Hey folks....

Need some advice. I have had my truck in two different shops in the last two years. Two years ago, getting new tires on, owner said I needed new brakes, drums, blah blah blah replaced right away as they are worn out and need replacement.

Fast forward to Nov 2011, I replaced basically my entire front end, shop guy says my brakes are done, might get a month or two out of them.

Now today, drives like new, no noise when braking, no vibrations, no nothing to indicate my brakes front and back need replacing. Even when I jump on them hard, they brake just fine. I get the odd pulsation, which I have always had since day one. (NO, not that ABS pulsing)

Could my brakes really be that bad, over two years, and I feel nothing and hear nothing? How could I need to replace pads, drums, rotors etc and not feel or hear anything. What is the odds? Both have told me I need to replace almost everything front and back. I am sure the pads are getting low, just by how far I have to push the brake in, but, I am by no means touching the floor to brake.

 

might be possible. are you mechanically inclined to take a look at the pads yourself? my trucks a 2010. with 53000 km and im taking my truck in tomorrow to get a full break service. my rotors are warped and pads are warn to nothing. my rear drums will also be taken apart, cleaned up and serviced as needed.

 

I can't see the rears needing that much attention unless you tow a lot or ride the brakes/drive it like you stole it.

 

My rears surpassed 110k miles, and the fronts lasted to about 90k. There was a lot of highway driving though, and my truck never towed. I went on them until they started making noise.

Id pull off the wheels and check. The front pads are very easy to check, and make sure to verify that both pads on each side have some material left. For the rears, you have to get the drum off, but once off you'll see how much pad is left.

 

Dust boots failed in my calipers. This caused one of them to sieze up just enough to rub constantly. Did so for a while before I really noticed. Replacing everything up front tomorrow.

 

Another thing to remember, Cheap rotors are probably going to fail faster that the pads. If you have major pitting on the rotors it will trash the pads faster.

 

Speaking from personal experience - I am not a mechanic.
If your rear brakes were replaced (drum brakes) they should still be good but it's the front ones that don't last. If you had the front replaced - or not I guess - the pads maybe worn down to nothing. Even if you replaced the front ones 2 years ago - aftermarket pads do not last like the originals. I wouldn't be surprised if they need to be replaced - happenned with my CRV. You can tell if you take the front tires off - I think you can see the pad without removing the caliper. You should be able to see how much pad is left.

 

Viper,

It is really impossible for anyone on here to tell you if you need all those things as the repair facility claims. Could it be you need them? Sure, but if you want to know definitively, I would suggest requesting the shop to return all old parts. This way if you have the service done and you get the old parts back, even if you do not know what you are looking at, you could probably find someone you know or another shop to look at them and tell you if they needed to be replaced. It would at least give you piece of mind as to if this shop is reputable. I always request my parts back. If they tell me they are exchange parts I tell them I will leave core deposit until I inspect and bring them back.

 

That is good advice. And if they refuse the request, take your business somewhere else cause they are trying to screw you.

 

Unless your a indy car driver or in nascar, your rotors aren't warped. It's impossible to warp them. Back in the day you could, now a days its unheard of. You have to heat them up cherry red, multiple times, for that metal to shift and warp. Metal doesn't warp like wood. Atleast not with ease.