rear brakes not lasting long?

[idosubaru]

picked up this 95 legacy AWD sedan for my grandmother. records from the previous owner say the pads and rotors were replaced at 112,000 and 135,000...and i checked the brakes now at 149,000 (just after getting it) and they are HORRIFIC. there was zero pad left, barely any backing plate left on one set.

 

the caliper slides were completely smooth and felt great. i of course cleaned and greased them, but they were in good condition. fluid was black. but the brakes actually bite and grab excellent, ABS works great (as far as ABS goes you know!?!?).

 

anything else to check?

 

with my grandmother driving like 3,000 miles per year it doesn't really matter all that much but still curious.

[Suzam]

Maybe the previous owner was a brake pedal rider, but that would hit the fronts first I would think?

 

-or-

 

Maybe the 135k brake job was never done?

 

ALTHOUGH.. I CAN'T imagine being bill for work that was never done by the shop!

 

 

I'd just replace and keep and eye on it for now.

[bratman18]

 

 

ALTHOUGH.. I CAN'T imagine being bill for work that was never done by the shop!

 

 

 

Yeah never! I've seen this on more than one occasion! It used to piss me off when someone would bring there car to my friend and I to work on, and they would have just had work done at the dealer....except for the fact that there was no evidence of the work!

[lostinthe202]

Maybe really cheap pads were used. Cheap pads have a way of disappearing in a cloud of dust:grin:

[screwbaru2]

I agree with Suzam and bratman18 that the job was probably never done. I lost count long ago on how often I've seen this happen to people. Some people are so gullible that they accused me of cheating them! That I took out new parts and put in old ones so I could charge them for reinstalling the new parts! One of the many reason I only work on my car and the wifes now. A lot of people just plain suck, and some of them run repair shops.

[nipper]

JOb may never have been fone. Other reasons are bad fron brakes, bad master cylinder. There really is not a lot to go wrong

 

 

nipper

[idosubaru]

JOb may never have been fone.

that's a good possibility. the backing plates were rusted horribly, the pad material was completely gone, and the brake pads just fell out in pieces on removal. hardly anything left. the fronts were in great shape and the braking system works fine, has new rear pads now. needs new rear rotors at some point, they're obviously shredded. strange the caliper slides were perfectly smooth, most need hammer persuasion to get them to swing. oh well, it's fixed now.

[NorthWet]

Parking brake adjustment? Warped rotors? Does sound like somebody didn't do their job, though.

[Snowman]

Sticking calipers perhaps? Or degraded hoses causing the calipers to stick (in light of the nasty fluid)? Doesn't sound too likely, but I'd rule it out.

[subaruplatt]

I had this problem with a VW on the front wheels, and I can't help but mention it.

 

After 2 or 3 break major jobs performed in a seemingly con-current manor. I discovered that the rotor attachment surface was warped. In this case it was the hub. That hub would have cost nothing to replace if it had only been done right away.

 

In short don't always keep looking at the parts that keep failing but rather look at the ones that are closest and have never been replaced.

 

Check the rear wheel hubs for concentricity.

 

Do you use the subaru super low friction break pads?