an aggressive driver or brake rider. :-)
Best Regards,
-- Todd H.
2001 Legacy Outback Wagon, 2.5L H-4 Chicago, Illinois USA