Service Brake Pad Monitor?

Cabin Fever · December 18, 2022

I have a 2020 Silverado Trail Boss with 34,500 miles. I recently got a message that said, "Service Brake Pad Monitor". I did a quick search, and it sounds like these have been known to go bad. I periodically scroll through the screens and the last time was about a month ago and it said my brake pads were ~70% for all. When I called the local dealership, the first thing he said was, "Yeah, it probably needs brake pads." I told him I doubted it with 34K miles and my last check, but set up an appt to have the brake pad monitor checked out. The dealership called me to inform me that it needed pads and rotors in the back and pads on the front!? I was shocked and honestly in disbelief!! There was never any pad squealing or rubbing, like the pads were worn down. The 34k miles I have on the truck are mainly highway. The ONLY reason I took it to the dealership service dept was thinking if there was an issue with the monitor that it would be covered under warranty. $1200 later and I think I got screwed!?!?

Does this sound legit? Do the brake pads and rotors really go with 34K miles on the trucks??

SteveP45 · December 18, 2022

Something does not sound right. I would be shocked as well.

It is the front wheel rotors and brake pads which normally incur the majority of the load and wear. Who knows though, maybe a software engineer has tinkered with the braking system software to apply more to the rear tires now.

My 2019 Silverado Crew Cab Z71 just turned 50K and it still has the original brake pads and the oem Goodyear wrangler tires. My brake pad life still shows well over 50% life remaining. Actually it is at 60% for the front and 75% for the rear. I scroll through the screens each time I refuel to reset the trip odometers and to check the transmission fluid temp, etc.

My Chevy dealership has been great as far as the service goes.

They do the multipoint inspection whenever I have them do an oil change and or tire rotation and never once have they even tried to sell me a brake job. I asked them to check the alignment once and do an alignment if it needed and they said the alignment was fine and it did not need one.

However, I will wait at the dealership while it is being serviced and have no hesitation to ask them to show me if something needs to be done or replaced and I also like to see the old parts they replaced.

This should be true for any repair shop be it a dealer or 3rd party service. They should allow the customer to interface with the service technicians doing the repair, not just the service rep which makes the appointment and checks in your vehicle and gives it back to you when it is done.

Not all GM or Chevrolet dealers are the same. You might want to seek out another dealership.

The one I use is 35 minutes away each direction in another town and county because I refuse to do business with the Chevrolet dealer only 15 minutes from me.

Changing air filters and cabin air filters is about the only thing a customer can do on their own now (as well as filling the windshield washer fluid). If the weather is nice in the Spring, Summer or Fall, I may do a few of oil and oil filter changes myself... just for the satisfaction of being able to do it as long as I am able to do so.

Cabin Fever · December 19, 2022

I didn't have a good feeling as soon as I called to tell him about the "Service Brake Pad Monitor" message and the first thing out of his mouth was, "Sounds like you need new brake pads". I told him I couldn't imagine that was the problem and why! After they did the repair, I thought about asking him to see the brake pads and rotors, but in all honesty, I have no clue about them and they could have shown me worn parts from another vehicle and I wouldn't have known. I've haven't been to this dealership in 25+ years, because I thought they weren't trustworthy then, but I recently moved and I'm right down the road and I hoped they had changed. I feel like they really screwed me! IF the brake pads and rotors were actually that worn after 34K miles, that doesn't fair well for Chevrolet reliability! I'm not going through this every 34K miles. This is the first Chevrolet I've owned in the past 25 years and I'm regretting giving them another chance.

SteveP45 · December 19, 2022

I probably should have gone into more detail. As far as brake pads and rotors go, I tell tell them I want to see them while they are still mounted on the vehicle.

A good mechanic/technician will have no problem showing the customer the rotor and pads which are visible as soon as the tire is removed.

A great mechanic/technician will also have the new part, be it the brake pad, the brake caliper and or rotor there to show the customer the difference between their old “bad” part and the new replacement part(s).

The best and worst advertisement any business can have is word of mouth and good and reputable businesses realize it.

The dealership I utilize is very customer oriented. They do not want you to leave unless you can essentially rate them 10 out of 10 (10 being the best).

It took them several service visits to resolve my most recent problem and they did not want to throw parts at it and hope it fixed the problem. So I was not charged the diagnostic fee until they were sure they identified the cause.

They have several levels of technicians… those which do the oil and fluid changes and tire rotations and the more experienced and highly trained ones which need to diagnose a problem and ascertain a remedy. The higher level staff are usually booked up a week or two out, whereas you can get an oil change or a tire rotation done on a days’ notice.

Also if you suspect the mechanic/technician is on commission basis, find another dealer or service shop.

The key is the customer rep which books the appointment and checks your vehicle in when you arrive. It is not their business to diagnose over the phone or even in person. They need to leave the diagnostics to the techs.

GMCustomerService · December 23, 2022

On 12/18/2022 at 5:44 PM, Cabin Fever said:

I have a 2020 Silverado Trail Boss with 34,500 miles. I recently got a message that said, "Service Brake Pad Monitor". I did a quick search, and it sounds like these have been known to go bad. I periodically scroll through the screens and the last time was about a month ago and it said my brake pads were ~70% for all. When I called the local dealership, the first thing he said was, "Yeah, it probably needs brake pads." I told him I doubted it with 34K miles and my last check, but set up an appt to have the brake pad monitor checked out. The dealership called me to inform me that it needed pads and rotors in the back and pads on the front!? I was shocked and honestly in disbelief!! There was never any pad squealing or rubbing, like the pads were worn down. The 34k miles I have on the truck are mainly highway. The ONLY reason I took it to the dealership service dept was thinking if there was an issue with the monitor that it would be covered under warranty. $1200 later and I think I got screwed!?!?

Does this sound legit? Do the brake pads and rotors really go with 34K miles on the trucks??

This is certainly not what we like to hear, SteveP45. Please know, customer satisfaction is extremely important to us. Our team would be more than happy to take a closer look into the concerns with your 2020 Chevrolet Silverado Trail Boss. To do so, please send an email to [email protected] with ATTN: SteveP45/GM Trucks in the subject line.

Please include your contact information, VIN, a brief description of your concern, and the name of your preferred dealership. We look forward to hearing from you. To learn more about GM’s Privacy Policy, please visit https://www.gm.com/privacy-statement.html. The information you provide may be monitored and recorded and is subject to the GM Privacy Statement.

Privacy Statement | General Motors
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www.gm.com

Cabin Fever · December 25, 2022

On 12/23/2022 at 10:27 AM, GMCustomerService said:

This is certainly not what we like to hear, SteveP45. Please know, customer satisfaction is extremely important to us. Our team would be more than happy to take a closer look into the concerns with your 2020 Chevrolet Silverado Trail Boss. To do so, please send an email to [email protected] with ATTN: SteveP45/GM Trucks in the subject line.

Please include your contact information, VIN, a brief description of your concern, and the name of your preferred dealership. We look forward to hearing from you. To learn more about GM’s Privacy Policy, please visit https://www.gm.com/privacy-statement.html. The information you provide may be monitored and recorded and is subject to the GM Privacy Statement.

Privacy Statement | General Motors
Your privacy is important to General Motors. This Privacy Statement addresses the personal information GM collects and how GM handles that personal information.
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Who is SteveP45? Is this directed to me?

SteveP45 · December 25, 2022

SteveP45 is me.

I think GM Customer Service messed up and thought I was the one who posted the problem with the brake pad monitor. They had requested the same info for one of my problems a few weeks ago. It may be an AI (Artificial Intelligence) BOT searching the forums for customer problems and then generating the post to you

You should respond to the indicated email address via your email client, but change SteveP45 to your GMTrucks forum user name of Cabin Fever and supply them with the information they requested. It is GM Customer Service who is reaching out.

It may take them a day to respond.

I know it is legit because they reached out to me when I posted a problem with my 2019 Silverado Z71. I was getting false service parking brake and false service ESC and a other false gremlin malfunction indicator lamps (MIL) on my dash. Also my OEM key fobs would not remote start the vehicle and would set off the anti theft when I tried to remote start via the key fob. The problem was difficult because no codes were being generated or stored.

It took 3 trips to my preferred dealer, but the problem finally got resolved when they determined the hood latch was faulty and needed to be replaced. Even though the vehicle was not quite 3 years old, it was out of warranty (it had slightly over 50k) so I had to pay for the faulty hood latch.

Hope this helps clear the confusion

Edited December 25, 2022 by SteveP45

silveradosid · December 25, 2022

i wish all dealerships would adopt the procedure the dealership i use, when they have my truck they take pictures and send them to me. i dont know if they do this because they know i am a mechanic but it is great to see the evidence first

Cabin Fever · January 1, 2023

As a follow up, I submitted a claim/complaint to customer service. As expected, they were worthless and it sounded like a canned response. I didn't ask them to pay for the repair. I just told them the quality of their parts must suck OR the dealership was being deceitful telling me I needed new front and back pads and rotors at 34k miles. That's OK, I unloaded this money pit earlier this week... Live and learn!

From Chevrolet Customer No Service:

Thank you for contacting CHEVROLET Customer Assistance regarding your 2020 CHEVROLET SILVERADO.

We understand that you do not feel replacement of this particular component should be your responsibility but Chevrolet considers it to be a regular maintenance item and not covered by our manufacturer’s warranty. There are many components in which CHEVROLET considers replacement to be normal maintenance of a vehicle. Examples would be windshield wiper blades, head or tail lamps, tire replacement caused by normal wear and brake pad or brake rotors. Keep in mind these are just a few examples. We encourage all customers to review the owner’s manual and warranty booklet included with a new vehicle purchase. GM cannot participate in the repair costs.

I apologize we were unable to honor your request. Chevrolet Customer Assistance looks at each situation individually and is unable to provide assistance at this time.

Chevrolet Customer Assistance

Pyrojodge · January 17, 2023

Yep, Going through this right now. Living in the Northern US we get salt and rust. What I was explained by the tech. There is a pocket that the sensor sits, and it gets worn out and the sensor can drag on the rotor and wear it out unevenly. This is definitely an engineering defect. I have 80% pads but to fix the system error I have to replace the pads and rotors and sensor on the rear of my truck. It's a 2019 High Country with 64k miles. Funny that it's 4k miles out of warranty. I had actually been complaining about the squeal in the brakes for over a year and they explained then that it was just how the sensor was hitting the rotor. Now I'm look at a $1000 repair bill with brakes that are 20% used... GM this is your F*** up. It's definitely a money trap for any GM vehicle with these sensors and my dealer stated they've seen more and more of these with the vehicles in the past 2 years...

GMCustomerService · January 20, 2023

On 1/17/2023 at 9:36 AM, Pyrojodge said:

Yep, Going through this right now. Living in the Northern US we get salt and rust. What I was explained by the tech. There is a pocket that the sensor sits, and it gets worn out and the sensor can drag on the rotor and wear it out unevenly. This is definitely an engineering defect. I have 80% pads but to fix the system error I have to replace the pads and rotors and sensor on the rear of my truck. It's a 2019 High Country with 64k miles. Funny that it's 4k miles out of warranty. I had actually been complaining about the squeal in the brakes for over a year and they explained then that it was just how the sensor was hitting the rotor. Now I'm look at a $1000 repair bill with brakes that are 20% used... GM this is your F*** up. It's definitely a money trap for any GM vehicle with these sensors and my dealer stated they've seen more and more of these with the vehicles in the past 2 years...

This is certainly not what we like to hear, Pyrojodge. Please know, customer satisfaction is extremely important to us. Our team would be more than happy to take a closer look into the concerns with your 2019 High Country. To do so, please send an email to [email protected] with ATTN: Pyrojodge/GM Trucks in the subject line.

Please include your contact information, VIN, a brief description of your concern, and the name of your preferred dealership. We look forward to hearing from you. To learn more about GM’s Privacy Policy, please visit https://www.gm.com/privacy-statement.html. The information you provide may be monitored and recorded and is subject to the GM Privacy Statement.

Privacy Statement | General Motors
Your privacy is important to General Motors. This Privacy Statement addresses the personal information GM collects and how GM handles that personal information.
www.gm.com

Pyrojodge · January 24, 2023

On 1/20/2023 at 9:42 AM, GMCustomerService said:

This is certainly not what we like to hear, Pyrojodge. Please know, customer satisfaction is extremely important to us. Our team would be more than happy to take a closer look into the concerns with your 2019 High Country. To do so, please send an email to [email protected] with ATTN: Pyrojodge/GM Trucks in the subject line.

Please include your contact information, VIN, a brief description of your concern, and the name of your preferred dealership. We look forward to hearing from you. To learn more about GM’s Privacy Policy, please visit https://www.gm.com/privacy-statement.html. The information you provide may be monitored and recorded and is subject to the GM Privacy Statement.

Privacy Statement | General Motors
Your privacy is important to General Motors. This Privacy Statement addresses the personal information GM collects and how GM handles that personal information.
www.gm.com