# Brake Discs Worn Out Already?



## Tarzie (Dec 12, 2016)

Hello,

Newbie and total novice here looking for some advice.

I took my LS 2011 for an interim service on Saturday and was shocked to be told that my front brake discs are dangerously worn andneeded replacing along with new pads, to the tune of £350.

Now my car is rarely driven, only atweekends and hasn’t even reached 20k miles so I was a bit suspicious. and so googled it when I got home and foundout that this garage have a reputation for mis-selling brake discs and pads tounsuspecting customers.


The guy said that they had worn down to24.5mm when they shouldn’t be thinner than 26mm. Can someone help me? Is it possible that this has happened aftersuch a low mileage, and if so, am I crazy to drive it a bit longer. I can’t afford that much money beforeChristmas and don’t have any problems with the brakes at all.

I think he just saw a woman coming in andis trying to pull a fast one, but obviously won’t take a chance if it’s asdangerous as he was saying. 


Any advice welcome!


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

Typically when brakes are dangerously low there are some signs of an issue.... Most noticeably being the loud screeching or grinding sounds when you press the brake pedal along with some possible pulsation felt in the brake pedal. There may also be diminished stopping power compared to new. 

Brake life really vary's on route, driver and how hard and fast you use them. With that said i would expect most people to easily get 40,000 miles or more. I had 95,000 miles on my cruze and still had all the original brakes, and the pads looked about 3/4 thickness of new.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

Does your car roll when the handbrake is fully engaged? Does your handbrake come up and leaves less than an inch (2.5 cm) or so when fully engaged. If either of these is true take your car to a trusted shop and have them adjust your rear brakes. The 2011-2013 Cruze came from the factory with poorly adjusted rear drums, leading to early excessive front brake wear.


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## _MerF_ (Mar 24, 2015)

Just to be clear, unless your pads were worn out and the indicator/caliper was rubbing on the rotor (what you are calling the "disc") there is no way they need to be replaced. At worst, they could be refinished through a process called "turning" (which is not always a viable option).

If you've never heard a screeching, or rubbing noise from your brakes, then the rotors are fine. Period. They won't just shrink in 20k miles from normal use.


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## Patman (May 7, 2011)

I hate to be the devils advocate but I have 2012 Cruze and at @30K my front pads were worn only because of a problem I had with my front brake calipers. That and the back brakes not adjusting correctly. In any case, if you are concerned about it, I would take it to get another opinion. but listen for the noises you others have mentioned.


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## _MerF_ (Mar 24, 2015)

Patman said:


> I hate to be the devils advocate but I have 2012 Cruze and at @30K my front pads were worn only because of a problem I had with my front brake calipers. That and the back brakes not adjusting correctly. In any case, if you are concerned about it, I would take it to get another opinion. but listen for the noises you others have mentioned.


I am not disputing that the PADS may be worn and in need of replacement, but my impression was that they are telling him that his rotors are worn down. Maybe it's a misunderstanding, though.


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## Patman (May 7, 2011)

_MerF_ said:


> I am not disputing that the PADS may be worn and in need of replacement, but my impression was that they are telling him that his rotors are worn down. Maybe it's a misunderstanding, though.



Yea I agree the rotors being worn out not likely! As you said:


> At worst, they could be refinished through a process called "turning" (which is not always a viable option).


 After all that is all I had done to mine in the last 80K even after the pads wore groves from the calipers being seized. 

This guy sounds like this K-Mart my mom went to @ 1980 with our '77 Nova with about 25K on it also. They claimed the drums were worn beyond turning so they charged my mom for new shoes and drums on this Nova when my dad went back and questioned this they said they threw them away bc they were too worn. That is why mentioned getting a second opinion.


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## Merc6 (Jun 8, 2013)

It all depends, As ober was saying earler 11's had an issue where hand brake could be 2 clicks up and not set off the brake light on the dash. Also said the rear drums were not adjusted for the North American models. Given by your currency rate, same must be said where yours was assembled as well. 

For me my rotors were bad at 20K Miles and pads were shot about 60ish K miles. Replacing them both with quality parts usually prolongs that issue.


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## _MerF_ (Mar 24, 2015)

Merc6 said:


> For me my rotors were bad at 20K Miles and pads were shot about 60ish K miles. Replacing them both with quality parts usually prolongs that issue.


That seems backwards...


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## Aussie (Sep 16, 2012)

Patman said:


> I hate to be the devils advocate but I have 2012 Cruze and at @30K my front pads were worn only because of a problem I had with my front brake calipers. That and the back brakes not adjusting correctly. In any case, if you are concerned about it, I would take it to get another opinion. but listen for the noises you others have mentioned.


Judging by the currency I think it is an English Cruze and only American built cars use rear drum brakes. I think she should take it to another trusted mechanic as the price alone makes me suspicious. 350 pounds = $445.00 for just the front brakes seems way to high.


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## Merc6 (Jun 8, 2013)

_MerF_ said:


> That seems backwards...


Yeah weirder things have happened with me and that car. They had the death wobble from no rear brakes and a few 70 to 0 stops since the turnpike was my primary route with the car. The wobble was only at freeway speeds so I ignored it pretty much. When I say no rear brakes, I had to be in gear to hold the car still as the "parking assist" handle as the dealership called it wouldn't park the car on it's own. It took about 6 months for them to finally get it working.


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## _MerF_ (Mar 24, 2015)

Yikes..


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## Stingray1974 (Mar 14, 2012)

If your brakes are working OK, not jerking, pulling left or right not making load squealing noises, I would not worry about them at 20,000 miles. You could always take your car to a highly rated shop for another opinion for piece of mind. Just remember all shops make money by replacing parts and who can argue brand new parts aren't better than old parts even if they are not really needed..


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## MB2014LT2 (Feb 23, 2015)

My 2014 2lt has 12,000 miles on it and during hard braking at speed I get a shudder/vibration...anyone have any thoughts on this...??? I bought it new.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

MB2014LT2 said:


> My 2014 2lt has 12,000 miles on it and during hard braking at speed I get a shudder/vibration...anyone have any thoughts on this...??? I bought it new.


Baked on pad material. Might be covered under bumper to bumper at this point. I ended up just going with completely new rotors and pads and have been very happy with it.


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## Merc6 (Jun 8, 2013)

Stingray1974 said:


> If your brakes are working OK, not jerking, pulling left or right not making load squealing noises, I would not worry about them at 20,000 miles. You could always take your car to a highly rated shop for another opinion for piece of mind. Just remember all shops make money by replacing parts and who can argue brand new parts aren't better than old parts even if they are not really needed..


You also run the risk of them charging to turn the rotors with the intent of taking too much meat off then charging for the removal and install of new rotors and pads anyways. Been there done that years ago, I kept deploying so my 3 year old 14,000 mile car usually sat in TDY lot with rotor rust build up. Eventually the wobble was too much for such a newish car I listened to just remove the surface rust since the rotors for that car was $120 each. Ended up paying to turn rotors then buy more after my foot instantly went to the floor from them removing only "surface rust". Luckily the "labor" was me @ $8 an hr stall fees in the base auto hobby shop so I only got partially taken of newly acquired freedom monies. The price of the Centric blanks and whatever pads you choose for this car in question today is less than 1.5 hours labor at most shops here according to online shopping at places like Rock Auto for example.


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## Blasirl (Mar 31, 2015)

This is all taken from the web:

*Warning Sign Indicators*

_Squealing _ A high pitched noise that occurs regularly when the brakes are applied

_Fading_ A nonresponsive or "sinking" brake that indicates a leak in the system

_Pulling _ Vehicle pulls to one side when the brake is applied indicating uneven wearing of the brake pads or foreign matter in the brake fluid
_
Grinding or growling_ A loud metallic sound indicating pads that are completely worn down and are scratching or scoring the rotors

_Vibration_ A pulsation felt when the brake is applied; if felt in the pedal and steering wheel, it is the front brakes; if felt in the seat and pedal, it is the rear brakes



























These are the worst rotor pictures I could find (except the explanation one). Have your mechanic show you the issue. And always get a second opinion if you are not sure.


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## _MerF_ (Mar 24, 2015)

Merc6 said:


> Luckily the "labor" was me @ $8 an hr stall fees in the base auto hobby shop so I only got partially taken of newly acquired freedom monies..


Oh man, I miss those. I used them so much I ended up getting "hired" at one for the weekends occasionally (made a little extra cash, but it was mostly for the awesome free stall time when they weren't being used)!


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## Tmiller39 (Oct 18, 2016)

I have hawk brakes and new rotors about a year ago when I replace them in the last 2 to 3 weeks I get a grinding noise I took everything apart it all looked good reinstalled it and still on my driver side the brake is grinding has anyone figured out what could be the problem I have a 2013 cruze


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