Car trouble, not sure how to proceed

Let me start by saying I know diddly about cars. I can do the very basics, but that is it. So here is my problem:

I drive a '97 Infiniti I30. Love it. 157k on it. Engine and everything else runs great as far as I can tell. I have maintained it very well. Personally, I think I could get the engine past 200k. However, I recently had my car checked out and apparently my rear brakes are effed up. The guy told me that my calipers were out of line and it is causing my brake pads to wear down quicker than they should. My left rear pad is at 1/32 while my right is at 8/32. I told this to my brother and he said that didn't even make sense, but that is what they told me. The solution? A complete brake overhaul topping $800. I know that $800 is not a magnificent amount of money, but the car is probably only worth about $2,000 at this point, and I need a couple of tires too, so to fix this issue, I would be dropping about a grand on a car worth about two grand. I can't help but wonder if it is even worth it. I have looked at cars, and have found some I like, and the payments would certainly not break the bank, but I enjoy not having a car payment. Also, my car wont need to pass inspection for about another year.

So...what should I do? I think my first step is to take it to another mechanic and see if I can get it done cheaper. If I can get the work done for say, $500, then I probably just do it and keep driving the car for a while. But if I can't, maybe I just put a new pad on and drive it until it needs to be inspected again? Or should I just say screw all that work and just go out and get the new car?

I'd get another opinion before I plan anything. And don't tell the mechanic you know "diddly" about cars.

That vehicle probably has another 100k miles left in it.

Keep the car, spend the money on brew gear.

Why not put new pads on, and live with the uneven wear?

Not absolutely pretty buy works in your case.

Sounds fishy to me. Breaks seem to be the biggest mechanic robbery on the planet. Your rear breaks do very little actual breaking. The front does most of the work. Rear brakes can last 3 or 4 times as long as front breaks. If it was me, I'd just take them apart and change the breaks myself. But if you aren't confident in that (drum breaks are a bit tricky), I'd take it to another mechanic and tell him you want new pads put on your rear breaks. Don't tell him anything else... see what happens.

"Calipers out of line" doesn't sound right. I've taken plenty of drum breaks apart. I've never heard of that. But I'm not a professional mechanic either. But your drum break shoes will wear differently. The front shoe (on the rear brakes) will always be worn more than the rear shoe. Even if the calipers really are "out of line", I wouldn't worry about it. Rear breaks last 50,000 miles or more.

menschmaschine said:

I'd take it to another mechanic and tell him you want new pads put on your rear breaks. Don't tell him anything else... see what happens.

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That actually sounds like a good idea. What is the worst that could happen? He calls and says he can't do it? So what? Best case scenario he puts a new pad on, doesnt cost me much and I can keep on rolling at least until inspection. Thanks.

Oh, and yeah I know not to tell a mechanic I don't know anything about cars

Sounds like hooey to me. I think they are 4 wheel disc, haven't heard the brake piston in drums called calipers. Caliper usually implies squeezing something.

there are many reasons why one brake would wear faster than the other like rotor wear or deviances in pad quality from pad to pad, hydraulics, etc etc. If your pads are getting thin then just have them replaced, expect to replace the rotors too if they are original. Doing it your self is pretty easy and a good way to start learning about vehicle mechanics.
So... RWDAHB and drive that sucker into the ground.

First, rear DISC brakes can have caliper problems. Never heard of a caliper being out of line or alignment, or whatever. They could be out of round, which would cause vibration when stopping. They could be "thin", which means new rotors.

Either way, if you do this yourself, you could probably save hundreds. Even if it has anti-lock, which can be "tricky", it's worth looking into a second opinion.

My Durango has nearly 200,000 miles. I don't see any reason why your car should not make that easily, if it's been well cared for.

Also, keep in mind that rotors are a wear item. eventually they will wear out. However, pads are very cheap and super easy to replace. Even if you do nothing with the rotors you could change the pads once every year or so and keep driving it.

If is was me, I'd ask around for reputable shops in the area and get a second opinion. Nearly eveyrone has good and bad stories about car shops.

replace your breaks yourself, all you need is a jack, a C-Clamp, and a couple of wrenchs. It takes about an hour each side if you aren't sure exactly what you are doing. As someone else said, live with the uneven wear, if that is really what is happening.

$800 for a complete break overhaul is probably a mechanic trying to rip u off. Google has nothing on "Break calipers out of line" Even if you replace the pads and rotors yourself, you probably won't spend more than $150 for the rear breaks, and odds are your rotors just need to be turned.

That sounds like a LOT, even for a complete brake replacement. We just replaced the rotors (and pads, of course) on the Element, and the total for the job (being done at the dealer) was about half what you're being quoted.

I have never seen brake pads wear completely evenly. Go to another mechanic!

Sounds like he's saying that the brakes are applied in a "clamping" action & the caliper is supposed to slide to equalize that clamping force. Old GM disc brakes were like that for years in the '80s - you had to make sure to use a high temp grease to lubricate the places where the caliper slid, or else it would get rusted/frozen in place & then one side of the pad would wear out more quickly, as that side was the one with all the braking force.

Sliding calipers are the norm in all typical "consumer-grade" cars. Notice both pistons are on the same side.

You usually have to spend quite a bit to step up to "monobloc" calipers. Note pistons on both sides of the caliper.

Looks like rebuilt, loaded rear calipers for that vehicle are available in the $50/side range. If you have the tools (including some Liquid Wrench), it should not be difficult. I changed a pair of front calipers in my work parking lot once.

as an ASE certified tech here, the mechanic you went to is takein the easy way out and not finding the real problem (he seems to have a replace everything and that should fix it mentality) and yes this condition can be caused by several factors, the most usual is the caliper slides need to be lubed, the next possible is a kink in the brake line or a swollen brake line and the least common is a defective metering valve. all are very easy fixes individually.

If it were my vehicle I would just change the pads, lube the slides and keep on driving. you should get 50k easy out a new pair of rear pads and replace them several times over to equal the $800 your mechanic was asking.

ecancel said:

If it were my vehicle I would just change the pads, lube the slides and keep on driving. you should get 50k easy out a new pair of rear pads and replace them several times over to equal the $800 your mechanic was asking.

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Well, according to the mechanic, which who knows how much I should trust him at this point, with this problem my car would not pass inspection with the brakes the way they are. So, if that is true, I would only be able to do that for about another 10 months; which I would still be fine with.

As far as buying tools and parts and doing this myself, I just don't see that happening. That would be an absolute last resort. I would probably buy a new car before I would do that. Probably seems crazy to some people, but you don't understand how handy I am not

Definitely get a second opinion. Look for car groups in your area online (autocross clubs would be your best bet) and ask where to take your car. They'll know who to trust.

ah sorry theres no vehicle inspections here in Columbus Ohio.

cubbies said:

Well, according to the mechanic, which who knows how much I should trust him at this point, with this problem my car would not pass inspection with the brakes the way they are. So, if that is true, I would only be able to do that for about another 10 months; which I would still be fine with.

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I don't know anything about MO inspections, but that depends on how thorough the mechanics/inspectors are. If you go to an inspection with near new rear break pads, you'll probably pass.

If the thing has a bunch of miles on it and the brakes have not been done in a few years, it probably does need rotors and pads on all 4 wheels. I do my own work and can tell you from experience that this is the case.

Hate to break it to those who still think it's like the old days, but nobody turns drums or rotors anymore. For the cost of new, compared to the possibility that there will not be enough stock thickness on the old part, common wisdom is just to replace the rotor or drum, as rust in the cooling fins has probably made it thin and unbalanced, anyway.

I also disagree that 4-wheel disc cars wear mainly on the front set. This was true when there was a front disc/rear drum arrangement, but with 4 discs, the rear wears about 3 times faster than the front, and are usually less robust, causing them to run hotter and wear faster and go out of parallel (constant thickness around the whole rotor). This causes the surging when brakes are applied, the pad jumping back in forth with the caliper.

You should always do both wheels on each 'axle' at the same time, and if you've got an Infiniti anyway, they figure you want it right in the front at the same time. It is also a good thing when doing this to just buy a new hardware kit so the the caliper is sliding freely on the new bolts-they are a shoulder type bolt with a long smooth area, and the caliper slides back and forth a bit to accommodate some out of parallel condition of the rotor. But this gets worn and can start sticking, causing rapid pad failure.

Consider the cost of the parts and double it for labor and a guarantee of that labor. Once they start going bad, they go real bad, real soon.

Or grow some, get a book and few tools and save yourself half the cost. You should not need to drain or bleed the brakes to change pads. Ask the local NAPA, Car Quest or Auto Value store to give you a quote on OEM quality level parts. Then decide. Hell the instructions are all over the 'net for free.

Henry Hill said:

I also disagree that 4-wheel disc cars wear mainly on the front set. This was true when there was a front disc/rear drum arrangement, but with 4 discs, the rear wears about 3 times faster than the front, and are usually less robust, causing them to run hotter and wear faster and go out of parallel (constant thickness around the whole rotor). This causes the surging when brakes are applied, the pad jumping back in forth with the caliper.

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I did not know this. Good to know. I guess I'm glad all my cars have rear drums?