Drum Brakes Only Lasted 30K Miles??

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Sep 18, 2002
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Working on my Daughter in Laws 2010 Civic. Drum brakes on rear. New shoes were installed 30K ago. From my recollection,
rear brake shoes normally last 75-100K (based on my 4Runner experience).

What are the main reasons for premature wear on rear drum brakes? Front pads installed at the same time and they look practicallys
new.
 
Parking brake not fully releasing would do it too. Also if she backs up often downhill, it might ratchet the self adjusters a bit quickly?
 
I asked her if it was possible she could have driven the car with the parking brake on.

Her reply. "Nope. I definitely don't drive with the parking brake on. I only use it in parking situations
with steeper inclines."

Reminder, this is a texting conversation up to this point. I'm gonna wait til we can have a verbal discussion.
I'm confident she doesn't make it a habit to drive with the parking brake on. ;)
 
Most likely low quality no name brand. I got mine several years ago @ AutoZone with lifetime warranty.
 
Point taken. I’m an OEM kinda guy. They were supposed to be Honda pads. I’ll check them out when I start the job. Thanks!
 
Maybe those springs got stuck?

Honda's OEM shoes are expensive and priced individually! All four were $80 a few years ago. They might be $100 now :eek:

Get MK Kashiyama shoes, if you can find them. Part number is K5547. Brembo makes ceramic shoes. Unfortunately, nobody makes pre-assembled shoes for your 2010 Civic.

If you replace the drums, get something coated. Wagner and Powerstop are the best because they are the only ones fully coated inside and out. Some drums are coated on the outside but not the inside where it can freeze to the hub :sneaky:

Rock Auto has the Powerstop drum and shoe kit for under $100 and has all you need, if price is a concern
 
Not sure if it is true of all Honda, but on the 2nd gen CRV I had, you couldn't adjust the rear/parking brake like you would with an older American car or truck...where you turn the adjuster to were the brakes were slightly dragging and then your good to go. No, the Honda required a 'procedure' where you had to adjust the brake to where they were dragging where the wheels would not turn freely and then back off so many clicks (with no dragging)..or something like that (it has been too long). Not sure, but I think you had to make sure the adjustment nut on the brake handle had to be adjust all the way out before you did this procedure...might be thinking of another vehicle...
 
Working on my Daughter in Laws 2010 Civic. Drum brakes on rear. New shoes were installed 30K ago. From my recollection,
rear brake shoes normally last 75-100K (based on my 4Runner experience).

What are the main reasons for premature wear on rear drum brakes? Front pads installed at the same time and they look practicallys
new.
Did you install the shoes ?
if not maybe it was , ah theywill never know they were not changed....
 
The self adjusters aren't working properly and adjusting the rear brakes too much every time she applies the brakes in reverse. Although rare they can over adjust. Improper reassembly after a rear brake job. I also heard that in some cases the self adjust gets put back on the opposite wheel by someone doing both rear brakes at the same time and tossing parts on the bench. That's something I'm not 100% sure of though.
 
How do the front brakes look? Most of the braking should be done by the fronts...but if the rears are doing more than their fair share of the braking...
Look brand new. See first post.
 
I can pull the parking brake up 15 clicks. It’s almost in the high noon position. Me don’t think they be over tightened.

My cars about 5-7 clicks.
 
The man who installed them is a 30 year Honda tech. Surely he knew what he was doing??!
 
Do some vehicles have rear brake bias?

My Jeep Patriot rear drum shoes wear out before the front disc pads, about 25K miles difference. Is it due to rear bias? Or, the rear Akebono shoes are only EE friction rating, so maybe they are "soft" and wear faster? There seems to be almost no rear drum wear.

Soft shoe material or rear bias are my reasons and/or question.
 
How do the front brakes look? Most of the braking should be done by the fronts...but if the rears are doing more than their fair share of the braking...
I've been driving since the 80s, and I worked at an auto parts/service shop back in the early 90s. In those days front brakes almost always wore out before the rears, which seems intuitive. However, I've owned a couple of vehicles in the last ten years in which the rear brakes wore out before the fronts. A BMW salesman told me that under light braking, the proportioning valve directs all the pressure to the rear. Is it possible your daughter-in-law's Honda is setup this way too?
 
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