Q on brakes and rotors

[Jim up north]

Did the tire change thing yesterday. I was told that I would soon have to change both the front and rear rotors and pads ? Now at a 102,000 kms (60,000 miles) Does this seem possible ,the truck is a 2004 F-350 auto , I have always had manuals before, so do automatics use faster? Is there a certain thickness for the rotor that can be measured with a caliper or micrometer? Any input would be nice , for I am looking at a $1000.00 of parts and work.
Jim ,up north

 

[Scot]

I would guess that's a standard statement the shop tells everyone. All they need is a handful of people to say "well as long as I'm here, let's just do them now" to pay the bills. If you're concerned, find a small local shop you can trust to be honest about what you really need. Lots of guys will chime in and say they have over 100K miles on the original brakes. If you're not towing heavy loads without trailer brakes? You are most likely fine. But again, check with another shop or 2 for more opinions.

 

[NASCAR Mike]

Stamped on the inside of the rotor (hub area) there will be a number with a minimum thickness of the rotor.

Take a caliper and measure the thickness of the rotor and compare. If it's more then you are fine. If you are less then it's time to replace the rotor.

Most shops who turn rotors can tell you if the rotor will be the correct thickness after they turn it.

 

[bushpilot]

man learn to do this yourself...pads are about 50 bucks (for the front)
and rotors arent much more...takes 'bout 30min to do pads and rotors
on the front (both sides).

ive got 50k on my truck and the pads are still some of the thickest
ive ever seen.

all depends on how you drive (around town lead foots like me
only know two modes...ALL ON, one pedal or the other throttle
or brake

if you tow youll use more pad...but if its interstate then youll
hardly use the brakes...as they say YMMV (your milage may vary).

as a comparison my 96 f150 (mostly 'round town driving) could
damm near eat front brake pads...i was goin' thru 'em every 11months
at one point (but again im HARD on brakes & it was mostly 'round
town/city driving)...pads for that truck were 18 bucks per side...
and they werent 1/2 as thick as the ones on our current truck.

 

[JimmyDee]

Wow! A $1000 for a brake job. I purchased, what I concider the best of the best rotors and pads from ART and paid $400 for them. Rear pads with a new (rebuilt) caliper was $125. So it looks like I made about $150-$200 an hour for my work. Not bad for an old man that is slow.
Find a book on how to do the job and some tools, (12mm and 18mm socket) and give it a try. There may be someone here that has posted a how to on doing a brake job.
I'm sure the job could be done for a lot less than I paid for my parts. As for the thickness of the rotor and pads, go to AutoZone and ask them. I think they will give an honest answer.
Jim

 

[DaveBen]

You may be due for pads at your mileage. I had to change mine at 65K and all I did was to swap out the pads and clean the rotors. Look for any grooves in the rotor before you go and turn them.

Dave

 

[Nasty]

on original

rear pads at 400,000+...have replaced front at approx 200,000. Next time they will be the CryoSlot that some here have used. Seems they are pretty close to same $ as Ford replacements. My miles are mostly hiway. Check the forums...seems ifn I recall Bama and others have used these.

 

[bushpilot]

i would expect that youd probably wear/replace the rear pads
at least 50-60% LESS than the fronts.

that is to say for every TWO or THREE sets of front pads you would
need to change the rear

 

[JLDickmon]

All they need is a handful of people to say "well as long as I'm here, let's just do them now" to pay the bills. If you're concerned, find a small local shop you can trust to be honest about what you really need.

I almost got irritated at this statement..

sometimes it's just plain stupid to not change something while you have something else apart. Yeah, you save yourself $50 bucks today, but then you spend $150 in six months because you skipped something..

case in point, I had a customer last week, heard a popping noise then a rattle all of a sudden in the front end of a Sable.. busted a spring. Paid me to change one spring, not the strut, and align the front end... said "I'm selling it in less than six weeks".. sure. Last year, when an outer tie rod came apart, he'd put off replacing it for six months because he was "selling the car as soon as he could".. My point? Don't cheap out on your brakes, or your front end. You need rotors? Put pads on it, too. You need a lower ball joint? Put an upper in it, too.

 

[JLDickmon]

Did the tire change thing yesterday. I was told that I would soon have to change both the front and rear rotors and pads ? Now at a 102,000 kms (60,000 miles) Does this seem possible ,the truck is a 2004 F-350 auto , I have always had manuals before, so do automatics use faster? Is there a certain thickness for the rotor that can be measured with a caliper or micrometer? Any input would be nice , for I am looking at a $1000.00 of parts and work.
Jim ,up north

Yeah, that's a legitimate statement. I put brakes on all 4 wheels on mine at about 68,000 miles.. the fronts were gettin pretty thin, and the rear rotors were so blistered they just shaled apart, and I honestly didn't feel like wrecking a set of bits on my brake lathe..