# How long are brake pads and discs supposed to last?



## Bill Collector (Dec 17, 2015)

Got the front ones replaced for $374 at name brand chain starting with Fire about 4 months back. Have driven around 7000 miles since then. Went to get tire rotated at another name brand chain starting with Tire. Following is their diagnosis:

LF Pad = 8 
LF Rotor = 1.111

RF Pad = 8
RF Rotor = 1.46

Out of those 7000 miles, 4500 are Uber miles. Do above numbers seem alright? I wonder why rotor measurements are different in left vs. right. BTW, I got the rear brakes done by local mechanic after purchasing parts online. Total cost was less than $200 and pads were even ceramic!


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## blake's auto clinic (Jul 25, 2016)

sometimes its a bit difficult to go by miles and/or time, because the time to change pads/rotors is heavily dependent on how aggressively you drive and how you brake. in the country or areas with minimal traffic, your brakes can last you for 30k miles or more, but in a place like chicago, with all the interesting traffic patterns, you could wear pads out in as little as 10k. 
the best thing to do is check on the pad width through your rim, and also once in a while run your finger on the rotor (when parked and cool) to see how smooth it is. as the pads wear, they get thinner, and the rotor surfaces begin to get warped if the pads get too thin.


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## Taxi Driver in Arizona (Mar 18, 2015)

Depends on your driving style and the kind of driving you do.

Cab work, which is what you're doing with U/L, involves lots of stop and go, which wears out your pads faster.

Cost of doing business.

BYW, your tires and all suspension parts will wear out much faster driving U/L too.


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## Fauxknight (Aug 12, 2014)

My brake pads are past 100k miles and they still have decent life left in them, shop said 150-200k was the normal life on them. Brake pad life varies dramatically by vehicle and conditions.


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## LAuberX (Jun 3, 2014)

We're the rotors replaced 7000 miles ago, or "turned"?
Year/make/model??


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## observer (Dec 11, 2014)

Bill Collector said:


> Got the front ones replaced for $374 at name brand chain starting with Fire about 4 months back. Have driven around 7000 miles since then. Went to get tire rotated at another name brand chain starting with Tire. Following is their diagnosis:
> 
> LF Pad = 8
> LF Rotor = 1.111
> ...


Your rear brakes maybe faulty causing you to only brake with the front, wearing them out prematurely.


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## Bill Collector (Dec 17, 2015)

Fauxknight said:


> My brake pads are past 100k miles and they still have decent life left in them, shop said 150-200k was the normal life on them. Brake pad life varies dramatically by vehicle and conditions.


Wow.. That's awesome... One less thing to worry about less often.


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## observer (Dec 11, 2014)

observer said:


> Your rear brakes maybe faulty causing you to only brake with the front, wearing them out prematurely.


Let me clarify that a little. Your rear brakes are probably fine. It's probably your master cylinder that is not properly working. It is leaking through the rear section and only working with the front section.


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## elelegido (Sep 24, 2014)

Bill Collector said:


> Got the front ones replaced for $374 at name brand chain starting with Fire about 4 months back. Have driven around 7000 miles since then. Went to get tire rotated at another name brand chain starting with Tire. Following is their diagnosis:
> 
> LF Pad = 8
> LF Rotor = 1.111
> ...


Disc measurements - 1.111 and 1.46 what?


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## Bill Collector (Dec 17, 2015)

LAuberX said:


> We're the rotors replaced 7000 miles ago, or "turned"?
> Year/make/model??


Brand new rotors.. They even showed me the warped ones with grooves.. 2001 Dodge Caravan.


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## Bill Collector (Dec 17, 2015)

elelegido said:


> Disc measurements - 1.111 and 1.46 what?


I'm guessing mm..


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## LAuberX (Jun 3, 2014)

I'd say the measurements are wrong. I never measure rotors unless the pads are below 2 mm. I usually have them turned once, then replace them with GOOD rotors, not the cheapest I can find. Cheap ain't good, and good ain't cheap.

don't worry about the rotor measurements... If you put on new rotors 7,000 miles ago they are fine.

specs:

Brake Rotor Limits Braking Rotor Rotor Thickness Minimum Rotor Thickness Rotor Thickness Variation Rotor Runout*
Front Rotor - Disc/Drum Brakes (TRW) 27.87-28.13 mm 1.097-1.107 in. 25.3 mm 0.996 in. 0.009 mm 0.0004 in. 0.035 mm 0.0014 in.
Front Rotor - Disc/Disc Brakes (Teves) 27.90-28.10 mm 1.098-1.106 in. 25.3 mm 0.996 in. 0.008 mm 0.0003 in. 0.035 mm 0.0014 in.
Rear Rotor 12.25-12.75 mm 0.482 -0.502 in. 11.25 mm

so one of the measurements is TOO BIG, so most likely a mistake. 1.1" is a NEW rotor.

I drive like an old man, pax love it, smooooooth. my driving style wears out the rear brakes first, usually at 70,000 miles or so in most of my cars.

I prefer OEM factory pads purchased from the dealer (if they gave me 70,000 quiet miles the first time, why not?) my second choice is Wagner ThermoQuiet.

The Prius guys don't need brakes until well over 100,000 miles due to regen braking if they drive smoooooth!


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## observer (Dec 11, 2014)

Did you change calipers? Calipers begin to stick after a while. Some times one will stick just a tiny bit longer than the other, causing that side pad to contact rotor longer, wearing that side down faster.

It's best to change calipers in pairs.


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## Bill Collector (Dec 17, 2015)

observer said:


> Did you change calipers? Calipers begin to stick after a while. Some times one will stick just a tiny bit longer than the other, causing that side pad to contact rotor longer, wearing that side down faster.
> 
> It's best to change calipers in pairs.


No.. Calipers were not changed.. Maybe I should buy parts online and go to local mechanic.. Thanks for the suggestion.


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## rtaatl (Jul 3, 2014)

I have a 2014 Chrysler 300 with 133k miles and haven't had to perform any brake work either so needless to say it can last a while under the right conditions.


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## Bill Collector (Dec 17, 2015)

Compared to mine, your 2014 model still got a young body.. Mine has old body and soul... Snow and salt probably deteriorate body faster in Midwest.


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## rtaatl (Jul 3, 2014)

Atlanta weather has been good to it....the roads not so much, lol!


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## elelegido (Sep 24, 2014)

Bill Collector said:


> I'm guessing mm..


Mm doesn't make sense for either disc runout or thickness, nor do inches. The only measurement that these numbers could be IMO is runout in thousandths of an inch.


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## LAuberX (Jun 3, 2014)

a NEW rotor for that vehicle measures 1.107"

It can't get bigger after 7,000 miles.

so the rotors are still like new (the 1.111 measurement was close!)

the 1.46 measurement was a mistake.


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## observer (Dec 11, 2014)

Bill Collector said:


> No.. Calipers were not changed.. Maybe I should buy parts online and go to local mechanic.. Thanks for the suggestion.


When you get a minute turn on your van and push on the brake pedal, if it goes down slowly, you either have air in the brake lines or a bad master cylinder.

I had same problem with my Golf that you did. I wore out three sets of front pads and the rear shoes were still good.

I mentioned that to a mechanic and he stepped on the pedal, it went down slowly. He told me to change the master cylinder, that one of the rear seals was leaking by causing car to stop only with front brakes.

Sure enough the pads are lasting a LOT longer and there is a NOTICEABLE difference in braking power.


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## Bill Collector (Dec 17, 2015)

observer said:


> When you get a minute turn on your van and push on the brake pedal, if it goes down slowly, you either have air in the brake lines or a bad master cylinder.
> 
> I had same problem with my Golf that you did. I wore out three sets of front pads and the rear shoes were still good.
> 
> ...


I did the test and are first the pedal seemed to push little deeper but not like pressing on a sponge. I pulled my feet little up and the second time around it was really stiff when pushing. Here is the actual screenshot of the brake inspection:


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## observer (Dec 11, 2014)

Bill Collector said:


> I did the test and are first the pedal seemed to push little deeper but not like pressing on a sponge. I pulled my feet little up and the second time around it was really stiff when pushing. Here is the actual screenshot of the brake inspection:
> View attachment 50735


The 1.46 is probably 1.110.


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## observer (Dec 11, 2014)

BTW, it looks to me like your measurements are still good, they are all in the green.


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## Fauxknight (Aug 12, 2014)

observer said:


> The 1.46 is probably 1.110.


...or 1.116, either way it's clear they went to 3 decimal places so it isn't 1.46.


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## ptuberx (Jun 28, 2016)

Advice:

Most "chain brand" stores that replace your brakes typically use some low-end brands, especially when it comes to rotors, well, even pads for that matter.

For most vehicles, changing your own brakes is easier than many think who may be shy of doing so. I recommend brakemotive for rotor/pad buying. Using cheap rotors and pads from most overpriced name-brand stores just will not cut the mustard.

Buy quality rotors, and premium pads, and it will save you in the long-run.


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## elelegido (Sep 24, 2014)

ptuberx said:


> Buy quality rotors, and premium pads, and it will save you in the long-run.


Pep Boys has a 35% off sale on now for order online, pickup-at-store orders. $65 for front rotors and ceramic pads for my car.

I normally get 30,000 miles from cheap pads, rotors who knows as I'd never had to change them on a car before. But they're just thick iron discs; can't see them not lasting 50,000.

Anyway, $65 works for me; much better than the quote from the guy at the local brake place who wanted $350


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## Sal29 (Jul 27, 2014)

It depends on the car too. My old 2002 Passat 1.8t had engine braking that started slowed the car down as soon as you took the foot off the gas.
The coasting distance for that car was 5 times shorter than my current car so the brakes lasted a lot longer.


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## Tim54913 (Jul 13, 2015)

I had an old gf who was MURDER on brakes. Brakes pads EVERY year.


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## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

LAuberX said:


> I'd say the measurements are wrong. I never measure rotors unless the pads are below 2 mm. I usually have them turned once, then replace them with GOOD rotors, not the cheapest I can find. Cheap ain't good, and good ain't cheap.
> 
> don't worry about the rotor measurements... If you put on new rotors 7,000 miles ago they are fine.
> 
> ...


A high school dropout is reading the micrometer in the dark under the car .


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## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

elelegido said:


> Mm doesn't make sense for either disc runout or thickness, nor do inches. The only measurement that these numbers could be IMO is runout in thousandths of an inch.


1.11&1.4 is probably cm.,centimeters.


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## ptuberx (Jun 28, 2016)

tohunt4me said:


> A high school dropout is reading the micrometer in the dark under the car .


Agreed... and if you do your own vehicle maintenance, you are aware of what is good and not. Some places advertise a "deal" on service, but in the end DIY is the best route. And stay away from Midas.


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## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

ptuberx said:


> Agreed... and if you do your own vehicle maintenance, you are aware of what is good and not. Some places advertise a "deal" on service, but in the end DIY is the best route. And stay away from Midas.


I do my front brakes for $9.99 plus tax.
Autozone.

Know what the difference between " Lifetime Warranty" & regular brakes is at Autozone ?

The Warranty.
Same pads.


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## ptuberx (Jun 28, 2016)

tohunt4me said:


> I do my front brakes for $9.99 plus tax.
> Autozone.
> 
> Know what the difference between " Lifetime Warranty" & regular brakes is at Autozone ?
> ...


Pretty much. Some people don't realize that Midas and other chain-brand service centers use the cheapest crap around, and you will get metallic grind or nuked rotors in weeks after their "deals." It's much better to DIY, with a quality pad and rotor. I recommend brakemotive as an online source, if not, don't settle for the cheapest thing out there. Spending an extra $20 on premium pads goes a long way compared to the alternatives.


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## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

Last set of rotors I turned,I bought Lifetime Warranty pads.
Got car to 120 several times and tried to lock up brakes.
They smoked.
Machined discs down with pads.
Few months later,exchanged pads for free.


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## jaxbeachrides (May 27, 2015)

Left wears out quicker because we drive on the right. Right hand turns are tighter, left hand turns are larger and don't create as much drag.


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## ptuberx (Jun 28, 2016)

jaxbeachrides said:


> Left wears out quicker because we drive on the right. Right hand turns are tighter, left hand turns are larger and don't create as much drag.


This is marginal but factually correct. The most abuse is still taken under quick-stop scenarios with changing traffic signals, accident avoidence on interstates, etc. Hard stopping from 70 to zero because of an unexpected incident in front of you on the highway, with a full tank of gas with 4 large people in your car generates a LOT of rotor/pad heat. Also keep in mind that the kinetic energy involved with a moving vehicle is not judged on a linear scale in terms of energy. Hard-stopping from 35 to 0 is not half of what 70 to 0 is. 70 to zero is much more drastic and exponential in all regards.


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## Adieu (Feb 21, 2016)

ptuberx said:


> This is marginal but factually correct. The most abuse is still taken under quick-stop scenarios with changing traffic signals, accident avoidence on interstates, etc. Hard stopping from 70 to zero because of an unexpected incident in front of you on the highway, with a full tank of gas with 4 large people in your car generates a LOT of rotor/pad heat. Also keep in mind that the kinetic energy involved with a moving vehicle is not judged on a linear scale in terms of energy. Hard-stopping from 35 to 0 is not half of what 70 to 0 is. 70 to zero is much more drastic and exponential in all regards.


Hard emergency stops should ALWAYS involve slamming the car into low gear....simply for extra stopping power


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## ptuberx (Jun 28, 2016)

Adieu said:


> Hard emergency stops should ALWAYS involve slamming the car into low gear....simply for extra stopping power


Agreed, that is what I do as well. My OD button is within finger reach of my steering wheel, and I use it often.


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## Bill Collector (Dec 17, 2015)

Adieu said:


> Hard emergency stops should ALWAYS involve slamming the car into low gear....simply for extra stopping power


Never thought about that... So basically I just lower gear to 1 while slamming brake... I can just imagine how my van will come to screeching halt from 60 to 0 in like 2 seconds!


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## ptuberx (Jun 28, 2016)

Bill Collector said:


> Never thought about that... So basically I just lower gear to 1 while slamming brake... I can just imagine how my van will come to screeching halt from 60 to 0 in like 2 seconds!


Lol, we'll not to 1, unless you want to grenade your engine. When I hit an off-ramp I'll tap the button on my shift lever to take it out of OD and put it into 3rd... it provides enough of an engine brake through the slushbox to assist with overall braking.


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## Kembolicous (May 31, 2016)

Man, $374 for front pads? Yikes! I just installed new front pads, ceramic, for $15, in about a half hour. Ceramic metal is copper, soft metal, so it It does not eat up rotors, and ceramic does not generate all that brake dust on the rims. . Bought pads from Rockauto, and they are made by Bosch. Rotors were changed last brake job by previous owner. He ran metallic pads, which gave some wear, but not bad, to those new rotors. I will be doing rear pads before winter, and will spend less than $20 on ceramic pads. Have to keep maintenance costs down, rideshare doesn't pay enough to be paying retail for service. My $1800 A/C repair (new evaporator ) at Ford dealer, I did for $83. Those repair shops will kill ya!


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## crazytown (Nov 13, 2016)

Bill Collector said:


> Got the front ones replaced for $374 at name brand chain starting with Fire about 4 months back. Have driven around 7000 miles since then. Went to get tire rotated at another name brand chain starting with Tire. Following is their diagnosis:
> 
> LF Pad = 8
> LF Rotor = 1.111
> ...


It also depends on your style of driving ,and habits, and quality of parts used


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## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

Kembolicous said:


> Man, $374 for front pads? Yikes! I just installed new front pads, ceramic, for $15, in about a half hour. Ceramic metal is copper, soft metal, so it It does not eat up rotors, and ceramic does not generate all that brake dust on the rims. . Bought pads from Rockauto, and they are made by Bosch. Rotors were changed last brake job by previous owner. He ran metallic pads, which gave some wear, but not bad, to those new rotors. I will be doing rear pads before winter, and will spend less than $20 on ceramic pads. Have to keep maintenance costs down, rideshare doesn't pay enough to be paying retail for service. My $1800 A/C repair (new evaporator ) at Ford dealer, I did for $83. Those repair shops will kill ya!


Ceramic pads cool faster,thus they do not fade under steady use,such as down hill on twisty mountain roads.


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## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

Bill Collector said:


> Never thought about that... So basically I just lower gear to 1 while slamming brake... I can just imagine how my van will come to screeching halt from 60 to 0 in like 2 seconds!


Not with the mileage you have !
Your old transmission may die on the spot.


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## Adieu (Feb 21, 2016)

Whaaaaat??



Bill Collector said:


> Got the front ones replaced for $374 at name brand chain starting with Fire about 4 months back. Have driven around 7000 miles since then. Went to get tire rotated at another name brand chain starting with Tire. Following is their diagnosis:
> 
> LF Pad = 8
> LF Rotor = 1.111
> ...


If you're gonna spend ~$300 per tire rotation on various upsold miscellany, maybe just....don't rotate?

Tires are cheaper, man

Btw, depending on your car, your in dash computer thingies MAY be able to tell you if/when you need to change your brakes


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## Fauxknight (Aug 12, 2014)

tohunt4me said:


> Ceramic pads cool faster,thus they do not fade under steady use,such as down hill on twisty mountain roads.


Actually I think that's incorrect. Metals generally have a higher heat transfer rate.

Still the ceramic pads don't heat up as fast (the reverse side of that lower heat teansfer) and respond very differently to heat. Metal pads under very heavy use can melt/slag and become comepletely worthless, effectively removing your ability to brake at all. Still were talking extreme heavy use conditions, like racing or a freeway chase.

Even w/o extreme use ceramics are still better. Metallic brake dust sticks to your rims and oxidizes hurting the appearance of your vehicle. I always facepalm when I see a car with severely rusted front rims and mostly clean rear rims, not only are they using crappy brake pads but they're advertising to the world that they are too stupid to rotate their tires. (Most braking is done in the front, hence more brake dust in front)


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## observer (Dec 11, 2014)

Fauxknight said:


> Actually I think that's incorrect. Metals generally have a higher heat transfer rate.
> 
> Still the ceramic pads don't heat up as fast (the reverse side of that lower heat teansfer) and respond very differently to heat. Metal pads under very heavy use can melt/slag and become comepletely worthless, effectively removing your ability to brake at all. Still were talking extreme heavy use conditions, like racing or a freeway chase.
> 
> Even w/o extreme use ceramics are still better. Metallic brake dust sticks to your rims and oxidizes hurting the appearance of your vehicle. I always facepalm when I see a car with severely rusted front rims and mostly clean rear rims, not only are they using crappy brake pads but they're advertising to the world that they are too stupid to rotate their tires. (Most braking is done in the front, hence more brake dust in front)


Most of the older cars and some newer cars have drum brakes and the dust is directed toward the inside of the wheel.


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## Kembolicous (May 31, 2016)

The only negative I have heard about ceramic pads is that they are less effective when very cold. However after the first stop they should be warmed up, if doing city driving, they should stay warm. Yes they do tend to cost more, but buying online at RockAuto saves money. The Bosch pads I purchased cost $45 at O'Reilly's, same pad, same manufacturer, at RockAuto were $15 an axle set. It is insane to buy local, unless the part is absolutely needed today.


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## Dontmakemepullauonyou (Oct 13, 2015)

Bill Collector said:


> Got the front ones replaced for $374 at name brand chain starting with Fire about 4 months back. Have driven around 7000 miles since then. Went to get tire rotated at another name brand chain starting with Tire. Following is their diagnosis:
> 
> LF Pad = 8
> LF Rotor = 1.111
> ...


I drive like a manic and my pads/rotors last about 22,000 miles. So I go about 22,000 miles, this after a couple free resurfacing of the rotors, at 22,000(about) miles, I have 3,000 left in warranty(25,000 miles) so they have no choice but to put on new pads and/or rotors. So I end up getting another 20,000 miles out of the warrenty pads/rotors.

Shout out Les Schwab Tire Centers!


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## Oscar Levant (Aug 15, 2014)

Bill Collector said:


> Got the front ones replaced for $374 at name brand chain starting with Fire about 4 months back. Have driven around 7000 miles since then. Went to get tire rotated at another name brand chain starting with Tire. Following is their diagnosis:
> 
> LF Pad = 8
> LF Rotor = 1.111
> ...


one of the reasons i work the airport is that much more longer rides, mostly freeway miles, and thus less wear and tear on the car.


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