6605stang

So I'm reaching out to you folks to see if what my sister was told this morning is BS.

She noticed a bit of a "worrble" in the brakes when applied in her 07 V6 with 35k miles and asked a local stealership to check it out when they changed the oil. They told her that her rear brake pads are toast.

I guess it just floored me that the rears would be gone before the fronts are even close to gone and at 35k miles?! I just replaced the pads on my 05 GT all the way around out of routine (and I drive the crap out of that thing) and I was surprised to see that they were virtually new yet... at 55k!

My contention is that if the rears are gone SO early before the fronts, and at 35K, isn't something else wrong that should be addressed warranty-wise? I don't know like brake bias, or something with the calipers?

What do you all think?

157dB

cHECK THE PARKING BRAKE.
tHEY SOMETIMES DONT RELEASE FULLY BACK THERE ON THE CALIPERS.
Forkin caps lock...

The fronts should be toast well before the rears.
Has she ever had the fronts replaced?

I would be looking for binding calipers on the rear.
Brakes dont warble when they reach the metal to metal stage.
If the rear pads are toast, then the rear rotors would be in the
same condition, toast.
You gots something wrong there....

Ken04

I think you think what I thought, that the fronts should go way before the front. But things have changed in the past few years with ABS and traction control. Detroit designs into the software/hardware now for the back brakes to engage a little sooner to keep the front end from diving so much to allow the ABS to work better. This is what I was told by an independent mechanic after the brakes on my daughters 2006 Cadillac SLS were worn at 30K miles. I pulled the pads out and indeed, they were within 5% of their original thickness. I replaced them with semi ceramic pads to give her a little extra life. The organic pads the manufacturers use now are good for maybe 20-30K miles. And they cover everything with black dust. I don't know if the S197 uses the brakes to control traction control also, but the Cadillac does, so that may be an issue also. But to answer your question; no, it's not unusual for the rear pads to wear out first, and at only 25-35K miles.

Norm Peterson

Traction control applies the rear brakes when it is triggered.


Norm

tx_zstang

Well not all V6's have ABS, much less traction control.
If indeed the rears are worn, I agree that would usually indicate a parking brake issue or caliper binding issue. You should be able to see through the wheels if the pads are indeed worn down.
Also if she does a lot of stop and go driving and drives like my daughters (heavy on the gas, then hard on the brakes at the last minute), then it's possible the pads are worn down. But the fronts should be worn quite a bit, too.
I know on my V6, both are worn roughly evenly after 40k miles, with still about half life left.

Mr. Ugly

The wobble might be the ABS engaging. Maybe she is braking really hard.

157dB

Yea, does she have ABS and/or traction control?
That makes a big difference with the over the internet diagnose.
Maybe she is a brake rider or does not fully disengage the parking brake.
Or the parking brake froze up like the TSB might suggest and burned
them up and warped the rotors. Does she know when a parking brake is
hung or would she continue on driving until the rears were red roasting hot?

Derf00

maybe she just drives around with the e-brake on all the time and doesn't realize it....

Mr. Ugly

Yah, I was thinking that too.

6605stang

Thanks for all the good replies folks. She went and paid the local dealer $375 to do the rears without asking me anyway... makes a big deal out of it, then when I call out the hounds to figure it out, she just forks over whatever the dealer says. Typical.

Anyway, it is a V6, with TC and they are the original fronts and rears. Rears are inde3d nearly gone, rotors are fine, fronts are what I would call about 50% gone. I know I had to pay $500+ to have my Parking brake cables redone when the first freeze hit last year when it wouldn't disengage... that was fun. Maybe she experienced the same thing, but didn't think twice about the loud noise and brake "smell" when it happened... wouldn't surprise me, typical woma... forget it.

Guess we'll never know. Dealer said it was usual wear and tear, yet I drive my 05 GT like I stole it (even race on the weekends) and my pads were only half gone at 55k. But w/e, just didn't seem right to me. I'll check her e-brake when she gets it back, but I suspect that probably happened this winter and we probably won't know until them again if thats the culprit.

Thanks again all. I know I can always get some great answers here.

Cheers, JR