Brake disc/pad lifespan.

[Tawaro65]

Just looking for some advice. I had my rear brake discs and pads changed 3 years ago but the drivers side is now grinding. I don't do extensive mileage but expected them to last longer. Am I wrong? 

[Heidfirst]

Hi Tanya, welcome to TOC 🙂

There could be a no. of reasons for grinding noises e.g. a stone trapped or perhaps more likely if you don't do much mileage rusty rear discs.

[Eddie G]

Rust if you do not do many miles? road salt or grit? had to get my dics cleaned/blown out one year because of it.

[crofter]

Greetings Tanya and a big welcome to the club

Of course there are many factors involved in the life of these parts that I am sure you are aware of.Some times a small piece grit can get it'self lodged between a pad and disc and embed in the pad.this can manifest in a scratch mark on the disc  which you will be able to see through the wheel.

Del

[oldcodger]

Hi,

You seem  very specific that the drivers side rears are grinding , can I ask how you know this,   just from the noise inside the car when driving, or have the wheels been jacked up and turned by hand / inspected ?

The rear pads and disks typically wear at about half the rate of the fronts; at  3 years old, it so depends on your driving style, use of brakes etc.

When setting off after a day or so of being parked up the first few brakes can sound noisy due the a slight coating of rust having built up in this wet salty weather.

Also on the rears you have the handbrake shoes /drum,  could be dust /rust in them as well.

How does the car feel when you actually brake with reasonable force, good , even and straight or pulling to one side/ steering wheel judder  etc?

 

[olddriver]

In addition to the above, the handbrake pad and or the brake piston could be seized. I don't know how your rear caliper works, but one of the small pistons that centralise the calliper on my front disc also became seized, although that was only picked up on the mot, and he passed it!  You just have take the rear wheel off and have a look. 

[Tawaro65]

Thanks for all your replies. I can tell where the sound is coming from because I had the window down whilst driving. The car drives and brakes fine but when I apply the brake it grinds and seems to be making constant contact. Incidentally I had the handbrake shoe fail in September but that was repaired. That was on the same wheel. I had initially taken it to a garage because of a high pitched sound but they said it was fine. A couple of weeks later it failed and I had to be rescued by the AA! Although it was repaired the garage I went to said they had to use a washer to keep it in place as a hole had corroded but they said it would be fine. Another thing I have noticed that if I haven't driven for a day or two and I initially try to reverse its as if I'm trying to reverse over something. Anyway its off to the garage in the morning so fingers crossed its nothing serious! 

[Heidfirst]

7 hours ago, Tawaro65 said:

Another thing I have noticed that if I haven't driven for a day or two and I initially try to reverse its as if I'm trying to reverse over something. 

that sounds like something sticking - quite possibly rusted disks (have you physically had a look at your rear brakes?).

[Tawaro65]

Got car back from garage. They've replaced discs and pads. £144 lighter and no more grinding so that's that. Still expected them to last longer than 3 years but hey ho! 

[Heidfirst]

sometimes little use is worse for a car than more.

[DeTomato]

This is likely to be the pads sticking on the caliper seating runners. If there is little or no grease (usually copper grease) or it has dried up or gone solid with the cold, the pads don't slide and stick on in one place.

The best way to deal with this is to unbolt the caliper seating, take the pads out and clean up with a bristle brush. Then add copper grease or red grease to the pad sliding edges and the caliper seating runners and put the pads back in again.