ronchi25

This may not be the kind of question that this group usually deals with, but it would really help me to hear from someone about this. I have a 2006 Civic which I drive mostly locally here in Staten Island, NY. On April 17th the car will be 3 years old, having gone 26,697 miles. In June of 2008 my local Honda service center said I needed a front brake job (new front pads, resurface rotors--$285), which I had them do. Now, as of this morning, after hearing a really bad metallic noise coming from the front of the car, they tell me that I need another front brake job. So, in 3 years I've had two front brake jobs, this last one less than a year after the first. Does this sound right to you? Is it possible that this is legitimate, and my Honda dealer isn't pulling a fast one? Or, perhaps, does this car have some kind of defect that would cause this to happen? Any helpful response would be appreciated. Thanks.

lilmidget08

Im a honda tech and i have seen these civics come in with less then 10k on them needing front brakes... it all depends on how hard you are on them. Umm its hard to tell if your dealer pulled a fast one on ya or not. how do you drive? and was one side pads significantly lower then the other side? You might have a caliper problem or a slide pin could be frozen or binding up causing that side of the pad to prematurely wear down to nothing. Or the pads could of been installed incorrectly or not properly cleaned and re lubed. Theres a number of things that could be causing the problem

joe6680

That stop and go city traffic is a bitch. Sounds about right to me. I'd do the work myself if I were you though. You prob didn't need re-surfacing on the rotors unless they became polished or warped, you'd be able to tell. Pads alone are generally 40-60.00 and are super easy to repalce.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

ive gone thru a set of pads in 20k miles. it all depends how often you brake and at what speeds. i try not to brake above 40mph and usually i can get at least 20k miles out of em. i find that my pads lasted much longer when i lived at sea level on flat road, compared to up here in the mountains where there are alot of hills and speed limits are faster.

+MM+

Yeah, it's all about your driving habits (hard braking, late braking, riding the brake pedal, etc.) I have a 2003 with 110,000 miles on it. I have only changed the front brakes once and I am still running the original rear brakes. The front pads still have a long way to go, but I'll have to do my rear shoes very soon. Oh, and I also do mostly city driving these days.

manahoonie

well, first, just look at your pads... just jack up a corner of the car, and remove the tire as if you were fixing a flat.

there should be a spot to peer through on the caliper and see how much is left...

next to none = dealer not pulling your leg...
plenty on there = dealer full of crap and trying to get some hours for their mechanics.

i used to work at a dealership. the techs and service writers were always willing to help me. now, the service writer is saying that they don't usually work on hondas (subaru dealership) which i know... but he's trying to send me to the honda dealership where they would most likely charge me full price (it is an auto dealership group...Ford-Lincoln-Mercury, Mazda - Subaru, Honda). Good thing the parts department still gives me a discount