Brakes change when?

[moniquehun]

I have had my Hibiscus Flower (JL) Fire Cracker Red Jeep for 4 years now.How do you know when it needs brakes? My Camry has a simple brake light.

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[Ratbert]

The wear indicator will make a high-pitched squeal when the pads are worn.

 

[ketelhut]

When you rotate your tires ever 5K miles (+,-) you can inspect the calipers & rotors.

 

[TheNewGuy]

In addition to what @Ratbert said, next time you get the oil changed and tires rotated have them look at the brakes for you. Some shops or dealers will do an inspection as part of the service and include the condition of the brakes in the inspection report.
If your state requires a yearly safety inspection, they will check the brakes as part of the inspection.

 

[rcadden]

Great answers thus far. The reason that we can't provide an actual mileage estimate is because brake wear and tear is *hugely* variable based on a wide range of factors that can't easily be quantified:

• Do you ride the brake when you drive?
• Do you sit in a lot of stop-and-go traffic?
• Do you ease up to a stop or do you slam on your brakes as you get closer?
• Do you drive downhill a lot?
• Do you wheel a lot?
• Do you tow things?

All of which are not only hard to answer definitively (what constitutes "a lot") but are also hard to quantify. What percentage of the past 4 years were spent going downhill, or towing, etc.

Hence, the brake pad wear indicator was invented to serve as an ... indicator.

Just please, when you hear it, do not continue to drive on those brakes. Get them replaced as quickly as realistically possible. If you're at 4 years, you should probably start putting money aside, so that if/when you do need them, you already have the money readily available. This will help you make a replacement decision based on quality (because you already knew how much it was and saved that much) vs cost (because you need them now but don't have the scratch).

Brake pads are among the easiest vehicle maintenance item to do, as well. Even easier, I would venture, than an oil change (because you don't really have the disposal problem).

 

[moniquehun]

When you rotate your tires ever 5K miles (+,-) you can inspect the calipers & rotors.

Great answers thus far. The reason that we can't provide an actual mileage estimate is because brake wear and tear is *hugely* variable based on a wide range of factors that can't easily be quantified:

• Do you ride the brake when you drive?
• Do you sit in a lot of stop-and-go traffic?
• Do you ease up to a stop or do you slam on your brakes as you get closer?
• Do you drive downhill a lot?
• Do you wheel a lot?
• Do you tow things?

All of which are not only hard to answer definitively (what constitutes "a lot") but are also hard to quantify. What percentage of the past 4 years were spent going downhill, or towing, etc.

Hence, the brake pad wear indicator was invented to serve as an ... indicator.

Just please, when you hear it, do not continue to drive on those brakes. Get them replaced as quickly as realistically possible. If you're at 4 years, you should probably start putting money aside, so that if/when you do need them, you already have the money readily available. This will help you make a replacement decision based on quality (because you already knew how much it was and saved that much) vs cost (because you need them now but don't have the scratch).

Brake pads are among the easiest vehicle maintenance item to do, as well. Even easier, I would venture, than an oil change (because you don't really have the disposal problem).

Great answers thus far. The reason that we can't provide an actual mileage estimate is because brake wear and tear is *hugely* variable based on a wide range of factors that can't easily be quantified:

• Do you ride the brake when you drive?
• Do you sit in a lot of stop-and-go traffic?
• Do you ease up to a stop or do you slam on your brakes as you get closer?
• Do you drive downhill a lot?
• Do you wheel a lot?
• Do you tow things?

All of which are not only hard to answer definitively (what constitutes "a lot") but are also hard to quantify. What percentage of the past 4 years were spent going downhill, or towing, etc.

Hence, the brake pad wear indicator was invented to serve as an ... indicator.

Just please, when you hear it, do not continue to drive on those brakes. Get them replaced as quickly as realistically possible. If you're at 4 years, you should probably start putting money aside, so that if/when you do need them, you already have the money readily available. This will help you make a replacement decision based on quality (because you already knew how much it was and saved that much) vs cost (because you need them now but don't have the scratch).

Brake pads are among the easiest vehicle maintenance item to do, as well. Even easier, I would venture, than an oil change (because you don't really have the disposal problem).

Thanks for all the above..I made an appointment.One more question when do I need new tires?49,600 miles on my Jeep

 

[nositting]

kind of the same answer… “it depends”.
your state may have a minimum tread life recommendation upon yearly inspection and this could serve as a guide. as others have said, you might want to start saving now for maintenance items such as these as tires can get pricey. Some will think that the state’s inspection standards are too liberal, and some will believe that they’re too strict. Up to you to decide what works for you ultimately. i’d error on the side of caution when it comes to tires/safety items.

 

[rcadden]

Thanks for all the above..I made an appointment.One more question when do I need new tires?49,600 miles on my Jeep

Most tires have a mileage warranty - between 40K-60K for most tires.

If you're not sure, you can also use the penny test. Get a penny, and put it in the tread. If you can see Abe's entire head, replace them. This is obviously not *exact*, but a good benchmark.

If you don't drive much, you should also consider the age of the tires. More than 5 years, the rubber might start to crack, become brittle/hard, etc. That's a good sign, too.

I have found that Discount Tire is really trustworthy - I've had grandparents and others who don't know and live far away just head to their nearest Discount Tire and have them check their tires. They'll usually look at them for you and provide an assessment. Often they'll tell you a hard number rating of your tread - this can be helpful in assessing.

 

[Tncdrew]

+1 for Discount Tires.
They are very friendly & helpful, and will check the condition and tread depth of your tires, and make recommendations for free.

 

[Discount Tire]

+1 for Discount Tires.
They are very friendly & helpful, and will check the condition and tread depth of your tires, and make recommendations for free.

Thank you! We appreciate the nod!

 

[Ratbert]

Most tires have a mileage warranty - between 40K-60K for most tires.

If you're not sure, you can also use the penny test. Get a penny, and put it in the tread. If you can see Abe's entire head, replace them. This is obviously not *exact*, but a good benchmark.

If you don't drive much, you should also consider the age of the tires. More than 5 years, the rubber might start to crack, become brittle/hard, etc. That's a good sign, too.

I have found that Discount Tire is really trustworthy - I've had grandparents and others who don't know and live far away just head to their nearest Discount Tire and have them check their tires. They'll usually look at them for you and provide an assessment. Often they'll tell you a hard number rating of your tread - this can be helpful in assessing.

Isn't the penny test intended to be used for street tires? I wouldn't think that it'd be appropriate for the chunky tires that we run.

 

[rcadden]

Isn't the penny test intended to be used for street tires? I wouldn't think that it'd be appropriate for the chunky tires that we run.

I think it still holds up. If you can see all of Lincoln's head on a set of KO2s, you should make a beeline for the nearest Discount Tire.

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