Recently I was at the dealership for my scheduled oil change and they told me that my brakes/rotors would have to be replaced soon. I'd have to look at the sheet to see what state they say they are in. My questions are. 1. Does that seem reasonable to have to replace them soon with normal brake use? 2. Are there good sites where I can buy parts and then have them replaced somewhere reputable without the high cost of having them done at the dealership? Frozenrotors.com was recommended to me by someone for good rotors that will last longer than stock ones but I'm not sure which ones to get from the what they have and then I'd also need to get brake pads. I haven't had to buy parts for a car in quite some time so I'm a bit out of the loop when it comes to what is good vs what looks good but is just cheap. Any help would be appreciated
About 22,000 miles. Most of my driving is not in stop and go as I work early and leave early and mainly stick to 494 for my work
This makes no sense for that mileage and how you say you drive. Checking for pad wear is pretty easy on most vehicles (you need to remove the wheels), but a flashlight and maybe a mirror are all that is usually needed. Not to pass judgement on you, or make fun of you, but do you come across as an informed car enthusiast or as someone whose automotive knowledge ends with putting gas in the car? As much as it pains me to say, there are some garages that will take advantage of the ignorant and uninformed car owner. I would have asked the service writer to take me back and have the tech show me the pads - should not be an unreasonable request (and the car should still be in the air with at least one wheel off), especially if you express surprise that they are almost worn out at 22,000 miles. As Cotts said, get a second opinion. If the pads are still good (the rotors will most likely be fine too), I would pay the shop for their time, ask them to put their findings in writing on the receipt, and then confront the first shop. They probably over-torqued the lug nuts too when they put things back together.
It's a fair question to ask. I probably come off as less an enthusiast and more of someone who loves his car even though I'd consider myself to be more on the enthusiast side than the other. It was the dealership (Minnetonka Subaru), and it seemed like it was way too soon to have the work done so I questioned it and moved on for now. I have the tools to take the wheels off and check myself. I've replaced brakes/rotors on other cars before so I don't know why I didn't think to check myself first...if things look fine, I may take it to a shop and have them look too, just to be sure. Thanks for reaffirming my suspicions.
Morries Minnetonka Subaru is considered to be an honest, stand-up shop around here, so this report troubles me a bit...Morries has had an ownership change a couple/few years ago. In my experience most rotors will be able to last as long as two sets of pads before they are down to minimum thickness (I bought a used micrometer off of eBay for more precise measuring to determine if rotors need to be replaced). That being said, I've never had a set of high performance brakes before like what come on an STI. My twice-a-year brake inspection consists of visually determining pad thickness remaining, checking the flexible brake hoses for cracking/damage, looking at the rotor surface for extreme grooving, and inspecting the wiring for the wheel speed sensor. I also check the brake fluid level every time I am under the hood.
Right, they've never done me wrong before. A second opinion and me checking my own car can't hurt either way. Thanks for the help!
