GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

I replaced my first set of break pads in sept of 2004 it is now nov 2005 and from the sound of things i need new pads again. Is this normal? I mean shouldn't pads last longer then a year i am driving about 12,000 miles per year. by other line of thinking was that my rotors are bad. any ideas?

I had 70,00 miles on my front pads and they still had some meat left You should get a lot more than 12,000 miles out of a set of pads unless you do 100% city driving and race from red light to red light.

Sounds like something fishy there.... I've got 82,000 kilometers on mine, and though I haven't actually checked they seem to be going strong still.

ok so i changed my break pads the drivers side inner pad was worn off. I am wondering what causes this uneven ware. Last time i changed them the inner pad on the passenger side was the same way.any ideas

Hey Russ,I seriously have no clue when it relates to most car parts but I had an issue a while ago about clicking in the brakes. Me and my neighbor noticed the inner pad/pressure plate thing was loose. Not a lot but possibly enough to prevent it from pressing the pads evenly on the rotor. Bled that side brake system, fixed the looseness and the car seemed to stop much better. Don't have any clue if this could be an issue with you but maybe the pads, when the brakes are applied, aren't sliding evenly on the sliders. You can see them on the back brakes. Maybe it's binding up causing the pad to press harder to one side. Also, as with my issue, maybe you should have the brakes bled to make sure there is even pressure throughout the system.Had all 4 corners bled a few weeks ago. The tech said that my issue shouldn't have happened and in fact, he still didn't believe the issue or the solution. Yet, after he bled all 4 (I wanted a pro to do it since I on;y did the one side), I almost locked up the brakes leaving the place because they became much more sensitive.It's just an educated guess at a possible solution. Maybe it'll work.Dave

David, what do you mean, clicking in the brakes? Noticable every stop? Uneven wear 90% of the time is the slider spacers or bolts not allowing the caliper to slide. The most common cause is the bolts/sliders are corroded of lack of proper grease. Bolts are often inexpensive at the auto parts store. less than $10 per caliper. Take a magnet with you when buying new ones. A magnet won't stick to stainless bolts. I got stainless bolts and slider spacers fo the last car. Then I sold it. This caliper design is old and inexpensive...the one operational flaw is sticking of the caliper as described above.

jason,my noise was basically one side of the brakes not pressing the same as the other side causing the one brake pad to be loose when the other was firm against the rotor. It's similar to the sound you'd hear when braking/changing directions.... that first click when the brake pads shift.i was getting that type of click on a light braking, or as trying to stop, when the brake pedal was lightly pressed before being pressed harder. it was fairly consistent in it's occurance though sometimes it wouldn't.I had also mentioned the slider issue. I honestly thought that was my issue as well but it wasn't.Dave

It's way to often to replace pads... something isn't working correctly.My best suggestion would be to have a mechanic rebuild the calipers while replacing the pads. This will include new o-rings, resurfacing the inside of the piston housing (removing any uneven wear spots), new sliders and bushings. It's not as expensive as it sounds and doesn't take too long.Also have the rotors resurfaced to ensure your pads are hitting fresh metal.

these calipers have shims. Which reduce squeel and help the pads sit properly. If someone other thanyou did the brakes A shim may be missing.

You may want to check out your rear brakes, they may need adjusted, if they are not correctly adjusted, you may be stopping only using the front brakes and they will wear down faster that way.

Quote, originally posted by Mr. Poopypants »You may want to check out your rear brakes, they may need adjusted, if they are not correctly adjusted, you may be stopping only using the front brakes and they will wear down faster that way.Bingo! And brake wear depends on driving styles...

I have all the shims, I will check the rear brakes maybe if i get time this weekend.

Yup and make sure when you pull the drums off your wheel cylinders are not leaking. If so they will need to be replaced and that would be why the rears are not working. I am not saying yours ARE bad hopefully the cylinders are good still and the shoes just need adjusting but as they age they do leak and stop working. Clean everything with brake clean and really inspect! I have not adjusted mine yet at 27,000 but I really need to look at them and the serv manual procedure states if the drum does not come off to adjust the parking park down to get it off. Beware of this... Good luck!