brake question. Does this seem right?

Question

My mom owns a 1993 buick regal.  The car seems to need brakes every year.  She drives the car less than 5000 miles per year but she does drive it about every other day.  (she lives in an area where everything is very close)  My husband keeps saying they are going because she does not drive enough and that just does not make sense to me because it doesn't sit for more than a day at a time.  We just replaced her rotors & pads (by we I mean my husband, lol) last year and now they are completely shot again.  Could something be causing this or does it sound correct.  

I have a newer car and I have not needed to replace my rotors yet.  Just pads about every other year.  I can't see how she is going through brakes like this.  I am thinking that it might be this car as she never had this problem with any other car she owned.  

Thanks for any input

jetfan2 · Accepted Answer

Does it have a frozen caliper?  Check to make sure the floating caliper pins are properly lubed.  If the pads a wearing out evenly on both wheels it could be possible that she is resting her left foot on the brake pedal while driving.  If the problem is the rear, is the parking brake not being released all the way?  Is the cable properly adjusted.  I agree once a year is too much.  I bought a new 2002 Impala LS and after the second oil change (6,000 miles)  I had chevrolet tell me my brakes were almost gone.  I went home and checked myself and found that the slider (floating pins) pins were not lubed and that the inside brake pad was almost gone.  Despite the chirp-er feature put on brake pads, a lot of the time it will be the inside pad to wear out more, that is the side where the piston pushes from.  Hope this information helps.

Iknowthisone · Answer

No that does not sound right. Brakes typically last much longer than 5000 miles. I recommend you have it checked out by another shop the next time and specifically tell them your concern and have them check the brake calipers to make sure that they are not binding or the brake hardware like the caliper pins and slides are binding and causing the brake pads to wear prematurely as this can cause the pads to wear abnormally fast but that is usually accompanied by a pulling condition. Bottom line I would get another opinion about this perhaps by a GM dealer or a specialty brake shop.

ALAN B · Answer

Mom is keeping her foot on the brake pedal, even if it is very lightly, whilst driving. Tell her to take her foot off the pedal when moving normally. I have a friend who keeps her foot on the clutch pedal ( UK - we still have manual gear change - heaven knows why), and she goes through clutches with great frequency - for the same reason as Mom with her brakes.

Anonymous · Answer

hi cheyenne! it seems like she is hard on the brakes or she does a lot of starting and stopping. also maybe the calipers are making the pads drag on the rotors.

Larry E · Answer

She is riding the brakes or is breaking hard at the last minute when stopping. She is doing something wrong to wear them out that fast.

spawn · Answer

Does she "ride" the brakes? I knew someone that had the same problem, he always kept his foot slightly on the brake at all times.

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brake question. Does this seem right?

6 Answers