Premature brake replacement

KARNUT · June 26

I never done that in my life with my about 20 trucks I’ve used for work. Sure I drove lots of HWY miles. My job sites were pipelines or utilities. 90K plus miles was the rule for brake life. Add to that fuel tanks, toolboxes, air compressor, tools and spare parts. If I’m pulling the wheels brakes are going on. Usually I’m getting another truck. New Dude you’re spot on most everything. Pulling the wheels cleaning and lube the brake mechanism. Never had to do it.

Grumpy Bear · June 27

8 hours ago, newdude said:

The OE stuff is what I use, I just always make sure to tear it all down once a year and clean and lube everything. If you do that, most any brakes should last a while.

Every time I rotate tires, I have a look see and lube if needed. Keep those slides free

silveradosid · June 27

the front brakes on these newer trucks are virtually maintenance free with the slide set up they have. the real problem is the rear brakes. i had 58k miles on my truck and the rear brakes were completely done, my 2014 went 120k before replacement. there is a design flaw with these trucks, at 58k the rear inner pad was gone and the out side was still at 50 percent. since replacing all the brakes i have gone 15k and checked the brakes during rotation and the rear brake inner pads are wearing faster than the outers again. there is nothing binding, the slides are free. i have never owned a truck that does this and cannot figure out why

KARNUT · June 27

I just put brakes on my wife’s car at 12 years old and 134K miles. Honda odyssey at 127 miles and 7 years old. According to the maintenance records on my avalanche it’s about the same. This is about average for me. If I paid the dealer or just about any shop to pull the wheels clean and lube the brake parts. That would at least double the cost with my brakes during their life. Not to mention non have ever suggested that service. You know dealers will try to drop any service they can think of on you. I wonder sometimes where people come up with their maintenance tips. If you’re vehicle requires special maintenance it’s time to change brands.

64BAwagon · June 27

We have issues here with rust jacking due to the salt content of our roads. In the past I have pulled the wheels and cleaned the clips and carriers every couple of years in order to keep the pads moving properly and keep the contact between pad and rotor optimized. GM does a better job with rotor coatings these days and I find they last longer than before. Its just part of living in the rust belt.

Gangly · June 27

That's wild! Maybe its because I'm in the south, but I have a tad under 130K miles on my truck and I have 30%+ left on the front and over 50%+ on the rear. I'm guessing the northern areas in the salt belt have substantially more corrosion going on, but I cant imagine having to replace these pads before 150K miles are on the truck. Like you guys, I would be furious if I had to replace the pads before 50K miles.

KARNUT · June 27

53 minutes ago, Gangly said:

That's wild! Maybe its because I'm in the south, but I have a tad under 130K miles on my truck and I have 30%+ left on the front and over 50%+ on the rear. I'm guessing the northern areas in the salt belt have substantially more corrosion going on, but I cant imagine having to replace these pads before 150K miles are on the truck. Like you guys, I would be furious if I had to replace the pads before 50K miles.

I guess mud and sand on pipelines doesn’t affect brakes like snow and ice. I did once a week blast my trucks at a self service car wash before I’d go home for the weekend. I’d hate driving a dirty truck home from the 10 day shift.