HELP! Pro mechanic friends, can you look something up for me?

[FastWoman]

Hi there,

I'm in a real pickle. I simultaneously have (1) a blown out back, (2) a blown out rear brake line in my '95 Ford Taurus wagon (3.0L Vulcan -- non-SHO), and (3) my son coming soon to collect the car and drive it out of state. Not being able to crawl under the car to make the needed repairs, I took it to Meineke to have what I thought was a simple job performed of replacing the two rusted rear brake lines, from the proportioning valve all the way back to the rear brake hoses. What they did, contrary to my very pointed and specific instructions, was to splice the brake lines with brass compression fittings. :mad:

When discussing options, they said they could re-do the work, but that it would really cost some big bucks -- many hours of labor. (Color me surprised.) My question to you is, what is the fair number of hours, per "the book" that it would cost to replace these two brake lines? I was originally quoted approx. 1 hr per side for the complete brake line replacement. Now they're talking like 5, for no reason at all.

Thanks!

Sarah

[EuroDat]

One hour seems to me to be pretty short for a propper job. Im not Familiar with the Taurus, but if you want to replace the lines in one piece it can be difficult With all the suspension and drive train in place.

Ive done one on an Escort and it took about 3 hours including bending the pipe, flaring the ends, refitting, bleeding the system and test drive. That was working with the car on ramps which made working under the car slow. A hoist would make this work quicker.

Hope it helps, Chas

[240260280z]

A splice is ok so long as the metal upstream is good. I would just get them or a third party to double check the quality of the metal.

[FastWoman]

That's just it, Blue. The entire brake line is rather rusty -- not as bad as the section that blew out, but rusty still. I have three fears:

(1) The splice joint could back out or break, which I've read about happening. When the line ruptures on the Taurus, there's ABSOLUTELY ZERO pedal left. Shocking, but true! (There ought to be a regulation somewhere about that.)

(2) The rusty line could rupture elsewhere, creating the same no-pedal, catastrophic failure.

(3) My son could get in an accident and have a slick attorney make hay about the car not being compliant with DOT safety standards.

None of this seems worth chancing to me. Some states won't pass a car with spliced brake lines, but unfortunately Virginia isn't among them. (I wish it were, because then I'd have the law backing me up.)

[FastWoman]

Chas, two hours total did seem a bit on the fast side to me, too. However, these guys have the lifts, the tools, and the occasional helping hands that make the job much faster. Personally I'd have guessed 3 hours. However, I think 5 is way too much for them. I suspect I could do it in an afternoon with the car on jack stands if my back were up to the job. The job might go even quicker with assemblages of pre-flared lines and double-flare unions. Then each section could be fished into place behind/around all the other bits and pieces.

[240260280z]

Well you can creatively run and secure your own brake lines without bothering with the old. Some sheet metal screws, clips, and good line is all you need. Go to a shop in the stix to get the job done by "good ol' boys"

Get FedHill (copper alloy) or similar line if you DIY: http://www.fedhillusa.com/

Here is a nice clip:

[FastWoman]

Hmmmm.... Copper alloy -- I hadn't heard of that! I assume it's immune to corrosion?

Maybe I can/should just do this job myself. (If you want it done right...)

[esmit208]

Well I have replaced the lines throughout in my AVATAR but it was a rolling shell. If you are not able to get the factory section already formed that will require you to bend them yourself. Not a huge issue as long as you have the section that will be replaced as a guide a pipe bending tool and some time and patience. My AVATAR was a shell with no driveshaft,rear diff, or suspension to snake past. It may look like a job of disconnect and reconnect but it can be a tedious job and if done proper as EURODAT so succintly put it yes it would be about 2.5 to 3 hours per side.

[EuroDat]

Sorry to hear about your back. Can be really painful, especially when you want do get around a bit. Hope it improves for you now christmas is apon us.

If you dont mind using unions and replacing the pipes in sections, it should be a quick job getting it replaced. Five hours for a shop is than too long IMO.

Replacing it in one section can take a lot more effort and you often have to remove other stuff to fit it or you have to bend it all up to g it in there and then try and straighten it:cry:

One thing for sure, if the pipes are rusty, I would not hestate to replace them. Brakes are your only true way of stopping the car without damaging it;)

Chas

[siteunseen]

I'm not a mechanic or a doctor but I would recommend an epidural for the job if your going to do it yourself.

[FastWoman]

Well, in all fairness, my back is getting better. It's not painful, just fragile. I've been pushing the ibuprofen and getting my rest.

Update: Now not only do they want me to pay them for the work I specifically told them not to do (splicing the brake line), but they also suggested they could do the job correctly for another 6.5 hours in labor. Yeah, right! I told them I would take the matter up with their corporate office. After that I complain to the state police, the attorney general, the BBB, the various review boards, etc. If they push me far enough, I'll spend quite a bit of time slinging crap their way, just out of principle and to protect other people from these crooks.

Edited December 23, 2012 by FastWoman

[Stanley]

Autozone sold me pre-flared lines and loaned me the bender for free. Only worked on brake lines once before ( a tiny job on the Datsun) so wasn't very confident but it was easy. But .... this was on the chevy truck which is way up there, plenty of room to work without ramps. I don't trust the big chain outfits. The locally-owned independents rely more on repeat business and word of mouth recommendations. They might have a higher quote, but more apt to stick to it and do the job right. Some exceptions of course.