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car brakes
muninn
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Today, to my horror, I have noticed that my breaks developed a grinding noise while breaking.
I havent noticed any difference in braking itself but the noise.
Now I am thinking that maybe brake pads have worn out. I tried to look and see whats happening but I can only see the rotors, which happen to have some scratches on them.
Now... any idea how much will that cost me, and if I should drive about 20 miles to a mechanic i trust to have them replaced, or if shouldnt risk it anfg go to a nearby one that will rip me off....?
I havent noticed any difference in braking itself but the noise.
Now I am thinking that maybe brake pads have worn out. I tried to look and see whats happening but I can only see the rotors, which happen to have some scratches on them.
Now... any idea how much will that cost me, and if I should drive about 20 miles to a mechanic i trust to have them replaced, or if shouldnt risk it anfg go to a nearby one that will rip me off....?
muninn on
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If it's kind of a metal on metal sound it's probably the pads. Some have a little metal tab that hits the rotor when you need to get the pads replaced, as a nice audible signal to remind you to have them checked.
Slight radial scratches are fine in the rotors, deep gouges would be a problem.
Basically your pads are way beyond use-by-date. So you'll need those replaced. As for the scratches on your rotors, thats fine, they can be machined provided the scratches arent horrific, or they havent worn away too much as well. So yeah : drive a bit slower than normal especially if you're having to brake often, but you'll make it easily to your trusted mechanic which i would recommend, because at least he'll be honest about what needs to be done on your rotors.
20 miles will be fine if you drive responsibly and leave plenty of gap in front of you.
Remember to ring ahead and explain to the mechanic what you need done so you don't leave it there for a day or to while he gets parts.
Really if any of your friends have any basic car knowledge call them up have them come round and show you how to replace your pads, it's really quite easy.
Satans..... hints.....
The noise was pretty apocalyptic, so i just envisioned busted rotors, death and mayhem.
The place one of my friends recommended is near where I work, so I will leave it there for a day. I hope they will have the time/parts, as I wont be able to phone them (leave for work before they open).
The bastards in my vicinity are vicious. One fucker wanted to replace all of my four cataly-whatever because check engine was on, while it was a matter of a buster o2 sensor.... sigh.
Not terribly depending on your car.
Pads are alot cheaper however which is why it makes sense to change the pads once they start to get worn.
Satans..... hints.....
Yeah, that's an important point.
In many cars, Rotors can be as cheap as $20 a rotor. In that case, it would definately be better to just replace them as opposed to getting them turned. Auto manufacturers are making rotors thinner and thinner these days, so turning them might not be an option. If you do, they will warp more easily.
Also, on the wanting to replace your Cat: That's one of thoe more common pieces of extra work they will throw at your car. Good for you for not buying their crap :^:
The squeling noise indicates your pads need to be changed. If you ignored it and kept driving/braking, the warning tabs have now worn. A more "roaring" metal grind will then be heard, as the pad backing plate grinds on your rotors. This will also usually be accompanied by reduction in breaking power, resulting in you having to press the breaks with more force. You must immediately get the pads replaced.
The pad backing plate has steel rivets that may now be damaging your rotors. The mechanic (or you) can easily see if this has happened once the rotors are visible.
Cheapo front pads are usually around $50 (for the set), with more expensive ones being closer to $100. Rotors are actually pretty cheap, about $20-$50 each. Because of the low price, many people replace the rotors rather than having them machined, since machining is usually $10-$20 a piece (unless you're lucky), and their quality deteriorates more rapidly after machining (can warp faster, can rust faster, and material has been stripped off so life isn't extended that much anyway). I'm not sure how much mechanics charge for labor when changing brake pads/rotors (as I've always done it myself), but I'd imagine it'd be around $100 for pads + rotors, or about $60 for just pads.
You should be ok for the 20 miles, assuming there isn't going to be 20 miles of stop and go traffic. As said, leave lots of stopping distance to avoid usage of brakes when possible. Assuming the problem is your front brakes, remember than in ABSOLUTE emergency, you have your emergency brake available. It is cable actuated and uses your REAR brakes. Just remember that it takes a LOT of arm-force to produce stopping from speed with the emergency brake, since its not power assisted. Also, if used in emergency, keep your thumb on the button, otherwise the ratcheting will cause the brakes to lock up, which is extremely dangerous in an already occuring emergency.
Edit: about that rip-off issues you mentioned... yeah, Check Engine light for a bad O2 sensor in the exhaust stream will identify from simple trouble codes as "Catalytic converter inefficiency". This is the SYMPTOM - not neccessarily the cause. Unless the car is very old with lots of miles, the problem is an O2 sensor. However, only a more thorough diagnostic will identify this as the cause (voltage test from the O2 sensors).
Car is in the shop, and hopefullt things arent too bad.
Interesting thing: this morning there was no grinding/roaring noises. Not even squeeling.
My parents SUV cost $160 per rotor. Yeah, so don't be blown away if your Dodge XTra Heavy or whatever some people drive cost a significant amount more.