Buick Riviera Brake Drum Replacement at your home or office.

Our mobile mechanics offer services 7 days a week. Upfront and transparent pricing.

Estimate price near me

Service Location

Customer Ratings

(33)

Included for free with this service

Online Booking

Mechanic comes to you

12-month / 12k-mile warranty

Free 50 point safety inspection

Our certified mobile mechanics can come to your home or office 7 days a week between 7 AM and 9 PM.

Customer Ratings

(33)

Brake Drum Replacement Service

How much does a Brake Drum Replacement cost?

On average, the cost for a Buick Riviera Brake Drum Replacement is $251 with $147 for parts and $104 for labor. Prices may vary depending on your location.

CarServiceEstimateShop/Dealer Price
1964 Buick RivieraV8-7.0LService typeBrake Drum ReplacementEstimate$671.00Shop/Dealer Price$793.75 - $1108.02
1971 Buick RivieraV8-7.5LService typeBrake Drum ReplacementEstimate$868.30Shop/Dealer Price$1052.42 - $1550.70
1991 Buick RivieraV6-3.8LService typeBrake Drum ReplacementEstimate$597.40Shop/Dealer Price$723.41 - $1063.13
1982 Buick RivieraV8-5.0LService typeBrake Drum ReplacementEstimate$562.98Shop/Dealer Price$672.09 - $947.71
1977 Buick RivieraV8-5.7LService typeBrake Drum ReplacementEstimate$606.70Shop/Dealer Price$725.46 - $1027.56
1982 Buick RivieraV6-4.1LService typeBrake Drum ReplacementEstimate$562.98Shop/Dealer Price$672.14 - $947.80
1982 Buick RivieraV6-3.8L TurboService typeBrake Drum ReplacementEstimate$574.48Shop/Dealer Price$683.33 - $958.75
1995 Buick RivieraV6-3.8L TurboService typeBrake Drum ReplacementEstimate$594.22Shop/Dealer Price$717.72 - $1048.97
Show example Buick Riviera Brake Drum Replacement prices

What are brake drums and how do they work?

A brake drum is a heavy, cast iron brake system part that looks like a shallow, several inches-high cylinder about 9 to 12 inches in diameter. The brake drum has a precisely machined surface all around the interior circumference, that the brake shoes make contact with when you apply the brakes, transmitting hydraulic pressure through the wheel cylinder. This forces the brake shoes outward against the interior of the brake drum, resulting in the friction that causes the car to slow. The brake drum is mounted over, and fully encloses, all of the rear brake components such as the wheel cylinder, springs and clips, brake shoes, and parking brake mechanism. The drum is commonly held to the wheel hub by the wheel and the lug nuts, but some configurations combine the drum with the wheel hub as one unit. Nowadays, a drum brake type system is only installed on the rear axle, if used at all, as 4 wheel disc type systems have become more common.

When to consider replacing brake drums:

  • Reduced braking effectiveness. If the brake drum is unevenly worn, scored or cracked, it will increase stopping distances. A cracked drum must be replaced outright but a worn drum can be restored on a brake lathe so long as enough metal material remains.
  • Pulsating brakes, pulling to one side, vibration or noise. If a brake drum is warped, is unevenly worn, or perhaps the brake shoes have worn down completely — creating metal-to-metal contact — you might detect pedal pulsation, the vehicle may pull to one side, or you might feel a vibration or hear a noise when you apply the brakes. The brake system will have to be inspected to pinpoint the exact problem.
  • Brake shoe replacement. Anytime the brake shoes are replaced, the drum must either be resurfaced or replaced outright. Installing new brake shoes on a used, unresurfaced drum will lead to poor results.
  • Loss of parking brake function. The parking brake locks the brake shoes against the brake drum. If the brake drum is cracked, the parking brake lever will pull up excessively and the car may still be able to roll. However, a more common circumstance is parking brake maladjustment or seizure of parking brake components. Repair of those problems will often require removal of the brake drum.

How do mechanics replace brake drums?

There are two options when it comes to brake drum service: outright replacement or resurfacing. In some cases, it is cheaper to replace the drum rather than refurbish it. In both cases though, the removal and installation procedure for the drum is the same.

  • Raise the vehicle and safely support it using steel jack stands.
  • Remove tire and wheel assembly.
  • Remove brake drum. Sometimes the brake drum has rusted to the wheel hub and removal of the drum will require a brake drum puller. In some cases, the wheel hub is integral to the brake drum, in which case the hub-bearing retaining bolt and the wheel bearing must be removed to replace the drum.
  • Measure the interior diameter of the machined surface in the drum with a brake drum micrometer or similar measuring tool. If sufficient metal exists to resurface the drum on a brake lathe, the mechanic will compare the cost of such restoration to the alternative: buying a new drum.
  • Prior to installing the resurfaced or new drum, the brake shoes, springs, wheel cylinder, parking brake mechanism, and backing plate are all inspected. All worn parts should be replaced. Generally, if drums have been replaced or resurfaced, new brake shoes should be installed. The worn shoes will cause irregular wear in the brake drum and reduce braking effectiveness.
  • The shoes are adjusted and the drum is installed. The wheel and tire assembly are installed and torqued in the proper sequence and the car is road tested to check the operation of the brakes.

Is it safe to drive with a brake drum problem?

No. Should there be a deficiency with the brake drums, stopping distances will not be as short as possible. In a panic stop, stopping just five or ten feet shorter could be the difference between no collision and a collision. Any deficiency in a vehicle’s braking system is a cause for concern and a potential safety issue. Have the brake drums inspected at your earliest convenience to determine if a problem exists and find out what must be done to fix it.

When replacing brake drums keep in mind:

  • With few exceptions, brake work on one end of an axle should be performed on both ends of the axle. Should a brake drum on one end of a front or rear axle be serviced, or brake shoes on one end are serviced, both sides of the axle should receive the same service. This helps to avoid problems, such as pulling, vibration, and so forth, once the vehicle is returned for use.
  • Brake drum systems use very powerful springs to keep the brake shoes in position. These springs are exposed to extreme heat. It is best practice to replace all springs whenever new shoes are installed. Should a spring unexpectedly break in the brake drum assembly, a mispositioned brake shoe could cause the brakes to grab and lock, which would pose a safety issue.
  • If the wheel hub and bearing are integral to the brake drum on your car, the mechanic may recommend replacement of the grease in the wheel bearings and inspection of the wheel bearings.
  • Since the arc of the brake shoes will not perfectly match with the arc of the drum when new, expect a bed-in period before maximum braking efficiency is achieved.

Fast and easy service at your home or office

Backed by 12-month, 12.000-mile guarantee


Meet some of our expert Buick mechanics

Real customer reviews from Buick owners like you.

Excellent Rating

(33)

Rating Summary
29
2
0
2
0
29
2
0
2
0

Breck

20 years of experience
681 reviews
Breck
20 years of experience
Buick Riviera V6-3.8L Turbo - Serpentine/Drive Belt - Spring, Texas
Great experience, knowledge and skill. Very thorough and courteous

Chris

18 years of experience
142 reviews
Chris
18 years of experience
Buick Riviera V6-3.8L Turbo - Brake Pads Replacement (Front, Rear) - Fort Lauderdale, Florida
No issues found problems to correct good job well done

Troy

40 years of experience
107 reviews
Troy
40 years of experience
Buick Riviera V6-3.8L - Smoke from engine or exhaust - Phoenix, Arizona
Troy diagnosed the (many) issues with my car and I'm happy to say this is my second good experience with yourmechanic. Much more convenient and Troy was really helpful and explained honestly the choices I needed to make about my car. Because of my good experience again, I'll continue to use yourmechanic if I have a car problem again.

Robert

20 years of experience
1092 reviews
Robert
20 years of experience
Buick Riviera V6-3.8L Turbo - Check Engine Light is on - Broomfield, Colorado
very good but we're not fixed yet.

Excellent Rating

(33)

Rating Summary
29
2
0
2
0
29
2
0
2
0
Number of Buick Riviera services completed
363+
services done by our mechanics
TOTAL NUMBER OF EXPERT Buick MECHANICS
800+
experts on our platform

Recent articles & questions

How Long Does an Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) Valve Last?
With With society being much more conscious about the environment and leaving as little footprint as possible, the exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) valve is more important than ever before. This little valve is responsible for single-handily bringing down the amount...
How to Keep Your Car From Stalling
When When driving a car, we expect it to get us from point A to point B without any issues. It can become unnerving to drive if your car stalls randomly when coming to a stop, whether it is at...
How to Replace a Water Pump Belt
A water pump belt fails when the belt frays, cracks, or there is a burning rubber smell or squealing noise coming from the engine.

Power steering leak on a '95 Dodge Ram 2500

You've got to find where the leak is (https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/how-to-diagnose-a-fluid-leak-by-mark-vallet) coming from. Power steering pumps (https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/symptoms-of-a-bad-or-failing-power-steering-hose) put out 1500 PSI or more at times. So, wherever the leak is, you are going to see it squirting out. From there you can...

Engine Swap from 1981 1400cc to 4g63.

Hi there. You can swap the engine from a 1981 model to a 1997 model, but you will have to swap the entire power plant, the engine, the transmission, and all of the electronics including the exhaust system through the...

my 1994 saturn SL1 is stalling

Hello, thank you for writing in. There are so many different reasons why the vehicle would stall, it is impossible to say what the issue is without an inspection. If you have not scanned the vehicle for diagnostic codes, you...

How can we help?

Our service team is available 7 days a week, Monday - Friday from 6 AM to 5 PM PST, Saturday - Sunday 7 AM - 4 PM PST.

1 (855) 347-2779 · hi@yourmechanic.com