Since you guys had a lot of helpful suggestions about the air conditioner problem I'm having (which I thought might be due to mechanic error), I thought I'd ask for opinions on something else.
Again, I have a '97 Corolla.
The rear brakes need to be replaced. I had some money problems a few years, and I've been getting out of debt, so I have to admit that I put off doing a bunch of maintenance work. However, it's also true that the kind of brakes I have don't give any warning when the pads are getting low. There's no squeaky noise. All of a sudden I noticed there was a scraping sounds, like metal on metal.
So I took it to the mechanic (same one as before) and they checked out the rear brakes - yes, they definitely need work. Their estimate was close to $500 for the work. This just the rear brakes. I've never paid that much for one set of brakes, usually it's about half that. I'm sure prices go up, but double seems a bit extreme.
I'm just asking whether that sounds like a reasonable estimate. I'm in the SF Bay area, btw, in case locale makes a difference. It's possible they have to replace the drum, so that might be why it's so expensive.
Thanks!