how can I find out whether my car disk brake needs a repair / replacement ?

Question

how can I find out whether my car disk brake needs a repair / replacement ?

Answer 1

Ask to see a new pad, and you will soon realise what he is talking about. The pads are designed to wear away with use, and be replaced when worn down, like tyres.



Defective brakes are dangerous, and so I would take your mechanic's advice.



How long a brake lasts depends on a number of factors including distance covered, speed, your braking style(haevy/light) etc. 24000km does not seem unreasonable disatnce for brakes to last.

Answer 2

Disc brakes cannot be repaired. their life span depends on usage - there is no "use by" date.



Look at the pad on the disc backing - it will usually protrude abour 1/4 of an inch. It can get badly scored or worn at edges - this simply means your pad positions need adjustment, to give even wear.



Hope this helps.

Answer 3

Pads wear away and need to be replaced. Rotors, the round shiny thing that turns with your wheel, can be machined down to a minimum tolerance. After that, they need to be replaced. If there are any deep groves in your rotors, they may need to be replaced as they are only designed to be turned one maybe twice if you are lucky. If your pads are worn almost to the backing or the rivets, they need to be replaced. The rotors should be shiny and pretty smooth.

Answer 4

hey dude it has nothing to do with mileage, year, model and etc...

it depends on your usage.

If you have free time, take the both front tires off, if there is any pad left, that means your fine, see what percentage is gone!

or take it to mechanic shop

Answer 5

If you look at the disc itself, it should be smooth almost like glass, a worn brake pad will scratch and mark the disc and ultimately affect the effectiveness of the brake.

The tip is to never let your pads wear right down, then the disc should last for years.

Answer 6

Just take it to a different garage and have them checked. Ask the mechanic to show and explain the brakes to you.

Answer 7

The pad and disc are disposable parts, they cannot be repaired. If you want to check them yourself you'll nee to get a workshop manual for your car that gives the minimum thicknesses of each part and take them apart and measure them. It's not uncommon for a disc to need replacing at the same time as the pads, but IMO 24000km is not a good life for a set of brakes. However, it depends on your driving style and I guess Chevys are pretty heavy so tend to wear brakes quickly. You could try another garage, but in the end it's probably better to be safe.

Answer 8

brackes last some time but did you here a sqweek if not the brackes are good

Answer 9

Nah dont risk it a unless the guys a fag but my mechaninc is nice, when he says something needs replacing i do it.

Answer 10

There is no magic mileage that brakes go bad. It all depends on how you drive.



Here's a good picture of a worn pad vs a new pad. Credit to c3club.org.



http://c3club.org/builder/img/brakepads/DSCN2834.jpg



The 'disc brake' and the 'pads' are one in the same. They are 'brake pads' for your disc brakes.



It's a good idea to replace the pads when they are worn BEFORE they start to squeal or perform poorly. This prevents you from damaging your rotors. Rotors are generally equivalent in price or more expensive than the pads. Just because you don't notice a problem does not mean that the brakes are fine.



Pic of rotors (new vs damaged- rotor on left is worn and damaged):

http://www.thesaabsite.com/20050709l.Old_and_new.jpg



Credit to the saabsite.com for the pic.



Your brake pads with a lifetime warranty are 35.99 at my local autozone.

Your rotors (EACH) with a 2 year warranty are 34.99 at my local autozone.



Parts for this job would be 71.98 for pads, 141.96 for pads and rotors (minus labor).

Answer 11

He could be.. Just remove the wheels and check for how heavily scored the disks are. Check the width of the pads left. If the disks feel pretty flat (you can also use a dial gauge to check for warp) and if you have plenty of pad left, tell him thanks but no thanks.