It’s stressful when your brakes start acting funny for oh so many reasons. The first is obviously safety. But car repair and maintenance can be costly, making it a little scary in its own right. You want to keep your car in tip-top shape, whether it’s for your next road trip or simple run to the grocery store.
Fixing or replacing your brakes can be ridiculously expensive. We’re talking hundreds or even over a thousand dollars. But it’s also a problem you need to address right away. Otherwise, you risk hurting yourself, your family, your friends, or even pedestrians or people in other vehicles when your brakes fail.
That’s why we’re looking at the cheapest place to get your brakes done (safely and professionally). Actually, we have a few suggestions. And we’ve got lots of coupons to help you save even more cash.
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First, determine which kind of service you need to find the cheapest place to get your brakes done.
There are a lot of different types of brake services. To fully replace the rotor and brake pads, you’re likely looking at a bill of $180 – $588 per axle, which can add up to $360 – $1,176 if you’re getting both axles done.
But you might not need full service. Other common brake services include:
Brake fluid exchange
Brake line leak repair
Brake inspection
Brake pad replacement only
Brake rotor replacement only
Brake shoe replacement
Brake light diagnosis
These services purchased a la carte are cheaper than getting full service — as long as you don’t purchase them all at once.
Related: Find out the best ways to save big on car maintenance and repair.
1. Full brake replacement can be $449 per axle at Jiffy Lube.
If you just want a brake inspection at Jiffy Lube, most locations will do it for free. But if they find any problems while they’re in there, here’s about how much you could expect it to cost. Bear in mind that the prices can change a lot depending on your specific vehicle and the store location. So while it might be the cheapest place to get your brakes done in one city, it may not in another. This gives you an idea:
Brake fluid replacement: $99
Full brake replacement (includes fluid replacement): $449 per axle
A lot of times if you need rotors, you also need new brake pads. That means usually you’re going to end up paying for the whole package. But if you just need to purchase specific parts and labor a la carte, the pricing can be lower.
Ask for a Jiffy Lube coupon book when you visit in person.
Jiffy Lube has thick coupon books! Inside you’ll find discounts not just on brake services, but also on other services like oil changes and tire rotations.
If you don’t see any on the counter, ask the person at the desk if they have any of these books available. They can save you big bucks if you frequent Jiffy Lube a lot. I’ve used these coupons in the past to get deals like $20 off my oil changes, or free brake inspection and tire alignment with the purchase of two tires.
Related: Here’s how you can spend less on rental cars.
Check out Jiffy Lube’s coupon page for national offers.
Jiffy Lube does have rotating coupons on its website. None of the three offered at the time of writing apply to brakes, but they are updated somewhat regularly. Be sure to check back as time goes on.
Most of these coupons are available nationwide, but there is a search feature to make sure your location participates.
TIP: When using any Jiffy Lube coupon, be sure to read the fine print. A ton of coupons exclude brake service. Read carefully before getting your hopes up.
Don’t overlook regional coupons.
The big bucks are in regional coupons. These coupons don’t apply to each and every Jiffy Lube, but when they do they tend to be relatively high value as far as Jiffy Lube coupons are concerned.
Here are a few examples available at the time of writing:
$50 off 2 axle brake repair or replacement services with coupon code Y8HU42. Exp 5/27/2023. Available at select locations.
$25 off 1 axle brake repair or replacement services using coupon code PM29D2. Exp 05/27/2023. Available at select locations.
$15 off $150+ of service using coupon code SYW20W. Exp 7/31/23. Available at select California locations.
Not gonna lie. Finding regional coupons is like shooting darts with a blindfold. You might be able to find them on coupon sites like ours, but whether or not there’s a participating location near you is a bit of a crapshoot.
That’s why you’ll want to read the next tip.
Hone in further with store-specific online coupons.
Store-specific coupons ensure you’re actually going to be able to use the coupon code at your specific store. You can find these by looking up your location’s Jiffy Lube web page.
For example, if you’re in Portland, Salem, or SW Washington, the Oregon Jiffy Lube page is currently offering these coupons:
$25 off brake replacement with promo code BR2325. Exp 1/31/2024. Valid at Portland, Salem, Vancouver and Longview locations.
$10 off brake fluid exchange service with coupon code BF2310. Exp 1/31/2024. Valid at Portland, Salem, Vancouver and Longview locations.
This is just an example. Find your local store’s page to see which unique offers are currently available to you.
2. Midas doesn’t bundle services, but if it did it would be about $428 – $478 per axle.
I’ve been using my local Midas for a bunch of routine car maintenance lately. The people working at my store are great — thorough and trustworthy. However keep in mind that just because my Midas is great doesn’t mean yours will be, too. That goes for all the service shops that we consider for this cheapest place to get your brakes done list: the best one near you is going to depend on the individuals working there.
Midas offers a lot of different brake services, including:
Brake inspection: $24.99
Brake pad replacement: $240 – $280 per axle
Brake rotor replacement: $94 – $99 for each wheel, but costs are vehicle dependent.
Brake fluid service: $49.99
Prices vary depending on your location, so don’t take the numbers above as written in stone.
At first glance, Midas looks cheaper than Jiffy Lube, but you have to take into consideration that these services aren’t bundled like they are at Jiffy Lube. You could expect to pay $428 – $478 for full brake pad and rotor replacement per axle, plus the extra cost of brake fluid replacement.
Related: Check out our list of seriously clever car cleaning hacks.
Midas makes all your online coupons store-specific.
When you visit Midas’ coupon page, you’ll automatically be directed to search for your local store. This way, you don’t get any coupon results that you can’t use.
I used one the last time I went in for $20 off my oil change. My local store is also currently offering free brake inspection — no other purchase necessary.
There can be even bigger deals out there, though, depending on your local options. For example, currently the Raleigh location on S Boylan Avenue is offering $50 off brake services per axle with coupon code BK3285USWEB. That includes new brake pads or shoes, lubricant for your backing plates or caliber slides, and a full brake system evaluation.
Get Midas coupons in the mail when you give them your customer address.
Once you’ve had service done at a Midas location and given them your address, they’ll send you coupons in the mail, too.
My experience has been that these coupons are identical to the ones I can find online. Your experience may vary depending on the store location.
3. Pep Boys charges about $587.50 per axle.
Pep Boys offers two different brake repair packages on top of free brake inspections.
The first is Standard Brake Service which includes brake pad installation (and the actual brake pads themselves), brake system inspection, and resurfacing of your rotors or drums. This service runs you about $587.50 per axle depending on your vehicle and the individual Pep Boys location.
The biggest package is Premium Brake Service. It’s the same as the Standard package, except it also includes brake fluid exchange. The added service will cost you an additional $75.
Pep Boys coupons are super easy to find – and you can get extra via text.
It’s real simple to find nationwide Pep Boys coupons. They apply to most locations across the country. Just visit their coupons page.
At the time of writing, they’re offering $40 off any brake package through May 31, 2023. There’s not a code — it’s a scannable coupon that you can either print or have texted to your phone.
If you sign up for texts updates in the sidebar rather than just signing up for one coupon, you’ll get access to coupon updates, exclusive coupons, and one for 30% off an oil change.
TIP: You may come across a location or two that offer store-specific coupons, but most store pages will just redirect you to the national coupon page.
4. Firestone Complete Auto Care starts at $180 per axle, but there’s no cap on max pricing.
Firestone always offers free brake checks and parking brake inspections. The most common brake package is the Standard Brake Service, which starts at $180 per axle. But it can be a lot more expensive depending on the vehicle and which parts you need. There is no max cap, which means it could get a heck of a lot more costly depending on your individual circumstances. So in this instance, it’s hard to say if it’s the cheapest place to get your brakes done.
If you want to add brake fluid exchange to the service, it will cost you an additional $86.99.
Whether you pay the additional $86.99 or not, you’ll get new brake pad or shoe installation, replacement of rotors or brake drums, and an overall inspection of all the different components in your brake system.
Additionally you can purchase parts and installation or brake fluid exchanges a la carte.
Firestone coupons are easy to find, too.
Firestone coupons work very similarly to Pep Boys coupons. You visit one main page for all national coupons, and you can pick whether you want it texted to you or if you’ll print it out.
As far as brakes coupons go, currently they’re offering $50 off per axle for standard brake service through July 5, 2023.
TIP: You can technically look up location-specific coupons by searching for your store and visiting its page, but most of the time you won’t find any unique offerings. They’re usually (though not always) the same coupons you’ll find on the national coupons page.
5. Ask about seasonal sales at your local repair shop.
Just because they’re not a chain doesn’t mean your local repair shop isn’t the cheapest place to get your breaks done. Be sure to call around to different shops to get quotes. In some cases, they may be able to beat Jiffy Lube or any of the other chains on this list.
Local repair shops are less likely to offer coupons, though that’s not to say it never happens. Even if your shop doesn’t offer coupons, most repair shops offer seasonal sales and discounts, so make sure to ask for the calendar when you call in to get quotes.
Related: Here are the auto repair apps that will save you money.
Think your home garage is the cheapest place to get your brakes done? Unless you’re a legit mechanic, don’t DIY your brakes to save a buck.
It’s true that you can save hundreds in some instances by DIYing your brake job, but take a second and sit back.
Are you really a mechanic? Like one with experience working in a repair shop that guarantees their work?
Your brakes are such an important feature on your vehicle, and if something goes wrong, the consequences can be devastating. The stakes are pretty high, so err on the side of underestimating your own skills rather than overestimating.
If you’re YouTubing brake replacement videos, this probably isn’t a great job to take on yourself. If you really need to save money, find a buddy who is a legit mechanic and see if they’ll offer you a discount to take on the job privately. Because in the end the cheapest place to get your brakes done also needs to be a safe place to get your brakes done.
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