Brake Repair Service Blaine MN – Part 2

Oct 17, 2014

Blaine Auto Brake Repairs

Brake Repair Blaine MN There are many questions that come with vehicle repairs and Clark Automotive, located in Blaine, MN does our best to share our knowledge so that car, truck and SUV owners can make more informed decisions when it comes to vehicle repairs. We would like to extend from our Brake Repair Service blog previously posted.

How Long Should Front and Rear Brake Pads Last?

Generally Front disc brakes are designed to last approximately 40,000 to 50,000 miles. Yes they can last much longer if there is a higher ratio of highway miles or less city stop and go driving. Some of our customers have gotten over 100,000 miles on front pads because of where and how they drive. It is not uncommon for a cab to only get 20,000 or fewer miles on their front brakes.

Things that shorten a vehicle’s brake life:

Not using lower gears when in the downhill portion of mountain driving
Driving with our foot on the brake pedal
When a vehicle is used to pull a trailer

When the car is ready for its first front brake repair the life of that operation will be determined by many items. If the rotors are turned and not replaced it will shorten brake life. Some customers have actually just put new pads on top of the old rotors without turning the rotors; this is called a pad slap. This brake job will not last long, especially if the caliper were not cleaned and lubricated.

Rear brakes, drum or disc, will last much longer than the front brakes. One reason is that the front brakes do about 70% of the braking. This allows the rear brakes to run much cooler and last longer. WE have personally seen car owners that drive so nice that the rear brakes hardly wear at all, and last the life of the car. In many occasions rear brakes require repair due to rust from lack of use. When a car is sitting in storage it is not uncommon for rear brakes never to recover from the rust without being repaired.

Contact Clark Automotive today to set up a free test drive or an affordable brake repair service!