Bought my superduty a few months ago and decided to replace the brakes today because the truck would shake when braking. Well... I have a feeling the previous owner may have lied when he said he had "Changed out the front brake pads and rotors less then 500 miles ago" The rotor below is the one from the front drivers side. It started getting dark so I didn't take pics of the other side but it was just as bad and both sets of pads looked like someone had cut grooves into them.

 

Those surely a lot older then a few months unless he rode the brakes really hard.

 

X2 - if that has 500 miles on it, the caliper must be locked up. PO may have lied, or may have been lied to by a shop.

 

Or put new pads on old rotors.

 

Watch closely for locking calipers. I find that if I have difficulty pushing the piston back in fully to install the new pads, the calipers are gonna lock up and burn the new pads in a few thousand miles. I'm about at the point where if the pistons don't move freely and easily I just bite the bullet and put calipers on along with the pads and rotors.

Brian

 

Holy smokes! Them grooves look like the Grand Canyon.

 

As long as you open the bleed line first, they normally closed back down pretty easily with using an old pad and a C clamp. You want to get rid of that old fluid anyways down at the calipers.

Yep, the original owner wasn't truthful here. There's no way pads wear out that quickly.

 

My point being that when you open the bleed screw and they DON'T push back pretty easily, I change the caliper then rather than waiting for it to sieze on a trip down a mountain towing a trailer in heavy traffic and a monsoon rain storm. Happened to me last summer...

I'm leery of calipers in a big way now. I've had to change five on my truck and three on my wifes car. I have no idea why.

 

I guess I should have explained I was being sarcastic. I can tell he definitely never changed out the front rotors or pads. Guy drove it up to Alaska from Oregon towing a 5th wheel and I am guessing that between the junky trailer brake controller he had, the old rotors, and old pads, he must have had one hell of a ride lol. Truck brakes amazingly now and the calipers moved in and out fine when I replaced the pads. I also replaced the sway bar end links and used polybushings (I think thats what they are called) and the truck doesn't sway at all anymore and no more loud clunk over bumps. Oh and I also added a 5startuning tune and that sure woke up the V10. Loving this truck now

 

No disrespect and don't take this the wrong way, but you changed calipers total of 8 times! You must be doing something wrong.

 

^^^ X2 - In 40 years of car ownership I can count the number of calipers I've needed to change on one hand.

 

I guess th ePO wanted to make sure he got his money's worth out of his old brakes.

 

Not necessarily so on an '05. Until I owned an '06 F350 my total caliper count over my 47 years with disc brakes was one and on a 1968 Torino where I broke a rusted bleeder screw. That '06 had a total of seven NAPA or Centric 'quality' rebuilds. The failures were never from a sticking guide pin though the last one, a rear, had a rough area. It was either a jammed piston or rust build up on the external area where the anti rattle clips ride. The fluid was flushed every caliper replacement time as well (2 quarts/time).

A search on the site will show that others have had the same kind of experience with pre '08 SD's

 

It is possibly true that the PO replaced the pads and rotors 500 miles earlier, towing with either a sticking or frozen caliper or heavy foot riding the brakes can eat the pads in a hurry. Also if the rear calipers are stuck and you are pulling a load you would be amazed at how fast you eat front brakes. That said I would suspect the PO told you a lie.

 

In all of my years in changing brake pads and rotors, trucks, cars, and boats, I've Never had to change a single caliper. I did however, have to replace wheel cylinders on a set of drum brakes.
My Volvo has 487k on it with the original disc calipers.
I really think it depends on what part of the country you live in.
Here in So Cal, no snow, ice, salt, or really even rain for that matter, to help rust them out.