Warning: I just hit 500 miles on a set of cheap brake pads and they're already down to the backing plates

I installed a set of budget pads on a customer's Honda Civic about three months ago. The job was straightforward, and the initial bite felt okay. I pulled the wheels today for a tire rotation and found the front pads were completely gone, with deep grooves cut into the rotors. The customer drives a normal mix of city and highway, nothing extreme. Has anyone else seen a specific brand fail this fast, or was this just a terrible batch?

2 comments

2 Comments

noah_rivera5720d ago

Man, that's brutal. I had a set of cheap pads turn to dust in about the same mileage on my old truck, but at least the rotors survived. It felt like they were made of compressed sawdust or something. You're sure the calipers weren't sticking at all on that Civic? What brand were those pads, so I know what to avoid forever?

tyler_hernandez19d ago

Ever think cheap pads are fine for light use? I used to, but seeing metal on metal after 500 miles changed my mind completely. Some budget stuff is just junk that grinds your rotors away.