A dealer brake job on a Camry is often $400–$600 an axle. The pads aren't magic. The rotor isn't aerospace.

What you're paying for:

• OEM-boxed parts with a 40–60% markup

• A labor rate written for warranty work, not street cars

• A service writer whose job is to add line items

At an independent shop the same job is pads, a rotor that meets spec, and a tech who has done this axle a hundred times. On most late-model sedans that's a $249 axle if the hardware isn't seized.

The honest tell: if someone won't show you the rotor thickness and the pad compound before they start, walk. We print both. If it needs more than a pad-and-rotor, you see the photo first.

Book the inspection if you want the report without the repair. $59, credited if you stay.