First: I donated a car to NPR through Car Talk and I feel great! I got a much bigger deduction then anyone was willing to pay me. I also got a tax form after the car sold at auction. In additon I don’t feel lilke such a leech when I listen to CarTalk on NPR now.
Second: I brought my car to a national chain that sells parts and does car repair, for squeaking brakes. On the phone they told me I needed new rotors and pads front and rear as well as emergency brake shoe. When I came by the shop to see the problem, I was told there was still 25 to 30% brake pad left and they didn’t need to be changed by themselves. The rotors were smooth to the touch without gouges or irregularities. There was a slightly raised 1 mm.? lip at the outer rim. The mechanic showed me the discoloration where the pad rubs against the rotor and said that is “glazing” and the reason I need to replace them. I told them I’d be back in ten thousand miles to replace the pads. Was I right or am I a paranoid CARmugeon?
Your instincts were good.
Now, if we can convince you to stop patronizing “national chains” for car maintenance and repair, then we will have really accomplished something very valuable. Find a competent independent mechanic in your area, and you are much more likely to get an honest assessment of your repair needs.
No related issue with you putting off the work but what about the noise?
They probably won’t do a brake job without either resurfacing the disks or replacing them. So if you just want to replace the pads, you might have to do it yourself or find someone else like an independent mechanic to do it.
Don’t go back to Pep Boys for anything but parts. They will try to rip you off every time. Even with parts, you can usually find them cheaper elsewhere, but they do carry some hard to find parts.
You should get a second opinion on your brakes. Sometimes people inspect the pads without removing them, which means they didn’t check every pad. Usually, the inside pad on one side wears first and you won’t see it unless you remove them.
Lastly, glazing is something you might want to pay attention to. It can lessen the effectiveness of your brakes and increase your stopping distance in an emergency.
Many thanks. The squeak reportedly occurs when the car is placed in reverse. It doesn’t bother me though, since it’s my wife’s car 
This morning when she went to show me it was fine! I do use an independent mechanic for substantial repairs but thought I would save a few bucks at the chain for a basic repair.
By the way I don’t know that it actually was glazing or for that matter what glazing is but there was a blueish discoloration which I attributed to heat discoloration of the metal where the pads rub against it. You were right about the chain I guess it’s the only one.