Rant: Why do brake pad wear indicators always wait until a Sunday?

My rear pads started squealing yesterday morning, a Sunday of course. So I couldn't get to any parts store until this morning. I figured I had maybe a week left on them, but when I pulled the wheel off last night, I had about 2mm of pad material left on the inside pad. The outside looked fine. I guess the caliper slide was sticking a little on that side. Lesson learned - I'm gonna check my pads every oil change from now on instead of just eyeballing them from outside the wheel. Anyone else get burned by uneven wear like this?

2 comments

2 Comments

susan4249d ago

It's always the inside pad that goes first and you never see it until you're grinding metal. I started just pulling the wheels off every spring and fall whether they need it or not. Cheap insurance considering how much rotors cost nowadays. For a sticky slide, I'd hit it with some brake cleaner and a wire brush, then put a thin layer of high-temp grease on the pins. That usually buys you another year or two before it seizes up again.

the_joseph9d ago

You ever had one of those seized pins where you gotta beat the crap out of it with a hammer and a punch just to get it moving again? I keep a tube of that purple Sil-Glyde around specifically for caliper pins, stuff works way better than the regular chassis grease. Also worth checking the rubber boots on the pins too, if they're torn you're just gonna get water and grit in there again no matter how much you clean it. Have you ever tried those stainless steel guide pins? I swapped a set in on my old truck and they never gave me trouble again.