View Full Version : Brake pad wear question


97Msedan
09-27-2004, 12:31 PM
Would anyone have any idea why my driver side front brake pad is wearing faster than the passenger side. They are stock pads.

I am about to put new brake pads and rotors on, so I don't really want uneven wear on the new stuff. BTW, the car seems to break in a straight line, no pulling to either side.

Thanks for the help.

havnfun328
09-27-2004, 05:01 PM
Dragging pad? Maybe the caliber is sticking.

hal9000
09-27-2004, 05:41 PM
Sticking caliper or collapsed brake line on that side. Rebuild the calipers (rebuild kit's like $17/ea). Replacement calipers will run you about $200/ea if you get M's. Find a shop that'll rebuild or DIY it. It's pretty straightforward to do. You just need access to some air and a parts cleaner. Line's about $30 from the dealer IIRC.

BlackM3Sedan
09-29-2004, 10:16 AM
It definitely sounds like a sticking caliper. Are the inside and outside pads wearing evenly on the same caliper? If it's just one side wearing, it usually means that the caliper slide is sticking. If it's both, then it could mean that the piston itself is sticking. Either way, rebuild it and let me know how it goes. :)

97Msedan
09-29-2004, 10:35 AM
Thanks for the help guys, is the rebuild a difficult or costly procedure?

hal9000
09-29-2004, 06:54 PM
Cost is in the labor. Rebuild kit's like $15.

The HACK
09-29-2004, 07:49 PM
Thanks for the help guys, is the rebuild a difficult or costly procedure?

It's neither. You will need to remove the caliper from the car, let the brake fluid drain out of the caliper, then attach an air hose and supply to where the brake line usually attaches to the caliper and blow. Keep a block of wood in the caliper so the piston doesn't shoot out and kill someone, since under pressure it'll pop out like BBs out of an air-gun.

Then you'd just need to clean off the pooped off caliper piston, lub it with brake fluid, and put the caliper piston seal around it and re-install into the caliper. Re-install caliper and re-bleed the brakes to make sure no air is trapped in the system and you're good to go.