Hi,

I have a 2009 Dodge Ram (Big Horn with Hemi). I have 49K on the truck. I just took it in for inspection and they want to change the rotors. I was expecting to need pads as they are still the factory pads, but does 49K seem too soon for rotors?

A lot of my 49K is highway miles and I do not abuse the truck. Not a lot of hauling. I never carry a trailer.

Thanks for the info!

 

My 2010 Ram needed new breaks and rotors at 35,000km. like you I do about 95% highway driving.

Junk.

 

Hard to say without pictures, hard to say with pictures. Everybody rides there brakes differently.

If the surface looks good, shiny, with no gouges, pits or discernable wear I would venture a guess they may not need replacing. Some other variables come into play here also. If the are warped or are worn down past a certain thickness they will need replacing.

Nice thing about trucks is that it is easy to see your rotors without much effort, from the outside just look through the wheels, they are very visible. Crawl underneath and the backsides are very visible.

Your rotors need to be resurfaced when pads are changed and this is all they may need. You may want to get another opinion if you think they do not need replacing.

Not sure of the cost for tear down and resurfacing vs the cost of new rotors so this may be a factor. If it isn't that much more money you may want to replace them, that would be your call.

My pads are about 50% worn on 43,000 miles.

 

Seems odd. My 2009 has 83K on it and the rotors are still fine. I changed the pads at about 40K unnecessarily because of a noise that turned out to be crud in the pad slot. Current pads are less than half gone.

 

My experience lately is that lots of shops are telling people they need brakes when they don't. If they say you need rotors but not pads, something is fishy. If they can't point to something specific that has gone wrong with your rotors, they are most likely fine.

More often than not, the cost for new rotors is at or lower than resurfacing. At least if you go aftermarket. They like to resurface because its all labor. And oddly a lot. I've had quotes of over $250 for a resurface. I can get not rotors for 100-150.

I'd get a second opinion. Ask was the pad life is left. Most pads are 10-12mm and you get the wear indicator noise around 2mm. I've had my Toyota dealer tell my wife it was dangerous for her to drive with 8mm left. I was pissed.

Take a look at your rotors. If you don't see anything odd, they are most likely fine. If they were warped, you'd most likely notice.

Good luck

 

Thanks,

Had the rotors and pads replaced today.

 

I must have a factory freak. 87k at inspection 2 months ago and still ok.

 

I did my Front pads first time at 75,000KM and rotors are still perfectly fine to date and I'm at 92,000KM. I've never had to change out my rears and are still at about 40%..

 

I did my pads and rotors at 60k ,had a bad pulsation in the front when braking upon inspection found the front rotors badly rusted and chunks of the rotor surface missing on the inside , have never had to replace brake parts this soon , may have been caused by low grade steel when they were manufactured , rears are fine .

 

My daughter has a 2011 Ford Escape with 46k miles that needed both rotors replaced because they were 'peeling', resurfacing was not an option. And I thought it was just going to be a quick pad replacement....