Rear Brake Pad Replacement

Brake System Maintenance & Rear Brake Pad Replacement

Stopping your vehicle requires a brake system that generates resistance at the wheels. Brake pads are designed to wear out. Although there are several components necessary to generate this resistance, the resistance is created when brake pads are clamped against rotors connected to the wheels. Tremendous friction and heat occur between the brake pads and rotors that demand routine brake pad inspections and replacement service when they are worn. Rear brake pad replacement is about installing new brake pads at the rear wheel positions.

How Often Should I Replace Rear Brake Pads?

This is difficult to predict individually because brake pad wear involves driving conditions and habits. Brake pads will generally last for 50,000 miles, on average, but that is not a guarantee. The ideal brake pad maintenance plan involves routine inspections and knowing the warning signs of worn-out brake pads.

Warning Signs of Worn Brake Pads

Brake pads will wear down until there is nothing left but the steel support plate that once held the metallic high-friction brake pad composite in place. Rest assured that there will be warning signs offering the chance to replace the worn pads before this occurs. Here are the warning signs of worn brake pads:

• Dashboard warning light (newer brake pad monitoring equipped models)
• When they measure .1 inch or 3mm thick
• Eardrum-piercing screech when braking
• Pulling toward the side when braking
• Metallic grinding, scraping or dragging noise when braking
• Brakes requiring a greater distance to stop