Do I need a Brake Job ?

2004 Accord AT @ 27K miles will be 3 year in June Original brake parts....

so is it about time I should get new pads ? And what does a "Brake Job" in my case entail ?

thanks

It's very hard to say. Original brakes typically last between 20K and

50K before the pads are worn out. In my experience it would be extremely unusual for you to need anything but new pads at that mileage UNLESS you are experiencing pulsation when you brake hard, which indicates warped rotors. If you are not getting that kind of pulsation and the brakes are otherwise working fine then in all probability the only thing you might need are new pads - no way to know without looking at them. Most repair places will want to machine your rotors. Sometimes they need it but they want to do it whether they need it or not. Most manufacturers say not to machine them unless there is a specific problem, such as warpage or deep grooves. Most repair shops ignore what the manufacturers says because they want to make the extra profit from machining them. Also, many shops will tell you that you need the calipers rebuilt due to tiny little seepage showing around the seals. That too is not true. Again, in my experience I have never needed to replace a caliper for any reason even on vehicles still running the original calipers at 125,000 miles. But I've certainly had shops tell me I need to replace them, again, it's easy profit for them.

I dunno, but now would be a good time to look at the pads and see.

At three years, I'd probably change the brake fluid. If you haven't done transmission fluid yet, this might be a good time to do that, too. Time to check the brake pads, and all the hoses and belts, and change anything worn.

--scott

When I used my cars for work in the Washington DC area brake pads lasted 20 to

25 thousand miles. Depending on the kind of driving you do they can last over 100 thousand miles. I had my last car for 12 years and never replace the fluid or calipers. Fluid does not need to be changed unless it is c>

Perhaps if you had changed your fluid occasionally you wouldn't have had seized caliper pistons?

nate

Mike Walsh wrote:

25 thousand miles. Depending on the kind of driving you do they can last over 100 thousand miles. I had my last car for 12 years and never replace the fluid or calipers. Fluid does not need to be changed unless it is contaminated. Calipers don't need to be changed unless there is a problem. I have replace a few calipers because of seized pistons, but I don't remember replacing any because of leaks. Because I do my own brake work I don't have the equipment to turn rotors. If they are worn excessively I replace them. Many don't agree with this, but my thinking is if the problem is metal worn from the rotor the solution is not to remove more metal.

what causes rotor warp ? thanks

Replacing brake fluid isn't routine maintenance. There is no reason it shouldn't last at least 10 years. No can with the possible exception of the yugo needs brake fluid replaced after just three years.

If the caliper's siezed, it isn't because of old brake fluid. It is most likely because they overheated.

Yes it is, the owner's manual of my Porsche (and all VW's and many other cars) says so. Every 2-3 years.

It's hygroscopic. You don't want it to get to the point where the moisture content either a) reaches the point where the corrosion inhibitors in the brake fluid stop working or b) the fluid starts boiling when you get the brakes good and hot. There's really nothing you can do to keep it from sucking moisture out of the air, except to change it regularly.

See above - most European manfacturers *RECOMMEND* it. There's a reason why American manufacturers don't recommend fluid changes - they figure that unchanged fluid will last the life of the car, which they estimate to be about 10 years. After that, all bets are off. So if you don't plan on keeping a car longer than 10 years, by all means don't change the fluid - but if you do end up keeping it, you'll probably have to replace all the hydraulic components at your next brake job.

Or the piston and/or bore corroded.

nate

Yup, that is more than likely the cause of seized calipers in most of the world. But maybe not in Arizona.

-jim

Brake fluid IS a part of routine maintainance on MANY vehicles.

Seized calipers are from crud in the brake fluid. Why? Real simple. standard brake fluid is VERY hydroscopic, meaning it absorbs water out of the air. This water gets carried around the system and causes rust. Ever notice how dark brake fluid gets over the years? Guess what that is, RUST and water. If you flush fresh fluid through the system every 2-3 years it removes that contaminated fluid and WILL make the parts last longer. It won't stop the lines from rotting through from the outside though.

Getting the brakes too hot can do it. So can over tightening the lug nuts that hold the wheel on or tightening them unevenly. And sometimes it seems like they just decide to warp for no real reason. The first set of rotors on my 92 explorer warped every 5000 miles no matter what I did. The second set warped after 8000 but when they were turned they stayed good for another 30K or so.

There was an article in one of the car mags and they talked to some ford engineers about the need to flush the brake fluid. They said that assuming normal use and life that flushing it when you did the typical pad replacements was pretty much the right length of time to wait. They also said that assuming no leaks that let air in, new fluid will rather quickly absorb the roughly 2 to 3% moisture it's going to absorb and then it won't absorb much more, again, if there are no air leaks letting more moist air into the system then a normally sealed system allows. But that bit of corrosion that does take place, and the worse area for moist fluid is down by the wheels, so flushing gets out that gunky stuff even though the bulk of the fluid may not be as bad.

Probably not in the desert part of AZ anyway. It was 102 in the Phoenix area today with humidity around six percent...pretty typical for this time of year.

to 25 thousand miles. Depending on the kind of driving you do they can last over

100 thousand miles. I had my last car for 12 years and never replace the fluid or calipers. Fluid does not need to be changed unless it is contaminated. Calipers don't need to be changed unless there is a problem. I have replace a few calipers because of seized pistons, but I don't remember replacing any because of leaks. Because I do my own brake work I don't have the equipment to turn rotors. If they are worn excessively I replace them. Many don't agree with this, but my thinking is if the problem is metal worn from the rotor the solution is not to remove more metal.

Wait till summer gets here and it turns hot...

I guess it's a good thing that the system is sealed. The only place there is any exposure to air is in the reservoir and that is closed. There is no way for additional moisture to enter there.

If you are getting lots of moisture in your brake lines, then I suggest you quit driving around in the rain with the reservoir cap missing.

There is no way for anyone on this forum to tell you whether brake pads are needed based on milage alone. Are you asking the question because a mechanic told you the pads and other parts are due for replacement?

Maybe, but the manual on my '86 says to replace it every year, and the '93 says to replace it every three years. I might not have to, but I am following the manual anyway.

I dunno, I have drained some old brake fluid that looked pretty nasty.

--scott

Correction: not exactly closed, vented in most cases. Sometimes there is a bladder that gets sucked down as the level drops from pad wear, but often not.

Don www.donsautomotive,com

But it does.