I went to Kragen last night to get an oil filter, synthetic oil, and a set of front brake pads for my wife's Chrysler 300M... I went and found the oil, the filter, and some misc items for my STi (like wheel cleaner) when I finally went to the back counter so that they could get the brake pads I needed from the back stocking shelves...

The guy comes back and says "That'll be 13.99 for the front set"... I reply back: "Uhhhh, 13.99 for a set of front brake pads for a 300m?", and he confirms any inquiry I have about the price...

Obviously I didn't buy them and sprung for the expensive set, but god damn, $13.99 for a set of front brake pads? Keep in mind that these are the things that allow your car to stop while you're moving in a machine that weighs well over 3,000lbs. I asked him to double check to see if that was in fact the price of the pads... Sure enough, $13.99 was the price! He said that they were the best selling pad that they had in their store catalog and said that the higher end pads don't sell nearly as well as the "Kragen special"...

People wonder why there are so many damn fatalities due to car accidents every year! Who in their right mind would buy brake pads that cost $13.99?!? This reminds of people who cheap out on their tires... My best friend is a manager at America's tire co and tells me stories of how cheap people are and how they totally disregard their own safety and buy the cheapest tires that they can possibly put on their cars, and some people even come in with used tires, not just used, but the cheapest tires you can find, and then used to top it all off! He says that he has to deny people sometimes because he doesn't want to be liable for something that goes wrong.


What is wrong with people? Is this just from sheer ignorance? Brake pads (and other brake parts) and tires are two of the most important things you can have on your car and they totally dictate how the car performs in stopping the 3,000+lb car. I don't think I could live with myself if I bought brake pads that cost me $13.99... What are they even made of? How can they even sell them for that cheap? Considering that the stock Subaru 4 pot pads (not the Brembos) are WELL over $100 for a set of fronts, and that's not even a really good set of pads, they are ok (good for normal driving but bad for track/canyon driving), so imagine what you're getting for $13.99... :huh: :wtf:


I just had to share that with you... I was blown away when he tried to sell them to me. My reaction was pretty funny too, I was like "What?! $13.99 for your brake pads? You do realize that you're spending $13.99 on your life, right? Everything depends on how the car stops, how can anyone spend that little for something that can save so much?" Even my mom, who knows NOTHING, and I mean NOOOTHHHHING about cars questioned the fact that they were so cheap... Even before I said anything, she was like "$13.99 for a set of brake pads? Are you sure that's right?", so even she knew that it was way too cheap and that means that everyone else who bought them was aware of the fact that they were cheap as hell.


$13.99 for a set of brake pads... I wouldn't even equip my enemy with those pads (cuz they wouldn't need them anyway after their brake fluid was completely drained, lol! jk).


I spent $70+ on her front pads and got the highest end pads that they had... Even @ $70 its a good deal. The stock Brembo pads are over $300 if I remember correctly (dealer quoted me some outrageous price), so I went from one extreme to another.


Brakes and tires are the two things you really don't want to skimp on... Even if you're a cheap ***, you really shouldn't cheap out on those two things as they could save your life and prevent really bad things from happening... Is a hundred or so dollars really worth your life?

 

Its a Chrysler, domestic auto parts are much cheaper.

 

you get what you pay for and most people don't care about high performance.

there's a reason you can go to midas and get your brakes done for under $100 on average cars.

On a side note... I think I paid under $150 for front and rear hawk HP+'s for my wrx.
Yeah for not brembo (I guess, haaaa) I'd still take brembo brakes in a second.

 

This is along the lines of those people who buy the $30/tire specials.

 

It would be so wrong if you did get them for your wife's ride. hahaha

 

On a side not, what do you guys think about Castrol full synthetic oil? (The best/highest end oil from castrol, not the synth blend they have)

I didn't want her using Mobil 1 after they changed their original forumal (new formula breaks down soooo easily, my STi burns a quart every 1k miles, doesn't burn any other oil, only mobil 1), so screw mobil 1's new stuff. I know sooo many people that have had bad experiences with their new formula... From Scions to Corvettes, and everything in between, If you're using Mobil 1, make sure you check your oil at every fill up, you'll be sorry if you don't!!!

(I use Total european synthetic oil which I get at GST in my STi. Best damn oil ever and Blackstone oil analysis confirms this... It's been 3k and the oil isn't black like Mobil 1 would be... The Total oil is a nice light caramel color and still as thick as it was when it was new... By now the mobil 1 would be like old coffe... Thin and black. Screw mobil 1!!!!)

 

I use Castrol Syntec on all my cars..5w30 on my G35 and 0w30 Syntec on the STI (european formula)..Both runs awesome and doing pretty good. I believe the only place here in SF that sells 0w30 is Autozone.

 

When I worked at Wheel Works I would NEVER sell tires that were a lower rating then what the car came equipped with, while America's Tire's (or at least quite a few of them) are willing to downgrade. For instance, if your car came with a "V" rated tire and the customer would want to go with a "H" rated tire I would tell them the reasons why it was a bad idea. Yes, you will get more mileage out of the car ... BUT ... you are sacrificing your Braking capabilities to do that. They would be like "But I'm never going to go 130mph+" I would respond with "But you do like to be able to STOP your car correct?" "Uhhh, Yes of course." "Then why would you want to put on a tire that will INCREASE your stopping distance of your vehicle?". Usually at that point they would agree with me and decide it was in their interest to stay with the proper speed rating but maybe just go for a less expensive tire for that Speed Rating.

Yeah, $13.99 for a set of Front Brake Pads I would definitely pass on.

As for the Castrol Oil I haven't had any problems running it, but I run the German Castrol mostly in my car. I switched off of Mobil 1 (5w30) and have not had any further problems with the car burning off oil. Now we know the Mobil 1 5w30 formula Sucks for our cars, but I'd imagine the 0w40 (European Formula) is actually quite a bit better but I have never run it nor seen the results of others that run it. However, I fully understand why you don't want to use Mobil 1 after seeing it burn up so quickly in my car.

 

a bit off topic but do you guys know when mobil1 allegedly changed their formula? I was seeing crazy consumption with 5w30 mobil back on my gc8 2.5rs years ago-

 

I need to forward this thread to Gagan and a couple others who didn't believe me when I posted about it on facebook. They said if my STi is burning mobil1 then it's burning every kind of oil which isn't the fact at all, my car ONLY has a problem with mobil1... My wife's car, same thing. After 2k miles in her car the oil light came on so I checked it and the oil was low by about 2 quarts!!! The oil was also very thin and very black... Never using mobil1 again... EVER

 

I've been using Mobil1 5w30 and it doesn't seem to be burning at all. Apparently that's what both previous owners of my 02 wrx wagon used ever since it was originally purchased. I've had it for 2 months (~3000 miles) and so far only added about 1/3 of a bottle.

What's a safer reasonably priced alternative?

 

You shouldn't have to add any oil at all... I'm using Total which is about the same price and it hasn't burned at all... still right below the full line and it's been over 3k miles.

 

Yup, you shouldn't need to be adding oil (especially not at only 3K miles).

If you are near an Autozone or another place that can get the German Castrol 0w30 try using that or the Rotella T oil and see what you think as both of those are better oils and not much of a price difference between what you are using now to what you would be using.