Front Brake Pads After Only 25K ?

Robert11 wrote in news:935fbe4b-b916-4a32-812f- snipped-for-privacy@e15g2000vbt.googlegroups.com:

You may believe so, but you're more than likely applying pressure to the pedal without knowing it.

I'll bet your Buick uses a front/rear dual-circuit split. In that case, the fronts apply pressure before the rears. In a diagonal-split system, it's common with left-foot-brakers for a front, and the opposite rear, to be worn before the other two.

You can always tell the left-foot brakers: Their brake lights are on all the time, or are flickering.

If you left-foot-brake, no.

I know that "riding" the brakes will cause rapid wear, but I also respect that as a senior citizen, you probably know whether or not this is a habit.

You might want to get a second estimate at a GOOD local independent shop. There is nothing magic about a dealership, although I know that many people believe they should get the best service possible there. It isnt necessarily so, and the prices can be much higher than they need to be.

at $450 just for front pads, which takes all of 20 minutes and costs maybe $50 in parts, the only "riding" that's being done is the dealer on your wallet.

find a good independent mechanic and get a second opinion. it may be that calipers are sticking and the brakes are indeed wearing. but you'd notice the increased gas consumption. more likely, they're just trying to rip you off. again, independent second opinion.

could be your rear brakes aren't adjusted properly and your front brakes are doing all of the braking.

$450?!?!?! just for front pads?????? go somewhere else right away before you get bent over any further.

good ceramic pads are $60, Cheap ones are $28..

go to an independent shop. Some places will let you bring in your own parts too.

could be your rear brakes aren't adjusted properly and your front brakes are doing all of the braking.

**********

This used to be a particularly common problem with GM 4 wheel disc brake systems.

There was more than one 4W disc system involved, and at least one of them was a "dog".

Curious if anyone knows what Buick is using on the LaCrosse.

Take it somewhere else to get a second opinion.

Maybe you have a brake problem. Maybe the dealer is trying to rip you off. Maybe you're riding the brakes inadvertently.

A second opinion puts you a little closer toward knowing which of these three is apt to be the case.

--scott

I had to replace the pads on my dad's old Cutlass after only a few months. My understanding was that this model had brakes that were a bit undersized and that was the breaks. Perhaps your GM carries on this tradition of lousy brake life. OTOH, 25K miles doesn't seem that bad to me.

You should shop around and get an estimate if you think $450 is too much. It costs me around $65 and a couple of hours work to change my pads so I think that it is. $300 to $350, including parts would seem about right.

25,000 miles is LOUSY, and $450 or thereabouts is robbery.

Well OK then. You forgot the part where you say how long brake pads should last and what's a reasonable price for a pad replacement.

The price quoted is ridiculous, go somewhere else quickly.

I know you don't think you are riding the brakes, but you should verify this. Have someone follow you and observe the brake lights. I have a good friend who is a left foot braker. It drives me crazy to follow him. The brake lights constantly wink on and off. He swears he isn't touching the brake pedal, but the brake light tell a different tale.

Ed

My ex-wife could wear out a set of brakes in less than 20k. She never used a major highway. Every route involved surface streets and lots of stop signs. She was always speeding up and slowing down (using the brakes). Lucky for her I could change pads in less than an hour. The hardest part was taking off the wheels.

Modern disc brakes making changing the pads so easy it is unbelievable that even a crooked dealer would charge $450 for doing the job. For that sort of money they should replace the pads and rotors and provide a hooker to entertain you while they do the job.

Ed

I had a friend warn me about this once, and on inspection it was the brake light switch that was screwy. But, your point is a good one.

last and what's a reasonable price for a pad replacement.

My brake pads usually last well over 50,000 miles, and of course that may depend on the driving conditions. My wife's car just turned 80,000 miles and the brakes are still fine.

Here in the flatlands of Texas, it isnt so bad. Mountain driving would be, I suspect, worse. I usually do my own brakes, and I normally pay in the range of $50-75 for the parts.. If the discs need machining, that is $35 per axle set.

A local independent - the best in this town - did a set of front brakes for a friend recently and the bill was ca $200. It wasnt a gift, but in his case, he has the reputation of doing things right.

OK then?

80K and $200? Sounds like a good deal to me.

I personally don't like the habit of left foot braking on the street, but whatever, that's not what you asked.

My company car is a Chevy Impala, and I needed new brakes all around after about 50K miles. Warped rotors, pads wore out, etc. My driving is a mix of highway and really miserable NoVA traffic. I also find that this car requires more use of the brakes than any other car I've ever driven save for the Impala that preceded it which drove very similarly (but had less power, as the old 3.4 was a dog while the newer 3.5 is fairly acceptable for the weight of the car.) I attribute this to the "loose" torque converter that essentially lets the car freewheel when you let off the gas, and the fact that GM apparently did a pretty good job of minimizing drivetrain friction and aero drag, the damn thing feels like it will coast forever. (I imagine your LaCrosse is similar.)

So... unless you're doing all city driving, I would say that you should be getting longer brake life; I think I'm probably fairly hard on the brakes on my company Impala. I'd expect at least 50K... (I've never replaced brakes more than once on any other vehicle I've ever owned. I will have to ask my dad, but I bought a new VW GTI back in 2002, drove it for a few years, and sold it to my parents. I don't think it's ever had the brakes replaced! The benefits of driving a stickshift...)

nate

I seriously doubt that any pro shop would replace the pads on a newer GM FWD vehicle without replacing the rotors as well. I just ASSumed that that was included in that price. I wouldn't pay that for just pads, nor would I really want them to not replace the rotors.

nate

If the rotors aren't warped or grooved they don't have to be replaced. Only reason a shops replace serviceable rotors is because the customer let's them get away with it.

25k miles isn't bad for pads if it's mostly city driving. If he can't do it himself he should go to an independent shop that does brakes, where he can hash out with the guy doing the work exactly what's wrong, instead of just listening to what a service writer says.