“The dealer brake quote shocked me. Is it even right?”
Dealer pricing on brake jobs
Same OEM rotors and pads — quoted itemized after inspection at our independent labor rate, with the same factory bedding procedure and a longer warranty.
Brake Service & Repair
Stopping power, engineered for South Florida.
Pads and rotors, brake fluid flush, caliper service, ABS module diagnostics, ceramic and sport brake kits — done with factory diagnostic tools and OEM-equivalent parts. Free inspection and computer scan. 48-month / 48,000-mile warranty on parts and labor.
Free inspection
OEM-equivalent parts
48-mo / 48k warranty
32yr
Family-run since 1993
45+
Yrs ASE European experience
48mo/48k
Parts + labor warranty
Bosch
Certified shop
PAC
Nationwide warranty network
If any of this sounds familiar
Brake jobs are where most shops quietly cut corners.
High-mileage European brakes are not a $99 pad-slap. The dealer quote feels like extortion; the chain quote feels like a shrug. Here's what actually happens when one of these symptoms shows up — and what we do differently.
“The pedal goes soft when I brake hard.”
Spongy pedal under load
Usually moisture-saturated brake fluid (a real South Florida problem) or a tired master cylinder — not pads. We test before we replace.
“There’s a grinding noise when I stop.”
Past wear-indicator territory
Once the indicator chirps, you have weeks. Once it grinds, the rotor is taking damage. Quick free inspection tells you exactly where you are.
“The dash lit up after my last brake job.”
ABS / pad-sensor / EPB faults
Most chain shops can’t reset the brake-pad sensors or the electronic parking brake on European cars. We can — same factory tools the dealer uses.
Our approach
Diagnose first. Quote second. Replace third.
The single biggest reason European brake jobs get botched is shops that quote pads and rotors before they actually look at the system. The pedal feel, the wear pattern on the inside vs. outside pad, the rotor runout, the fluid moisture content, the caliper slide-pin condition — all of these change the right answer.
We start with a free multi-point inspection and a full factory-tool scan (Mercedes XENTRY, BMW ISTA, Audi ODIS, Porsche PIWIS, Land Rover SDD, Jaguar IDS). Then we tell you what your car actually needs — and what it doesn’t. Itemized quote, your line-by-line approval, work begins.
- OEM or OE-equivalent rotors and OE-spec pads on every job — no generic no-name parts, ever
- Factory-correct bedding-in procedure on the test drive, not "drive home gentle for a week"
- Brake-pad-sensor reset, EPB service-mode coding, and ABS bleed performed with the right factory tool
- Brake fluid moisture tested at every visit; flushed on factory interval (not "as recommended by the chain")
- Every line of work covered by our 48-month / 48,000-mile parts and labor warranty
Scope of work
Everything we do under the brake umbrella.
Eight common brake-system jobs, plus the diagnostic, coding, and warranty work most chain shops won’t touch on European cars.
Brake pads & rotors
OEM or OE-equivalent rotors and OE-spec pads, factory bedding procedure on the test drive. Quoted after inspection — cost varies by marque, model, and which axle.
Brake fluid flush
Full vacuum-and-pressure flush to manufacturer spec. Moisture content tested before and after. Done on factory interval (typically every 2–3 yrs in SoFla heat).
Caliper service & rebuild
Slide-pin lubrication, piston freeing, caliper rebuild kits, full caliper replacement when the bore is past spec. Common on coastal-corrosion cars.
Brake hoses & lines
Soft-line replacement on age or visible bulge, hard-line repair, stainless-braided upgrades on track-prepped cars. ABS-aware bleed on every line job.
Master cylinder & booster
Pedal-feel diagnosis (soft, spongy, or sinks-to-floor), master cylinder replacement, vacuum booster service or swap, vacuum pump on diesel platforms.
ABS & module diagnostics
Wheel-speed sensor diagnosis, ABS pump troubleshooting, ABS module coding, traction-control fault tracing. Factory tool, not a $40 generic OBD reader.
EPB & pad-sensor reset
Electronic parking-brake service mode, brake-pad wear-sensor reset, brake-light switch coding. Required after every European brake job — we do it as standard.
Performance & sport kits
Ceramic and sport brake kits (Brembo, AP Racing, Pagid, Endless), big-brake conversions, track-day prep including high-temp fluid and pad selection.
How a brake job goes
Five steps. No surprises.
From the moment you call to the moment you drive out, here’s what to expect — and what you walk away with at every step.
01
Book + drop off
Call (561) 395-5566 or request a quote. We’ll fit your car into a real appointment slot — not a queue position.
02
Free inspection + scan
Multi-point inspection of pads, rotors, fluid, calipers, hoses, and ABS. Factory-tool scan reads every brake-system fault code to its source.
03
Itemized quote
Every part listed by part number and source, every labor hour priced. You approve line-by-line. Quote good for 30 days.
04
Install + bed-in
OEM-equivalent parts installed to factory torque spec. Brake-pad sensors reset, EPB cycled, ABS bled, factory bedding procedure on test drive.
05
48-mo / 48k warranty
Parts and labor covered, starting on invoice date. Honored at PAC Community shops nationwide. Full digital service record retained.
Marques we service for brake work
All marques →How we’re different
What you actually get, line by line, vs. the chain shop.
Chain shops and quick-lube franchises do brake work, but the cracks show in the details — especially on European cars. Here’s the row-by-row comparison.
| What you’re paying for | Typical chain | Boca Autohaus |
|---|---|---|
| Diagnostic charge | ×$129–$200 to "look at it" | ✓Free — multi-point inspection + factory scan |
| Parts source | ×Aftermarket low-bid pads & rotors | ✓OEM or OE-equivalent, sourced after your approval |
| Brake fluid flush | ×Up-sold add-on at counter | ✓Tested on every visit, quoted upfront when needed |
| EPB & pad-sensor coding | ×"We don’t do that on European cars" | ✓Factory tool, every job, no extra charge |
| ABS bleed after line work | ×Manual bleed only — ABS module skipped | ✓Full factory-tool ABS bleed cycle |
| Warranty | ×12 mo / 12k or "lifetime parts only" | ✓48 mo / 48k parts & labor, nationwide PAC network |
| Quote process | ×Verbal estimate at the counter | ✓Itemized written quote — you approve line-by-line |
| Same-day routine pad+rotor | ×Rare — "schedule for next week" | ✓Common, with appointment |
What it costs
Brake costs vary too much by car for an honest fixed price.
A front pad + rotor job on a Volkswagen Tiguan and the same job on a Range Rover Sport are not in the same dollar zip code — and we’d rather quote the real number than publish a misleading floor.
So the inspection and the scan are free. We tell you what your car actually needs (and what it doesn’t), then quote it itemized before any work begins. Most owners are surprised in the right direction — substantially less than the dealer, with the same OEM-grade parts and a longer warranty.
Quote good for 30 days. No work happens without your line-by-line approval. If the part price moves materially inside that window, we call you first.
Inspection & scan
Free then a real itemized quote
European labor billed at $269/hr — significantly less than dealer rates for the same factory tooling and OEM-grade parts. Domestic/Asian $229/hr; exotic $299/hr.
See published labor rates and starting prices for oil, alignment, PPI, and diagnostics.
Frequently asked
Brake-job questions, answered straight.
The seven questions we’re most often asked when someone calls about brakes — with the real answers.
How do I know it’s time for new brakes?
Three reliable signals: a high-pitched chirp when you brake (that’s the wear indicator — you have weeks), an actual grinding sound (you’re past the indicator and the rotor is taking damage), or a dashboard brake-pad warning light. A soft or sinking pedal is usually fluid or master-cylinder, not pads.
Easiest answer: bring it in. The inspection is free and we’ll tell you exactly where you are on pad thickness, rotor runout, fluid moisture, and caliper condition — with photos.
How long does a brake job take?
Routine front pad + rotor on a daily-driver European car: same-day with an appointment, usually 2–4 hours of shop time. Front + rear, fluid flush, and caliper service together: typically next-day.
Bigger jobs — ABS module work, master cylinder, brake-line replacement, big-brake kit installation — run 2–3 business days depending on parts lead time. We’ll commit to a firm timeline on the approved quote, not a moving estimate.
How long should brake pads last on my BMW / Mercedes / Range Rover?
The honest answer is "it depends on the driver." Front pads on a Mercedes E-Class driven gently in suburban Boca might last 50–70k miles; the same pads on a Range Rover Sport towing a boat down to Pompano every weekend are 25–40k. Rears typically last 1.5–2x as long as fronts on most European platforms.
What matters more than the headline number is wear pattern. We measure pad thickness on every visit so you know when you’re six months out, not six minutes out.
Do you do ceramic, sport, and big-brake kits?
Yes — Brembo, AP Racing, Pagid, Endless, and most major performance kits. We handle the install, the pad-and-fluid selection for street vs. track use, and the post-install bedding procedure that gets full life out of the pads.
If you’re prepping for a track day at PBIR or Sebring, we’ll talk through pad temp range, fluid spec, and brake duct considerations before quoting parts.
What’s the difference between OEM and OE-equivalent rotors?
OEM is the part with the manufacturer’s logo on it — the same part the dealer installs, often made by the same supplier (Brembo, ATE, Textar, Akebono, Pagid). OE-equivalent is the same supplier’s part without the manufacturer logo, typically 25–40% less for identical metallurgy and finish.
We default to OEM-equivalent unless you specifically prefer OEM-branded. Either way, the part number, source, and price are on your quote before anything is ordered.
Will brake work at an independent shop void my factory warranty?
No. The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act prohibits a manufacturer from voiding your factory warranty because you used an independent specialist. As long as service is performed to OEM specification with quality parts and properly documented, your factory coverage stays intact.
We keep a full digital service record on every job — part numbers, sources, torque specs, technician sign-off — so nothing is ambiguous at warranty time.
Why is my brake light still on after a service?
Almost always one of three things: the brake-pad wear sensors weren’t reset after the new pads went in, the electronic parking brake wasn’t put back in service mode after caliper retraction, or the ABS module logged a code during a partial bleed and wasn’t cleared.
All three require a factory-level scan tool to reset properly — not a generic OBD reader. We do all three as standard at the end of every brake job. If you had a recent brake job elsewhere and the light won’t go off, bring it by — we can clear it for you.
Bring us your brakes for a free inspection.
Tell us the year, make, model, and what they’re doing. We’ll inspect the system free, scan it free, and come back with a real itemized quote — usually within one business day.