Cost of Caliper Core Return to RockAuto

[The Critic]

I need to order four new calipers for the Saturn.

RockAuto has a core charge of $30/caliper for the fronts, and $69/caliper for the rears.

Does anyone have experience with returning calipers to rockauto? How much did you end up paying for shipping?

Thanks!

 

[XS650]

Your best bet might be USPS Priority mail. Depends on how many calipers you can fit in their largest box. Check the box size and price out at USPS.com

 

[Chris Meutsch]

Just be sure to follow their return process/policy online and they'll quickly refund those cores to you, as they did my alternator. USPS will definitely be the cheapest IF you can jam them all into their box.

 

[eljefino]

all four calipers went out all at once?

 

[willix]

With the added shipping xepense it seems reasonable to buy local. If you look around I am sure you can find competitive pricing comparable to Rock Auto if you include those core charges. $30 & $69 is a hefty price not far off from the flat cost of the part.

 

[MrBeachcomber]

Concur with USPS Priority Mail pre-paid boxes as being the cheapest. Be sure to use some freezer baggies to provide a sealed enclosure for your old calipers before shipping. Post office freaks out if packages start to leak during transit. This will significantly delay the delivery of your cores if the Post Office doesn't declare them an environment hazard and dump them. (Courtesy of my next door neighbor, a postal worker.)

 

[carwreck]

Amazon.com or gmpartsdirect.com usually have the same or lower price as RockAuto, and no core charge.

 

[JakeR22]

To each their own, but that isn't worth that hassle to me, go to a local parts store.

 

[PandaBear]

The metal inside the caliper rarely go bad. If I were you I'd just rebuild it myself with new rubber parts. The shipping and return shipping will probably be enough to buy all the rebuild parts.

What's the reason behind this? Upgrading to a different size? big brake modification?

 

[labman]

While caliper casings themselves seldom need to be replaced, if not rebuilt in a timely manor, the pistons can go bad. The price of a kit plus a piston often exceeds the price of a rebuilt caliper and the work always does. If the calipers aren't leaking or froze, you might order rebuild kits and hope the pistons are OK.

Besides being cheaper to rebuild, I like knowing my caliper went back together with a good coat of Sil-Glyde on everything, not brake fluid or some cheap, hygroscopic grease. The bummer is that when you get things apart, you may find a bad piston. I don't know about the newer ones, or if they are still using them, but in the past, plastic pistons didn't rebuild well.

 

[backyardmech]

I agree with going local shipping will cost you and if you get the wrong ones bamm more shipping charges or hassle and wait