23,000 miles and I need new front brakes?!?!

[scottyb]

My dealer told me yesterday that the front brake pads on my 04GT need to be redone, with the rotors milled. Is this normal for a car with 23,000 miles on it? I bought it with 17,000, not sure about the history before.

Should I just replace the rotors too instead of having them milled down?

[skyhawk62507]

GET A SECOND OPINION. Unless you're hearing chirping or grinding as you drive the car (some noise is normal when the brakes are applied) it's likely your brakes are fine.

Dealers love brake jobs -- it's quick work, but the shop manual pays well on the job. An unscrupulous dealer would replace your brakes at every oil change if they think they could get away with it. A certain Chevy store in Albuquerque, NM once tried to convince my dad he needed new brakes on his recently-purchased C3500 (this was in 1992) at 10,000 miles. My dad replied, if the truck's that damn delicate, they could take it back.

Having said all that... you mention you're unsure of the car's history before you bought it at 17K. If it was driven in the city, it's not surprising it would need brakes at 23K. My '04 is approaching 22,000, and I'm keeping an eye (and ear) on my brakes, as well. I've had it since new, but I know I drive the car hard -- it was my daily commuter for awhile, an hour a day in stop-and-go traffic.

When the time comes, turning the rotors should be fine; they're run-of-the-mill GM steel pieces, and unless you run the pads down to the brackets and groove the rotors, they should support at least one turn, and maybe even two. How much vibration do you feel through the pedal during a normal stop? Unless the car shakes itself to pieces as you come to a stop, they shouldn't be so warped you would need to replace them.

Sorry for the long-winded reply, and good luck!

[scottyb]

Originally posted by skyhawk62507
GET A SECOND OPINION. Unless you're hearing chirping or grinding as you drive the car (some noise is normal when the brakes are applied) it's likely your brakes are fine.

Dealers love brake jobs -- it's quick work, but the shop manual pays well on the job. An unscrupulous dealer would replace your brakes at every oil change if they think they could get away with it. A certain Chevy store in Albuquerque, NM once tried to convince my dad he needed new brakes on his recently-purchased C3500 (this was in 1992) at 10,000 miles. My dad replied, if the truck's that damn delicate, they could take it back.

Having said all that... you mention you're unsure of the car's history before you bought it at 17K. If it was driven in the city, it's not surprising it would need brakes at 23K. My '04 is approaching 22,000, and I'm keeping an eye (and ear) on my brakes, as well. I've had it since new, but I know I drive the car hard -- it was my daily commuter for awhile, an hour a day in stop-and-go traffic.

When the time comes, turning the rotors should be fine; they're run-of-the-mill GM steel pieces, and unless you run the pads down to the brackets and groove the rotors, they should support at least one turn, and maybe even two. How much vibration do you feel through the pedal during a normal stop? Unless the car shakes itself to pieces as you come to a stop, they shouldn't be so warped you would need to replace them.

Sorry for the long-winded reply, and good luck!

Never apologize for such a good detailed answer!

They said the pads were down to 10%. I'm not really suprised that they need to be changed. My wife was in a small fender bender with teh car because she couldn't stop fast enough (dealer had no knowledge of this).

There isn't much vibration, if any, during a stop. I just wanted to be sure that I wasn't going to have to go in for new rotors 6 months after I get the pads done.

Dealer quote was the equivalent of $250USD incl. tax, which seemed high to me.

[AznGA]

I wouldn't go to a dealer for a brake job. You are better off going to a shop like Midas. You still have your warranty. I think brakes are covered till 18,000 miles, but check on that.

My car has 87k miles and I am still on my factory rotors. I got front rotors machined once, and the rear ones have never been touched. I think I replaced front pads twice and rear pads once.

[skyhawk62507]

Originally posted by scottyb

They said the pads were down to 10%. I'm not really suprised that they need to be changed. My wife was in a small fender bender with teh car because she couldn't stop fast enough (dealer had no knowledge of this).

There isn't much vibration, if any, during a stop. I just wanted to be sure that I wasn't going to have to go in for new rotors 6 months after I get the pads done.

Dealer quote was the equivalent of $250USD incl. tax, which seemed high to me. [/B]

Definitely take it to a shop like Midas, Just Brakes, et al for the second opinion -- and if the brakes really are down to 10 percent, they should be able to knock at least $50-$75 off the dealer's quoted price to replace the pads (unless the dealer was also including new rotors in that total, in which case that's actually pretty good.)

It's doubtful the pad depth had an impact -- sorry, bad pun -- in your wife's accident. Brakes pads give their all until they're gone, and at 10 percent you've still got more than enough material to stop the car. Alas, the brakes aren't that great on Grand Ams, IMO. Maybe there's some air or water in the line, though, that might have lessened effectiveness?

[scottyb]

Ok thanks, I will call around and get quotes. The dealer quote didn't include new rotors, just machining down the other ones. I didn't realize that the pad depth didn't affect stopping time, good info to know.

[Old Guy]

Just a thought, but it's really not that hard to change them yourself. You can change the pads and the rotors for alot less than what they quoted you.

[praasch]

i just replaced my front brakes/rotors yesterday with a buddy of mine....$75 for new rotors and ceramic pads and free installation!

[GTLUVA]

Originally posted by scottyb
My dealer told me yesterday that the front brake pads on my 04GT need to be redone, with the rotors milled. Is this normal for a car with 23,000 miles on it? I bought it with 17,000, not sure about the history before.

Should I just replace the rotors too instead of having them milled down?

My rotors were warping at 15,000 miles on my old 03 GT dealer turned them for free for me under my factory warranty no problems after I had them turned;)

[Brandon]

i had to get new pads and rotors turned at 26000 miles.

[scottyb]

Stupid question: do I always need to get the rotors machined (or replaced) when getting new brake pads?

[zaphod617]

Front brakes are really easy... there are two starheaded bolts holding the calaper to the wheel. You probably have to buy the snap-on at a parts store.. By turning the wheel so the front of the tire is facing inside the car, you can get good leverage on a wrench... the rotors are throw ways and aren't more than $50 each.. you take off the calaper and the rotor should be able to be pulled off the hub... sometimes it rusts on to the hub and may need to be helped off.. spread open the calaper put the new pads on and remount the calaper and your done in about an hour an a half. Be sure to wash the oil on the rotor off with brake cleaner before you put everything back together.

[vwps1956]

I've done my front brakes five times, rotors replaced three times,146000 miles. Rears only once, rotors and pads. Average 30000 miles on front pads.

[carlover626]

I just got my front Brakes done at Meineke and it came to $286 Dollars. Though I got NEW rotors and Lifetime Pads.
I would have done this myself, but I don't have any experiance with my brakes and I didn't want to screw anything up, or use the rotors I previously had when I needed new ones. :)