Its my daily driver/beater. '96 Bonneville, 3800 non-supercharged (it is Buick related!). Currently has about 120,00 miles. Front brake wear indicator started squealing a few weeks ago. It constantly squeaks any time the car is moving. Got around to it today. Passenger side pads both look almost BRAND NEW. Drivers side outer pad is very worn (squealing from the indicator tab), still has some friction material, inside pad also very worn, not as much as outer. The rotors look OK, they've never been turned and I don't plan on bothering with them. I put mid-price ceramic pads on it two and a half years/23,000 miles ago. The first 12 months it didn't get driven much, maybe 3,000 miles. Sat outside, rain, condensation, etc. with infrequent short trips. Then I drove it 75 miles a day for the next year, 90% highway, but stop and go traffic "highway" miles, with several heavy, near panic type stops every day. For the last 6 months it mostly sat, maybe 2,000 miles. I'm pretty in tune to any pulling, pulsation, or locking up from my brakes, and didn't notice any hint of trouble. They're working fine, but I question the extremely uneven wear. I'm of two thoughts here. 1. Passenger side is not working, thats why it hasn't worn. Its hanging up and not applying. Fix whatever is binding the passenger side caliper. 2. Drivers side is dragging, thats why it wore out so much faster. Fix whatever is binding the driver side caliper. Both of these should give me a pull to the left shouldn't they? I haven't noticed any pulling or premature locking up. I'm going to replace the pads, and scrutinize the calipers for free movement, etc. like you would do on any brake job, but I'm looking for any additional insights from the experts. All input is appreciated. Thanks.
Kevin, unless you've been autocrossing the Bonneville, you're on the right track. While you shouldn't expect to see identical pad wear on inside vs outside, and left vs right, they shouldn't be too much different. Uneven pad wear in one caliper is usually a sign the slider pins are hanging up, preventing the caliper from floating as the piston is applied. Lack of pad wear on one side or the other might indicate a piston that's not applying properly. You'd think if it was severe you'd feel the pull but sometimes you can, sometimes not. Devon
For less than $200, you can buy all new front brake components: rotors, calipers, pads and hoses. I'm doing that for my LeSabre, parts sitting in my trunk actually waiting for free day. Cheap insurance.
Do you have a crushed brake line? With the front wheel off the ground, have one person step on the pedal while you turn the wheel (by hand or with a breaker bar). -Bob C.
"Drivers side outer pad is very worn (squealing from the indicator tab), still has some friction material, inside pad also very worn, not as much as outer." As you stated in the quote above, I"d say your caliper slides are binding. DaWildcat mentioned it already in the first response. You have to remove the caliper, remove the dust boot and then the slide pin. Ususally just greasing it will fix the problem, but sometimes you may need to wirebrush the pin and pinhole. I lube them everytime I do a brake job. It's a simple process, and it's often overlooked. -Josh
