Monday, October 24, 2011

How long should brake pads last on a Pontiac Sunfire?

My front brake pads were replaced about 30,000 miles ago. I took my car in for an oil change and basic inspection at an auto shop, and they said that the front pads are 80% worn, and the rotors are grooved, and the front pads and rotors all need to be replaced. They are estimating $250 total for this repair. This seems too soon for them to be so worn since I do mostly highway driving and I'm light on the brakes. The brake pads are not making any noise yet. If the pads and rotors are indeed this damaged, shouldn't my brakes be making an awful noise?How long should brake pads last on a Pontiac Sunfire?30,000 miles is excellent for a front wheel drive car. My best advice is to have another shop take a look and give you an estimate. If you aren't feeling anything wrong with the brakes it doesn't mean the pads can't be worn. But you may not need to buy new rotors.How long should brake pads last on a Pontiac Sunfire?minumum 1 yearHow long should brake pads last on a Pontiac Sunfire?I have a Sunfire too and mine lasted a lot longer...I highly recommend getting a second opinion. I did and it turned out that what one mechanic told me didn't need to be done. Saved me a lot of money.How long should brake pads last on a Pontiac Sunfire?Noise isn't usual until damage has been done.

It does seem a little short on mileage, but it depends on the quality of the last pads installed. If you had a %26quot;budget%26quot; or %26quot;Special%26quot; brake service, they may indeed be due.

Locate a quality ASE Certified shop and ask for an inspection and estimate. You may be charged, but they may waive the cost of the inspection if you contract with the shop for work.How long should brake pads last on a Pontiac Sunfire?You state your brake pads were replaced 30k ago, my question is did they also replaced the brake rotors? If they did not than you may indeed need to replaced both the brake pads and rotors after 30k miles. It also depends on what type of brakes parts they installed and how many miles are on the rest of the brake parts. You will also use up your front pads if your rear brakes are not adjusted right.How long should brake pads last on a Pontiac Sunfire?Depend only on YOUR driving habits. But 30,000 miles is pretty close. They will not make noise if sensors are not touching yet. $ 250.00 is damn cheap for rotors, pads and labor.How long should brake pads last on a Pontiac Sunfire?First of all your brake pads on front will wear out about 3-4 times as fast.



Now 30K doesn't sound the worst, - it depends on how much you use the brakes, and how fast you try to stop! Mine last a whole lot longer, but I let friction and air perssure slow down the car a lot before I apply brakes, and I also use the gears on (my) std. trans car. My wifes is an automatic, and she gets even better miles on hers, because she doesn't push her car as hard as I do mine , and she usually drives like she has all day to go places! She drives with traffic ok,- but maintains about 8 car lengths between her and others, so she uses brakes very sparingly!



$250 sounds pretty steep, -- I think %26quot;Brake Check%26quot; advertises $59.95 per axle (extra parts on top of course). An %26quot;axle%26quot; is both wheels on one end!



Have any mechanical aptitude? Learn how to do them yourself! The pads cost from about $18 - $30 depending on what kind of %26quot;brake performance%26quot; you are looking for. Obviously the %26quot;high performance%26quot; ones are going to cost a lot more! In normal use they usually last a whole lot longer, - because you don't really need these %26quot;heavy duty%26quot; brakes for normal driving! As far as the %26quot;groves%26quot; go, - if they aren't causing any propblems now, - they won't cause any problems later! This means that they just aren't %26quot;like new%26quot;. If the brakes don't %26quot;chatter%26quot; or %26quot;pulsate%26quot; the brake pedal - I woudln't worry about it! The new pads will wear a little faster till they are %26quot;seated%26quot; in a %26quot;wear pattern%26quot;, - after which they will wear

at normal rate! --- Acutally if you think about it, the area of braking contact on pads is slightly increased, - (crumple a piece of paper and see how much less area it covers) it still has the same outside area as before! So if you could smooth the disk out, it would be bigger in diameter (or larger braking area)!



You can probably put new pads on in an hour or less! This of course depends on whether you have worn them down till the backing pads are grinding on disks! If all the parts are good otherwise, I can probably put them on in a half hour or less!

Go to an %26quot;AutoZone type%26quot; store and buy a %26quot;Haynes Auto Repair Manual%26quot;, and it has all the information on how to do the job. This will cost you less than $20. It is a complerte maintainance manual, and shows you how to do just about anything on car,-- if you want to do it yourself!How long should brake pads last on a Pontiac Sunfire?Your brake pads should have what is called a wear indicator, which is a clip that is attached to the brake pad, which upon wear, comes into contact with the rotor, making a loud, screeching noise. This noise is an indication that the pads need to be replaced. With this said, the wear of the brake pads can fluctuate, depending on several factors: 1) Your driving style. Alot of heavy braking can cause premature wear of the pads. 2) the type of material that your brake pads are made of. Organic pads tend to wear faster, where semi-metallic pads create fast stopping, but wear quickly, tend to damage the rotors over the course of time, and emit a black dust that you will quickly notice on your front wheels. Ceramic pads offer the best of both worlds, they are %26quot;quiet%26quot; and have little dust, and cause less wear to the rotors. I agree, with an earlier response, I would take the car to a reputable mechanic, and have them inspected. Many dealerships and service centers offer a free brake inspection, I would also ask to be present when the inspection is conducted. If they will not allow you to watch and ask questions, politely leave and don't look back. If they do welcome your presence and questions, look for excessive dust, and determine if the wear indicator clip, at the bottom, is even with the friction material on the brake pad. (Note: the caliper in which the pads are installed may be rusted and dirty. This is common, and in no way affects your quality of braking) Most mechanics are honest, but a few assume that you don't know the difference and are looking to sell you a set of pads, at a high labor rate. Being informed is the best savings and safety option that you can take with you when having work performed on your vehicle. I wish you the best.

No comments:

Post a Comment