I took my 2007 FEH in for stabilizer link replacement under warranty at 30K miles and while it was there they advised me that I'd probably need to get new front brake pads soon. I laughed out loud. They are always trolling for extra profits.

 

Hi,

Mine is almost 4 years old now, and other than a windshield that spontaneously cracked (that when you find out that the windshield has a shorter warranty than the rest of the car) and brakes that went before they should have because of a stuck calliper (you'd think that would have been detected during the routine service visits, where brake inspection is one of those things you pay them to check), it has run very well. My father changed cars every 2 years throughout my childhood (he was supplier to many car dealers, so got good deals, and everyone needs a hobby), and I have to confess that after 4 years, I an getting the itch (genetic?). I had a bad experience with my Ford dealer (in the last 2 years, I have not been able to get anything other than an oil change without having to visit more than once, despite making the appointment weeks in advance). So the minor itch has become even worse (my dad once had a $1 clip break in the exhaust and we had a new car in the driveway the next week).

My last visit was the last straw. I made an appointment to get an oil change and to have my ABS looked at (bad speed sensor wheel), they diagnosed the problem before noon, and said it would be ready by 5 (1 hour fix, $35 part). I made sure when I dropped it off that morning to remind them that the last time I was there, they messed up and did not finish a simple brake job and that I had to make 2 trips, and I also needed the car that night to drive to another town. I was assured it wold be ready. When I arrived to pick it up, they had not gotten to the ABS yet! They apologized and promised that if I made another appointment for the next week (another week fighting with the ABS to stop the car...) and that they would do it immediately at 7:00am when they opened, so I would not be late for work. I arrived at 6:50 and gave them the keys, and went to the waiting room. I poked my nose out at 9:15, and the car had not moved! A miscommunication with the mechanic... I took my keys and left. I switched dealers, and they did better, although they had to go to the first dealer to find a speed sensor to get it done in one day.

I'll see if the itch gets too bad. I am not excited with the new look of the '09 Escape (might give it closer look though) or the Highlander, so I am thinking about going upscale for an RX450h (a bit too much bling though...). Not too many hybrid AWD SUV options. I was hoping that they would be closer to a plug-in hybrid than they are (AWD SUV version, that is), but maybe I will have to go another generation of the current hybrid technology first...

Cheers,

Roch

 

I think the main reason for the rear drum brakes has more to do with drag. On a disc brake setup, the brakes are always touching (for the most part, however minute) the disc which causes drag. On drums, this is not the case, the wheel is allowed to roll with less resistance.

 

Sorry, that not true at all. That's a myth.

There's enough wobble in any rotor to push the pads back when you release the hydraulic pressure. Like you said, it may only be minute, but they don't touch unless something is WRONG.

 

They do not retract, only relax when pressure is removed. That's why disc brakes squeak when the rotor is warped from the on/off contact. That's why they also have metal clips, etc. to help with vibration sounds caused by the constant contact.

 

Yup. Take the caliper off, hang it up on the spring , pack you bearings or whatever. Try to put the caliper back on and you have to pry the pads apart to slip them over the rotor. There's constant residual pressure on the pads form clips, fluid, etc. that keeps them up riding against the rotor.

 

Better off using a C-clamp to push the pistons back a bit before removing the caliper. If your replacing the pads, you'll need the extra space.

 

NO!

This is a MYTH. This has been discussed elsewhere at length.

True, they don't "Retract" on their own.
True, when you service brakes, you need to push them back.

FALSE They always rub the rotors under normal operating conditions. Normal wobble in the rotor pushes the pads back ( IE the "high spot" ) even if just a few microns. It's not much, and may be invisible to your naked eye, but they are NOT physically touching as you drive down the highway. FACT.

 

Try rotating a wheel with disc brakes compared to drum brakes sometime. If you have runout on the rotor, you'll have some noise to a degree.

 

EXACTLY! GOOD POINT! IN every car I've owned over the years, from a 1977 Buick, several cars in the 80's and 90's, to my newest, 2005 FEH, the front end wheels ALWAYS spin freely when up on jack stands.

If the brakes were applied while parking ( usually ) there may be a scrape, or rub for a few rotations, that quickly GOES AWAY.
Just by spinning it by hand. Now imagine several thousand revs at high speed going down the highway. The pads are pushed back by "wobble" for lack of a better term.

Glad you understand it now. Your view is biased based on your past experience of always looking at your brakes just following a recent application.
No time or enough revs have occured to push the pad back, as occurs while driving.