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I wonder how many people get scammed into changing all four pads everytime? Well, pads on both axles I mean. Technically you have 8 pads.
The four wheel pad change
- Thread starter The motor guy
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Impossible to say with any certainty.
Though I can say, with certainty, that this thread will quickly turn into your standard shop/dealer bash thread.
Though I can say, with certainty, that this thread will quickly turn into your standard shop/dealer bash thread.
edyvw
$50 site donor 2025
I think that depends on situation.
Some people like everything changed so they are done with it for some time.
Some need change. Some get scammed. Some think shop changed pads, but they didn’t. Etc, etc.
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Never hurts to learn how they can stiff you.
I guess I'm scamming myself as I change all the pads at same time. Not both axles necessarily, but both sides of car get changed with new pads/rotors during a brake job. Front and rear tend to wear out at different times.
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Modern vehicles are spring and brake proportioned differently. Sometimes the breaks wear at the same rate.
My guys don't like to do unnecessary work. I bring my car in for a brake squeak and they call me up and tell me the brakes are fine and have another 10,000 miles left on them. I say, well, it's already in the shop, might as well change the pads. They insist it's not needed and tell me no charge for the inspection. Needless to say, they are a very busy shop.
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Sometimes it's a pain to find the time to bring it in, so I see where you're coming from. Better to change a little early then wait to long and need rotors too.
There used to be a time when good quality pads were so cheap, that it made sense to change them if you had the wheel off for any other reason. Here in the rust belt, it not a bad idea to clean and check the brake pads contact surfaces for rust and binding.
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They're like $60 now. Not sure what they used to be. I think I scored a set of wagner thermo quiets for like $35 once, but they squeaked the entire time they were on there. They were anything but quiet lol
I don't know. I made a judgement call, if they would last until the next service before steel on steel, as I got chewed out if they didn't. 8 pads needing changing at a time was rare but it did happen. Always did both sides of an axle though, they bought 4 pads anyway.
Way back when Midas started expanding beyond exhaust systems, they were the big offenders, at offering two axle brake jobs. It has been decades since I have seen any shop advertise for two axle brake jobs. Do shops in your area still advertise this?
In my experience, the rears last a long time. Hopefully people that do not do their own brake services find and stay with a trusted mechanic. There are 2 shops near me that, while not cheap, I have learned to trust completey.
Hard to say. I do my own brakes so far and have for 47 years. With todays vehicle and all their nannies especially in the sophisticated brake systems I've found brake wear to be more even front and rear and sometimes more on the rear pads. I the old days front brake pads always seemed to have much more wear.
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new vehicles are totally different that even cars from ten years ago. they are all computer controlled now, some even the booster is electric. many employ a rear bias braking design that transfers to the front based on the amount of pressure you apply to the pedal. the electric ones can apply pressure to individual tires to correct a slide with no input from the driver.
