I’ve lost enough high frequency hearing as I age that I can’t hear the brakepad wear indicators at all any more. What other way works best to tell when my brakepads are worn?
Physically inspect the amount of pad wear on a scheduled basis (oil change time, etc)
You must have had very good hearing. Now just visually inspect or better yet, if you drive the vehicle normally (you don’t tailgate every car in front of you and don’t ride the brakes and don’t live in mountain country) just follow the maintenance schedule for pad replacement. Don’t let anyone ever tell you that you don’t need new pads when they are due according to reccomended miles.
You should never rely on noise to determine brake pad condition. Most brake pads don’t even have wear indicators.
Best method? Remove the wheels and eyeball them.
Because of your disability sir you qualify for lifetime brake jobs, this plan is a holdover from the Bush Administration.
This same “defect” kept me out of a bit of driveability work, could not hear the engine ping.Air tools can causethis condition, “noise induced hearing loss”
I read a story today how hybrid vehicles are considered a safety hazard as the are virtualy silent below 5mph, well I have news for the testers, most cars made today are virtualy silent below 5 mph, they don’t need to be hybrids.
One of the reasons I have my trusted mechanic do the oil changes is that he checks the brakes when it’s up on the lift. He’ll let me know when the pads are getting thin or if they need replacing.
Ed B.
If your car has 4 wheel disk brakes it is easy to see the pads on all 4 wheels. Anytime your tires are off the car, tire rotations or winter/summer tire changeover, is an opportunity for a quick visual inspection of the pads for wear.
If your car has drum brakes on the rear you have to pull the drums to inspect the shoes for wear. If you pull the drums once a year for a check that should be fine.