Brake pedal half way to floor before stopping

[Metal Wing]

Hey guys, I'm posting this on behalf of a friend who drives Mazda 3 2006 2.0L.

Here's her story:

"I went over a pot hole and started noticing the brake pedal was going half way to floor before stopping. I took it to a mechanic and had the brakes bled and Brake Master Cylinder replaced with no change. After I took it to a Mazda service center and was told the ABS Hydraulic Unit was not holding pressure and to replaced the hydraulic unit program and bleed system. I was quoted $1600 for the replacement and I am not sure if this is actually the root cause. Does anyone have any other ideas?"

The reason I am posting this here is in hopes that this may sound familiar to someone and they know of a fix. And if not, perhaps you guys can recommend a good service place in Mississauga (ish) area, that perhaps specializes in brakes (if that's even a thing...). Or just comment on whether the quote above sounds reasonable.

So yeah, any help is appreciated!

[r4BBiT]

Any reason why he does nit trust Mazda mechanics? If they diagnosed the problem and they say its abs unit, it likely is. If that does not fix it I wouldn't pay for it.

[Metal Wing]

Any reason why he does nit trust Mazda mechanics? If they diagnosed the problem and they say its abs unit, it likely is. If that does not fix it I wouldn't pay for it.

I think it's a combination of not trusting the first thing you hear (get a second opinion kind of thing) along with getting a run around (401/dixie) about the whole scenario. Details omitted, but enough to want to get second opinion. Also, since it's a fairly hefty price tag, she is wondering if there are either alternative places to get this done cheaper or places that specialize in brakes and can confirm the diagnosis to make sure this is indeed the fix. The whole "not pay unless its fixed" makes sense, but most dealerships would give you a hard time for it, and involving Mazda Canada is not all that particularly exciting, I'd imagine.

All in all, mostly second opinion.

[r4BBiT]

Take it to Jimmy. Everyone seems to recommend him and it would be cheaper for sure.

[Booter22]

abs units were not uncommon in gen 1s sadly and they are very expensive. I do believe they had a tsb out for them or a tech tip about it.

[Reegs]

Just had the ABS hydraulic module go on my 2009 GT. The part cost me $1055 from the dealer and I googled it and it was costing an average of $900 on amazon. Labour was few hundred on top of that.

They first changed the rear caliper saying it was leaking, then after changing it, decided it was the ABS module......(Then forgot to put back my wheel lock as I learned this afternoon while trying to change my tires....UGH)

The car is running great now and actually happy to hear it was a common problem. I look forward to many more years with my mazda and hope this was one of the few major repairs I will encounter.