The daily driver needs help
03-24-2007, 07:07 PM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2002
Posts: 3,108
First advice: Buy a mazda
My 03 Subaru Legacy with about 25,000 miles requires a brake job.
I just starting hearing the tale telling signs of a brake job required.
1.) fluid level is low
2.) the squeel from the warning clips.
I rip apart the passenger side brakes. Look at it... There is a lot of meat left in the pad. 5 mm worth on both inner and outer pad.
I rip into driver side... and to my eyes I see NO PADS left! nothing. It's right on the warning clips.
Now this has me thinking... Crap is the brake caliper pistons seized? So I put the brake spreader tool on them... Nope... they are fine. What about the floating needle bearing that is part of the bracket to holds the caliper... Are they seized? Doesn't look like it... It moves pretty freely.
pics are comparing the inner pads of the driver and passenger side.
The driver side outer pad is worn the same amount as the inner!
What gives? I bought EBC rotors and EBC pads. I don't want to install expensive parts if the car will burn through them ASAP.
It's been winter, so I have my winter wheels (steel black) and snow tires. I couldn't tell during the winter if it had excessive brake dust or not... since the car was coated in salt. The car drives straight, brakes straight, and the pistons are able to move back, and the slider pins seem to move ok.
My warranty expires in May.
My 03 Subaru Legacy with about 25,000 miles requires a brake job.
I just starting hearing the tale telling signs of a brake job required.
1.) fluid level is low
2.) the squeel from the warning clips.
I rip apart the passenger side brakes. Look at it... There is a lot of meat left in the pad. 5 mm worth on both inner and outer pad.
I rip into driver side... and to my eyes I see NO PADS left! nothing. It's right on the warning clips.
Now this has me thinking... Crap is the brake caliper pistons seized? So I put the brake spreader tool on them... Nope... they are fine. What about the floating needle bearing that is part of the bracket to holds the caliper... Are they seized? Doesn't look like it... It moves pretty freely.
pics are comparing the inner pads of the driver and passenger side.
The driver side outer pad is worn the same amount as the inner!
What gives? I bought EBC rotors and EBC pads. I don't want to install expensive parts if the car will burn through them ASAP.
It's been winter, so I have my winter wheels (steel black) and snow tires. I couldn't tell during the winter if it had excessive brake dust or not... since the car was coated in salt. The car drives straight, brakes straight, and the pistons are able to move back, and the slider pins seem to move ok.
My warranty expires in May.
03-24-2007, 08:15 PM
#2
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2003
Location: watertown wisconsin
Posts: 1,331
maybe some air got trapped into the caliper that has pad life left. the funny thing is if the one side is warn totaly down like that and the other side is fine , how the hell didnt you feel the car pull under hard braking? wow, but i have seen stanger things.
03-24-2007, 08:18 PM
#3
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2002
Posts: 3,108
Originally Posted by fc3sboy1' post='865182' date='Mar 24 2007, 09:15 PM
maybe some air got trapped into the caliper that has pad life left. the funny thing is if the one side is warn totaly down like that and the other side is fine , how the hell didnt you feel the car pull under hard braking? wow, but i have seen stanger things.
It broke straight... I'm pretty hard on the brakes. Do you think I have a sticking caliper?
03-25-2007, 03:24 PM
#6
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2002
Posts: 3,108
I decided to let the Subaru techs take a look at it since it's under warranty. Hopefully I won't get the same guy who broke ever single plastic clip holding the two door panels when they replaced both side mirrors. He then forgot to reinstall the weather barrier, and forgot to put the push clips back in. It took 8 trips to the dealership which they then broke the power window bevel.
In the trunk will be white box NAPA made in China brake rotors and a set of Hawk HPS. If they decide that indeed it is a warranty issue and they will fix the caliper or replace, I'll have them install my parts instead of getting gouged by their parts dept. They want 250 bucks for a pair of brake pads and almost 200 dollars a rotor. And the rotors they use are no name so called "6 star" Subaru equiv rotors. Cast in China, shipped here for final machining.
If they deny that there is an issue with teh caliper, this will be the last subaru I ever own in my life.
In the trunk will be white box NAPA made in China brake rotors and a set of Hawk HPS. If they decide that indeed it is a warranty issue and they will fix the caliper or replace, I'll have them install my parts instead of getting gouged by their parts dept. They want 250 bucks for a pair of brake pads and almost 200 dollars a rotor. And the rotors they use are no name so called "6 star" Subaru equiv rotors. Cast in China, shipped here for final machining.
If they deny that there is an issue with teh caliper, this will be the last subaru I ever own in my life.
