Help me out here guys. I have an 01 F-150 SuperCrew 4x4, just over 19,000 miles. I took the truck into the Local Dealer's to have my tranny repaired (Warranty Issue).
While in the shop they advise me that my front pads are worn and the rotors need to be turned....
It seems to me that disk brakes should last a little longer then 19,000 miles. I have a 97 Exploer W/96K miles on the original brakes...

I have a Fiber Glass Cover & Rhino Liner in the bed. I typically use the truck to haul the kids back & forth to school/sports...and go to work....
SO is my dealer trying to recoup some of his cost on the repair....does my supercrew just have a nasty habit of eating brakes and can I expect to be replacing brakes every 19K miles ? Did I just get a bad set of pads ? Do I drive with my foot on the brake all the time (NO). Does ford have a problem with front brakes on these vehicles....?

Inquiring minds want to know....

Joe

 

Have you personally looked at the pads and rotors? Sometimes the dealers exaggerate a bit. I would have them done somewhere else if you can't do them yourself, as the dealers are sometimes quite expensive on brake jobs.


-------------------------
http://easyad.net/images/94vanavitar.jpg http://www.easyad.net/images/mustang1.gif

'94 E-150 Conversion Van 4.9 / C-6 -- '89 Mustang LX 5.0

 

I would second "94van". Its a judgement call as to how much longer they will last and their judgement is altered by the fact that its profitable business for them right now. I'm assuming that you have no symptoms yet.

Also, are you getting pulsing when you apply the brakes? If not, you probably do not need to have the rotors turned. In fact, you should NOT have them turned if they are not scored or warped, because that will make them thinner and more prone to warp in the future. Always have the lug nuts torqued properly to minimize future warpage.

Good luck,
MrBSS

 

I have to concur. If you don't know how to change the pads have a buddy teach you. An example, I redid the brakes on my 91 GMC pads ran 27 bucks. Rotors were fine. A local tire store offers this service for 190 bucks. They turn your rotors(whether they need it or not), "rinse out the master cylinder" (which wouldn't be necessary unless the fluids obviously contaminated), and install new pads. You can do this for youself with simple tools and then you know what you are getting. You know what work was done and what quality of part were used.

 

Your dealer probably is full of it. If your brakes would be down all the way you could either *hear* it, or there would be a warning light coming on. (I am not familiar with the setup on your truck.). Most pads have small metal tabs on them that will start rubbing on your rotors, creating a horrible noise, to indicate that it is brake time!

That is where you need a trustworthy shop that doesn't sell you something that you don't need. And yes, they are really out there!

Do you have a friend that knows cars? Have him (or her!) pull the front wheel and check the pads.

If you don't have anybody, you can quite easiely check the pads yourself after taking the wheel off. You will be able to see what the brake pads are? There is a backplate made from metal. Then there is the actual breaking pad material, some compressed fiber stuff. You measure the thickness of that layer (it touches the rotors) and report back to us. From the top of my head I'd say that anything over a 1/4 inch meat is good.

Some more comments: If your rotors need turning, you either feel it (wobble at braking) or you can see deep gouges in the rotors! As others said, rotor turning is NOT a standard procedure on every brake job! It is done only to cure the above problems.

Finally, if you end up replacing pads, chip in for a set of 'performance friction' pads. I know folks that went 60+k miles on them with great stopping power to boot! I have them on all my cars and trucks.

George

 

One further comment: It IS good practice to replace the brake fluid if you intend to keep the vehicle for long. Again, I wouldn't expect this to be necessary at 19K, but (unlike rotor machining) it is always a good thing to do. Brake fluid deteriorates but is cheap. I don't know what a dealer might charge for the work if you don't want to do it, though. It's easy to do, but I guess that's easy for those of us who have done it to say!

MrBSS

 

Well, I'm gonna lean towards some F150's having poor brakes. I don't know if the rotors are under sized or if they dont get adequate cooling or what???? I have a 1997 F150. 4.6L 4x4 Off Road. I bought it with 20,000 miles on it. I had a slight pulsation in the brake. I did the brakes around 25,000. I put new pads on and had the rotors turned. The shop that turned them said that they were "slightly" warped but he felt they would be fine. I put it all back together and it was fine for the next 8,000 miles. They then started pulasting again. I said the hell with it and bought 2 new rotors and brand new Bendex Pads. I put them on and that lasted to about 35000 miles. Once again the pulastion is back . The pads are fine. I took the rotors off and had them turned. And put them on and it was fine for another 10,000 miles. I don't do much pulling other than a waverunner a few times a year and an occasional load of lumber. Nothing to really justify the brake situation. If you plan on doing the brakes, they are pretty simple. Just make sure you get good pads like the other fella's mentioned. Cheap pads will burn up quickly and leave 2-3 times the dust on the rims. I've done tons of brake jobs, so I know it is not improper installation or low quality parts. I am considering getting the rotors with holes drilled in to dissipate the heat. I have also had a few other problems that I can't quite figure out. I'll mention them here and in a fresh post. My windows roll down SUPER SLOW. The weather stripping is so tight on them that it actually is grabbing the window when it is moving. I have to spray it with silicone or WD-40 weekly. It makes for fun at toll booths,drive-thrus etc. It has always done this. I brought it to the dealer while under warranty. I said I suspected the motors. It was done in 15 minutes. I noticed a big streak of oil down the doors and on the windows. I did not know what they did at first. A week later the motors went out totally. They replaced them both and the mechanic told me all they did was spray the weatherstripping. Well, I don't want to scare any new owners so I'll stop here for now. Mine is a '97 which was the first year for the new body style. Maybe this was a bad year and they were able to iron out the wrinkles for the following years. Well cramps are setting in on the hands. Good Luck....

 

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 03-Nov-02 AT 02:08 AM (EST)]>It seems to me that disk brakes should last a little longer
>then 19,000 miles.
True, but it can vary on the quality of parts used in construction as well as the design of the system.

>I have a 97 Exploer W/96K miles on the
>original brakes...
You drive cross-country with that thing on the interstates and never use your brakes? Usually the front brakes are the first for replacement with normal driving habits (50-50 mix highway/city driving) and quality parts at around 40K miles. The rears will last longer as the rear brake bias pressure isn't set as high as the front. I'd say 80K would be a good mileage for rear brake maintenance. If you do a lot of highway driving this will raise your maintennace period length some.

>I have a Fiber Glass Cover & Rhino Liner in the bed. I
>typically use the truck to haul the kids back & forth to
>school/sports...and go to work....
If these things add weight to the vehicle (don't know if you have a tonneau or cap/canopy/shell) it will lower your mileage between brake jobs. The added weight causes you to apply your brakes either longer or harder, either way it increases the wear on the pads and rotors.

>SO is my dealer trying to recoup some of his cost on the
>repair....does my supercrew just have a nasty habit of
>eating brakes and can I expect to be replacing brakes every
>19K miles?
Some dealers have a nasty habit of adding costs on to cover other expenses. I'd save myself the money and do the maintenance on the vehicles myself. This way I know if the pads are getting down to the bare minimum when I rotate the tires. No hassling with the dealership.

>Did I just get a bad set of pads ?
This will depend on the wear of the rotor. In some cases taking the rotor off to get it turned is not worth the hassle. It's really a judgement call. I tend to check for rivet grooves and if the disc is wearing unusually before I will get a rotor turned. I know from doing my own brake jobs for all my family's vehicles, and for friends, that I have never seen a noticeable difference having the rotors turned every time. A brake specialist may tell you differently.

>Do I drive with my foot on the brake all the time (NO). Does ford >have a problem with front brakes on these vehicles....?
Check the TSBs for your vehicle. The Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs) are basically the result of research into common problems with common fixes...in worse case scenarios they may become voluntary recalls. Search for TSB's on the net, but you'll most likely have to order one to find out if it applies to you.

Hope you find a fix for the truck, but I'm in awe of your Explorer's brakes

-Kerry