When to Have Your Brake Pads Inspected

Brake shoes are similar to brake pads and are designed to wear out. They are pressed against the inside of the brake drums to stop the car. Shoes are used only with drum brakes and are found only on the rear of modern cars. Many cars do not use drum brakes at all; these cars have disk brakes on the front and the rear. There are two brake shoes per rear wheel.

Any time the tires are off the car or whenever you hear or feel anything strange from your brakes, your brakes should be inspected. The best time is when you are having the tires rotated, which should be about every 5-7 thousand miles. This relatively short interval almost always allows you to catch the pads before they wear out completely. Even if the shop that does your tire rotation does not repair brakes, someone there can probably tell you approximately how much life is left on them. Simply ask them to look at your brakes while the wheels are off. Most cars can be checked with almost no effort if the tires are already off, so many shops will not change for such a check.

Warning Signs
Many cars and trucks have a built -in warning system that alerts you about worn brake pads- a device called a warning sensor. The appropriate slang term is "squealer." This squealer makes a high-pitched squeak when the brake pads are about 80-90% worn. The warning sensor is a small metal finger that gets closer and closer to the rotor as the brake pads wear thin. When the brake pads are worn out, this finger begins to scrape the rotor as the car rolls. This causes an annoying squeak which is similar to that of fingers on a chalkboard. A warning sensor squeal will usually stop when you apply your brakes. The squealer will not damage the rotor but it may sound like it is. When the squeak begins, Denver mechanic pros suggest you need to get new brake pads right away.


Denver auto repair shops say nearly all GM vehicles have this warning sensor on the front brakes, as well as many other makes, foreign and domestic. The catch is-- not all cars use warning sensor, so you cannot depend on hearing a squeak from any car. The next time you have your brakes inspected, ask the technician if your car is equipped with sensors, then you will know whether or not to listen for the squeal. Also most cars with warning sensors have only one sensor per wheel. Since there are two pads per wheel, the pad without the sensor could wear out before the pad with it. To add more confusion, some cars will make a high-pitched squeak during brake use. This may be a normal sound created by the rotors and may not be an indication of a serious problem with your brakes. Id you hear a squeak, but cannot determine if it's the sensor, have the brakes inspected by a professional. 

There is one sure sign that your car needs brakes. This is the metal-to-metal grinding sound that happens when all the friction material is worn out  and the pad's metal backing plate grinds into the brake rotor. This will not only affect your car's braking ability, but can quickly cause more damage to other components such as rotors and calipers. If you hear the dreaded scrubbing noises, have your brakes inspected and repaired as soon as you possibly can. Every mile you drive after hearing this sound will cost you more money.