When should the brake pads be replaced? A friend of mine told me that unless you feel that more pressure than usual is required on the brake pedal to stop/slow the car OR the car is taking longer to slow down when the brakes are applied, then there's no need to get them replaced.
When should the brake pads be replaced? A friend of mine told me that unless you feel that more pressure than usual is required on the brake pedal to stop/slow the car OR the car is taking longer to slow down when the brakes are applied, then there's no need to get them replaced.
My Corolla has 50,000+ miles on it. Thank you.
I changed mine about that time and the old pads still had 50% left but I wanted to go to ceramics, the best thing for you to do is take them to a large tire/auto repair center like NTB, conrads, sears and others, they will usually give you a free break inspection and tell you how much pad you have left and if you have any problems, they will also check your back brakes, back brake shoes usually wear 1/2 as fast as front disc, I changed my rear shoes at 85K and they still had 40% on them! How much was left on your pads last time you had it in for warranty inspection?
Some people aren't able to do that and just pulling your wheel off might not show underlying problems, most places will give you a free brake system inspection, why not just go with the safe way?
Local mechanic checked the brakes recently and suggested to me that I replace the front pads. He said they were worn down, he didn't give me any details. But the car stops just fine. That's why I asked. My friend told me as long as you don't sense a problem (when using the brakes), just let them be.
Local mechanic checked the brakes recently and suggested to me that I replace the front pads. He said they were worn down, he didn't give me any details. But the car stops just fine. That's why I asked. My friend told me as long as you don't sense a problem (when using the brakes), just let them be.
Thanks for the info everyone.
Good luck but you're friends way of thinking isn't necessary good advice when your on a trip in the middle of no-where and all of a sudden your brakes go out even though you didn't "sense a problem"...I would still get them checked out properly before something like this happens and your broken down and stranded in the boondocks near some motel hell or worse Bates motel...lol...Remember it's almost always completely free to get a complete brake system inspection! Better safe then sorry!
Some people aren't able to do that and just pulling your wheel off might not show underlying problems, most places will give you a free brake system inspection, why not just go with the safe way?
some people are able to jack up the car and take off a while and possibly take a picture. i was hoping a picture was taken so that we can tell the ot whether or not the pad life was still safe
i don't trust those free brake service inspection places, try to leave without them telling you need new brakes or some other services
the problem is taken care of anyways, so it doesn't really matter now
some people are able to jack up the car and take off a while and possibly take a picture. i was hoping a picture was taken so that we can tell the ot whether or not the pad life was still safe
i don't trust those free brake service inspection places, try to leave without them telling you need new brakes or some other services
the problem is taken care of anyways, so it doesn't really matter now
How can you tell if your calipers are frozen up by just pulling the wheel off and seeing how much pad you have left?
One "hint" of a frozen caliper would be uneven wear of the pads. One would be worn more then the other.
Not that this is definitive proof, but it is a sign.
If you wait until you notice reduced braking performance, it's way too late. At that point, you've gone through the pads and the metal pad backing is chewing up the rotors. It's a gradual loss of performance, so by the time you notice you have a problem, you're stopping distance required is likely to have increased 30% or more in a panic stop.
It's best to gain some knowledge and learn to inspect them yourself. I usally check them when I do my oil, when I see them hit 1/8'th of an inch of braking material thickness, I replace the pads and resurface/replace the rotors.
Saving a couple bucks on brakes is a bad tradeoff. They're the most critical safety feature of a car and really need to be up to 100% at all times.
you do know that ruins a good rotor if you wait for the squeaks right?
its metal to metal that is making that noise
Wasn't going to say anything and didn't want to open another can of worms here on this subject but if you live by just those indicators to change your brake pads your going to be sorry, most by the time you really can't hear them till they are already dug into your rotor and I know some people that never heard them at all till their pad/rotors were going metal to metal, maybe the new higher priced cars have a better pad wear indicator systems now, but my Toyota doesn't!
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