WorkingMan Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 I have a subaru outback 2002 limited sedan, the breaks will go bad in as little as 2~3 months, in which time it is babied and not driven very far every day, if at all... why are my breaks going bad so often and why is my wheel shaking before the breaks are replaced for 1600$ a whack, calipers rotors and pads brand new 5 or 6 times in 2 years!!! any advice? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 You are driving with both feet and getting ripped off at the brake shop?? Sounds like the case to me. The brakes are being overheated and thats often a result of someone that rests one foot on the brake pedal all the time. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Going to brake shop, like tuffy or midas, with the free inspections, will always try to sell you on extra stuff. A lot of times they are selling you on rotors and calipers, even if they are not bad(when you can have pads and the discs turned) They mainly try and do this for liability reasons, to ensure a customer does not return too soon with failed parts, or come back and complain and try to get refunds. What is your driving environment? I can understand premature wear if you live in mountains and do delivery driving while towing trailers. Warped rotors are usually the result of overtorqued wheel lugs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skishop69 Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 I agree with you on the shops selling unnecessary parts such as rotors and calipers. However, the most common cause of warped rotors is not overtorquing lug nuts. It is riding the brakes or hard braking. It takes an impact gun set to over 300ftlbs to warp a rotor. You'd have to be pretty incompetent to run a lug nut down that tight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoahDL88 Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 I can't tell you how many times I'd recommend a brake job at the Ford dealer I used to work at and have the customer go to les schwab or some other cut rate repair shop only to come back with a 600 dollar repair bill for calipers rotors and pads and of course a brake wobble. Why replace OEM quality components with dubious quality aftermarket/re manufactured components that your car didn't need in the first place. les schuwab makes their money by up-selling you rotors and calipers on every brake job, 99% of brake jobs don't need calipers and a good 75% won't need anything more than a set of pads and a recut on the rotors. When it comes to brake rotors, unless you are getting the Napa golds I would stick with OEM parts, they really are a cut above the rest, both pads and rotors. les schwab is great for tires, but I wouldn't trust them with my brakes. BTW, our brake job, consisting of a rotor re-turn and a set of pads cost 185-200, and kept OEM parts for OEM feel and quality. Sorry, I side tracked, but I'll echo what GD said, either you or someone else in the car drags their left foot on the brake pedal, or you need to find an honest mechanic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baja Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 leschwab has to charge more because they have to pay there workers more for racing out to your car to greet you i would just get a buddy that knows how to do brakes and have him help you do them your self Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bheinen74 Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 (edited) A stuck or siezing caliper slider pin will also cause the brake pads to hang up and drag cause they cannot slide over when letting off the fat pedal. I would try a different shop next time and make sure they used caliper grease on the stuff recommended. A brake job is not simply removing pads and rotors and replacing them. Its inspecting movement and applying the CORRECT grease where needed, for the pad holders, and the slide pin/pivots. Dont use Midas, or "Just Brakes" for doing your brakes. Most tire shops can be a good source, i have replaced my own brakes, lubricated using correct grease, on all my own cars since 1987. I usually have the rotors resurfaced once, and keep several nos as backups. I find i usually get about 100k miles of driving after my brake jobs.........before the pads are getting to the indicators. I dont ride my brakes and hardly ever do more than ease into my stops. Some people slam there brakes on, and its those drivers that need new breaks every 20k. Not me. Also, I usually 90% of the tims use OEM from the dealer pads, they are much longer lasting than aftermarket, parts store crap that is generic and not engineered for the particular car, weight factors, etc. OEM pads will last 100k. oreillys, autozone, napa, etc those pads will last 50 or less. I like to only spend the money every 100k miles so i pay higher and get the best i can, from the dealer. Edited January 16, 2011 by bheinen74 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 Personally..... I use aftermarket brake stuff a lot. Mostly due to price as the daeler is rediculously expensive. I buy quality aftermarket rotors and pads for half the price and I haven't had any issues. A BIG part of it is proper installation. Proper grease, proper fitment and operational check, proper fluid that's regularly flushed to rid it of water, proper lug-nut torque to avoid warpage, etc, etc The other big part is how you use your brakes. I compression brake, I don't tail-gate, and generally if I touch the brake pedal it's because I have to actually stop the car. The engine regulates my speed well enough that I rarely have to adjust it with the brakes. I think a lot of people were never taught proper driving techniques - stopping distances (so they tail-gate), not using the left foot in an automatic, letting off the gas pedal to slow the vehicle, downshifting, etc. Most people thing slower = brakes - and that's all the thought they put into it. Thus they get raped at the brake/tire shop every so often. Such is the plight of the ignorant. Being a mechanic I will tell them what they *should* do one time. After that if they want me to keep doing brakes I've got no problem taking their money. A fool's dollar (or even a few hundred of them) spends just the same as any other. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skishop69 Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 Right there with ya. My 95 3/4 ton Chev got one brake job after I bought it... 9 years and 40K + miles ago. I used premium Napa pads, turned the rotors and lubed everything. 40K? No big deal you say? The only thing I use the truck for is hauling a load, towing the car trailer or my boat/snowmobiles/Brat and when any one of those three is behind it, 90% of the time the camper is also on it. My point? Same as GD's. I downshift and pay attention to distances. I drive like a madman, ask anyone who's ridden with me and didn't need psychiatric care afterwards, but I keep my foot off the pedal as much as possible. I agree that dealer rotors are the best, but did you know there are only a handful of factories that produce brake pads? Top of the line Napa or Schmucks pads are just as good as factory at 1/2 the price. I work for GM and would never spend the money on their pads. Flip side of that is that I would pay what they want for a fuel pump (in tank). Too many times have I replaced someones pump at work or on the side because they bought aftermarket. There are good parts and bad parts. Unfortunately, you never know what you have until after it's on the car. I've bought both dealer and aftermarket parts that were bad right out of the box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 I know what you mean about the GM fuel pumps Ski - I've replaced two of those in-tank truck pumps.... what a pain! I too heeded all the warnings and convinced those folks to go with a dealer pump over aftermarket. One was already replaced by some shop with an aftermarket - only lasted a little over a year. The benefits of the internet and discussion forums is amazing! More people should look before they leap. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PHATBRAT Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 Yep, you guys are right on, grease the slides, make sure calipers are actually good, make sure your brake lines are not collapsed, make sure fluid is clean and that brakes are bled....Don't buy el cheapo pads as for rotors, I think they are all basically the same, the cast may be different and may be able to withstand more heat but most are the same, you get what you pay for though, remember that and Brakes are one of, if not the most important part of your vehicle so if you equate the value of your family to the off brand's chepest pads then sit back and think about that. I do my own brakes because I trust NO ONE. (and I am cheap) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 I think a lot of people were never taught proper driving techniques - stopping distances (so they tail-gate), not using the left foot in an automatic, letting off the gas pedal to slow the vehicle, downshifting, etc. Most people think slower = brakes - and that's all the thought they put into it. GD Hit the nail squarely on the head with this one, GD - I couldn't agree more! Proper following distance, not waiting until the last second to hit the brakes when approaching a stop sign/light, and just generally paying attention to what is going on in front of/around you (and i mean watching further ahead than just the car directly in front of you) and adjusting your driving speed accordingly will go a long ways toward saving your brakes. If you have the VERY bad habit of riding the brake pedal with the left foot - STOP IT! tie your foot to the seat bracket if you have to, but STOP riding the brake pedal! As already mentioned, making sure the "brake job" is done correctly is another big factor. If the calipers do not slide freely on the pins, they will drag, and wear out the pads faster, and can feasibly cause rotor warping from excessive heat. Doing a "good" brake job isn't all that difficult if you are even remotely mechanically inclined - having a good teacher and/or resources is important so you know what to look for and what to do to correct a problem. And I am with PHATBRAT on this one - I do my own because I also trust no one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocei77 Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 (edited) +1 on riding the brakes. Can't be quiet in regard to oem tho. This will be a never ending debate. There are always cases where one is better than the other. I do my own mechanicals and I use Hawk HPS pads. Better initial bite and the longevity is there. Put ATE super Blue in as fluid and SSlines for a better feel. Edited January 18, 2011 by ocei77 add Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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