Hello. Was going to change the pads myself but really have no time. I’m bringing them to a repair shop that changes my oil. Anything I should ask or make sure they check/do when the change the front pads to sound like I know what I’m talking about and make sure they do a good job…lol. Or is it just swapping pads…that simple? Thanks
That’s a pretty general question not knowing the last time the breaks were changed and what was done to them at the time.
I would be reluctant to go to an oil change place to get my brakes done, but if you feel comfortable doing this so be it. I would imagine that besides new pads you will need new rotors or at least haven them turned. My preference has always been to purchase new ones because turning rotors is almost as expensive as new ones, but turned rotors have a tendency to warp sooner. If you drive a lot in stop and go traffic, definitely go with new rotors.
They may want to sell you a wheel alignment. I would reject that. Caliper cleaning and those things is for you to decide. Again depends on what the past maintenance record is on past work. Some people believe in doing it and others, including myself, do not, but then I do my own brakes.
Thanks Kurt. See I didn’t even know about that about the rotors. I haven’t changed them since I bought the car brand new. I had them checked about 4 months ago by this shop when they did the oil change and they said they were ok but will probably need changing next time.
Car has 31k miles.
Btw it’s an auto repair shop that does oil changes.
why do you need new brake pads at only 31K miles. Either you drive like a maniac or something/someone is wrong.
I missed typed…34k…I’m stepping on brake and steering wheel is vibrating and it kinda feels like brakes when I step on them but maybe I’m wrong .
Even 34K is low for brakes, but the vibration could be caused by a warped rotor and/or bad pads.
Brakes Kurt Brakes
2 Likes
did I do that again? B R A K E S
1 Like
so I stopped there on the way to train this morning but he said he was too busy today. he did say of I need pads I would probably need rotors as they don’t currently them anymore. do you always need rotors when changing pads?
I’ve done pads myself before are changing the rotors a hard DIY? thanks
Sorry for the typos… cut the rotors is what I meant
As mentioned above, the vibration probably does mean that your front rotors are warped. The mileage you can get on a set of rotors seems to vary a lot, depending on what car is involved and what the driver’s habits are. At your mileage, this is a little early, I guess, but not too unusual. Given a choice, I prefer to have rotors replaced instead of turned because turned rotors (which are then thinner) will usually warp more quickly next time, but if a trusted shop says that turning the rotors will work, I usually give that a shot. To answer your other question, you don’t always need rotors with new pads. If the rotors are still straight and in good shape, then you just replace the pads.
Speaking of trusted shops, can you clarify if this is a quick-lube type of place? If so, I urge to you reconsider and find a real mechanic. Quick-lube shops have a reputation for doing rushed work by undertrained employees with generic parts and for trying to upsell additional work that’s not really needed.
Def not a quick lube… its an auto mechanic shop. so is the changing of rotors a DIY job? how do I tell if they’re warped? thanks
With a runout gauge
You can replace rotors and pads yourself
Do you have a decent assortment of sockets, ratchets, wrenches . . . and most importantly, jackstands and a good jack?
If not, you may want to pay somebody to do it
I do have all the tools and Jack stands… like in said I did pads myself on my last car and it wasnt hard at all… although I watched a video first… lol.
Anyone have video link for rotor and pads for my car…
… I Googled bit other years came up. thanks
Before you spend a bunch of money, first look at the brake fluid level in the master cylinder. It has a plastic reservoir with a min and max on it. If the brake fluid is not close to the min line, you probably have plenty of pad left, unless your mechanic has a habit of topping off the brake fluid at each oil change.
Next, take the car out and get it to about 60 mph and hit the brakes hard, not to the point of lock up but just short of that. When the car is down to about 5 mph, let off the brakes and accelerate back to 60 and repeat. Don’t do this with someone right behind you, it will annoy them.
After two hard 60-5 braking cycles, the vibration or pulsing may disappear. This cleans off your rotors and pads. If the vibration doesn’t go away, then the rotors may be warped.
I disagree with keith’s idea of a pulsating brake pedal being due to deposits, which go away when you apply the brakes at freeway speeds
I turn wrenches for a living, as the regulars know, and I find that when a brake pedal is kicking, it’s because the rotor itself is warped, not deposits
Sorry if I offended anybody, but I’m just speaking from my own experience
Clearly, not everybody has the same experiences
It works for me. I have given this advice many times here and we never hear from the OP again. Maybe if @mstrlucky74 tries this and it works, he will let us know.
Keith/DB…thank you very much.
1 Like
Check the particular parts for your car on line. It seems that your front rotors are nearly 1 inch thick and ventilated. If so they likely can be machined. The price at Auto Zone was over $50 each.
I’ve had EXTREMELY bad experiences with autozone brake pads and rotors