Hi all,

I had brake fluid leaking on the front left side behind the wheel well. The Indy Volvo mechanic diagnosed it to be a bad caliper and replaced it and then bled the system. They charged $195 for the caliper (plus shop supplies, brake fluid, hazardous waste, etc) and 1.5hrs of labor.

I see the prices online for brake calipers and I noticed that they cost much less. IPD even has remanufactured ones for $100 which includes a refundable $50 core charge.

Questions:
1. Is this the average price for a 'brand new' (not remanufactured) OEM caliper?
2. Is there a way of telling if the caliper installed is brand new or remanufactured?
3. Should the $195 price be less the core charge since they have my old caliper?

I just want to know if I paid a reasonable price.

Thank you much.
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Brian M. - 1998 S70GLT, 1998 S70 GTA

Of course you could have done it cheaper. The question you had is the price of the caliper. If the shop went to Volvo to get the part, they will charge you the part price plus the time spent getting it. You paid for the convience of getting your car back that same day.
The labor for replacing the caliper and bleeding the system sounds pretty good to me. That's what it took me to do my left front caliper.
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My name is Klaus and I am a V ♂ lv ♂ holic.

Klaus, thanks for the reply. I feel a little better! :-)
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Brian M. - 1998 S70GLT, 1998 S70 GTA

Just be glad that you don't have an Audi A4. My wife's dealer sent her a flier of specials: Replace front brake pads -- $452.00
Engine oil and filter change, non-synthetic -- $46

It is time you learned how to do your own brakes. They are very simple, including rotor replacement. Caliper is only hard when the brake line nuts are frozen. Just a few basic tools, metric and Torx, a good floor jack (never use the one in the trunk), and the Brickboard.
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My name is Klaus and I am a V ♂ lv ♂ holic.

Yeah, it always costs more than you think it should at a shop, especially if you know what YOU can get the part for. Basically, you pay for convenience and that's a way that shops make money. I just had a clutch done on my 850 and I think I paid $330 for the clutch kit. FCP has it for about $200 as I recall. About average markup I figure.

Anyways, the best brake-work purchase I've ever made was definitely a Snap-on flare nut wrench, size 11mm and 8mm. 100% glorious at getting Volvo brake lines off. All other flare nut wrenches I've used were useless comparatively.

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1997 850, 1979 242GT, 1990 740GL