Ask the Car People.SM


Subaru Forester Brake Questions

113 messages,  Last post on Mar 06, 2013 at 10:45 PM

You are in the Subaru Forester Maintenance & Repair Forum.

What is this discussion about? Subaru Forester, Brakes, Wagon

Messages Page 5 of 12

#33 of 113 Rear Brakes Query by amyash

Aug 27, 2006 (11:23 am)

Stopped by a local tire distributor to replace a rear tire on my 2002 Forester yesterday. Car's only got approx. 34k miles and neither the front nor the rear brakes have been replaced to date. Last service (oil change), the dealer said the rear brake pads were at about 40%.
 
While the car was up on the lift, the tech and owner of the tire shop both stressed the urgent need for rear brakes & rotors, going so far as to say that if I didn't do it today, the calipers could fail, etc (I have not heard squeaking or grinding, and the brakes feel fine). Quoted cost was $220. The hard sell made me uncomfortable & I declined. My questions:
 
  • don't front brakes ususally need to be replaced before rear brakes?
  • assuming I really do need new brakes, should I have the dealer do it, or shop around (Midas, Meineke, etc.)
  • I've got the Subaru Added Security Gold Plus Plan. I'm assuming that this will not cover brake pads & rotors, will it? If not, what should I expect to spend?
     
    Thanks.

    • #34 of 113 Re: Rear Brakes Query [amyash] by terry92270

    Aug 27, 2006 (1:43 pm)

    Replying to: amyash (Aug 27, 2006 11:23 am)
    Some cars, like the Camry, are notorious for low brake life. It all depends upon the driver. If I had a dollar for every driver who has told me they are very light on the breaks, but really wasn't, I would have $1000 before me now.
     
    Go to Meineke and Midas, and get a quote and evaluation. Two would be more than enough, added to what you already have. If the majority agrees, you are pretty safe in having the work done, and with brakes, safe is really better than sorry, eh? If you are a Triple A (AAA) member, they usually have a list of approved places for work, that won't rip you off, and have shown to have good work.
     
    34,000 miles is almost three years of the average drivers mileage (36,000), so IMO not an abnormal mileage for replacement. Many owners need to replace their brakes every two years, so that shows you have used restraint in your braking application.

    #35 of 113 Re: Rear Brakes Query [amyash] by once_for_all

    Aug 27, 2006 (9:20 pm)

    Replying to: amyash (Aug 27, 2006 11:23 am)
    my rear pads are wearing faster than the fronts.
     
    It took me by surprise. At 55k the rears have about 1/3rd left, fronts are about a half.
     
    Generally, yes, the front pad material goes faster. But look at the size of the fronts vs the rears. That's the difference.
     
    John

    #36 of 113 Re: Rear Brakes Query [amyash] by joseph50

    Aug 29, 2006 (6:24 pm)

    Replying to: amyash (Aug 27, 2006 11:23 am)
    I left my 2001 S, 68K miles, in a local Goodyear shop for a simple oil change and tire rotation. I got a phone call that my back brakes rotors and pads were totally "burned blue" shot. I gave them the go-ahead for the new installation, but I wanted to see the old parts before I paid. I must admit, those parts looked way past use, and I felt I would drive with more confidence after OK-ing the change. I believe I paid a hundred bucks more than your quoted cost, oil change and rotation included.
    (Aside: I can't believe anyone is "lighter on the brakes" than I am.)

    #37 of 113 Re: Rear Brakes Query [joseph50] by terry92270

    Aug 29, 2006 (6:46 pm)

    Replying to: joseph50 (Aug 29, 2006 6:24 pm)
    You should only consider yourself very fortunate to have gotten that many miles out of them.

    #38 of 113 Re: Rear Brakes Query [terry92270] by speterson1

    Aug 30, 2006 (5:51 am)

    Replying to: terry92270 (Aug 29, 2006 6:46 pm)
    My Forester, like joseph50's, is also a 2001 with 68K miles on it (it's an L not an S though). In July we took a trip to PA to visit some friends and did some driving in the mountains that was hard on the brakes. Since I still have the original brake pads, upon returning home I took the Subie in to my favorite shop to get new brakes, assuming that the PA driving coupled with their age would have me ready for some new pads. The shop, which is excellent and has my complete trust, called me at work and told me they could of course replace them if I like, but the pads and rear drum were still at 50%, so I was probably fine without them. I couldn't believe it!

    #39 of 113 Rear Brake pads by ozman62

    Aug 30, 2006 (6:42 am)

     I recently changed out the rear brake shoes (drum) on my '98 Forester L. They appeared to be at 40+ % wear remaining and my car has over 175,00 km (about 108K miles). To the best of my knowledge, they're the originals... My front pads also lasted over 100K miles, and the rotors were still fine. My car is a manual, and I beleve that that contributes to less brake wear. I couldn't be happier with the brake performance and longevity of my Forester (once I got used to the initial mushy feeling of the pedal). YMMV
    Owen

    #40 of 113 Which brake pads for "03 Forester by deepdrop

    Nov 05, 2006 (8:45 pm)

    I need new brakes on my "03 Forester and was thinking of doing this myself. There are many choices of brake pads and I was wondering if anyone had any advice. I understand that performance pads may not be great for everyday driving, so I don't know if kevlar or ceramic are going to be good for me. I live in NH with a fair amount of hills so I brake a lot.

    #41 of 113 Re: Which brake pads for "03 Forester [deepdrop] by ateixeira

    Nov 06, 2006 (2:05 pm)

    Replying to: deepdrop (Nov 05, 2006 8:45 pm)
    Car & Driver had an article about pads and entire brake kits, and they got good results with Hawk pads.
     
    I just stuck with OE - quiet and durable. My front pads laster over 80k miles, the rear brake shoes are still original (90k plus)!
     
    -juice

    #42 of 113 80k miles?? by deepdrop

    Nov 13, 2006 (12:25 pm)

    Wow Juice,
     
    I wonder what I"m doing wrong? At 27K the dealer told me that I would need new brakes by 30K front and rear and also that my original Geolandars were about shot.
     
    I always try to fix things myself because I like to understand how everything works, but this usually results in a minor catastrophe followed by an eventual (and sometimes expensive) happy ending. This usually involves plumbing...
    In this case I'll probably have another shop confirm that the pads are shot and then have someone do it.
    Any reason not to go with Goodyear, Meineke, etc.?
    Dan

    Messages Page 5 of 12

    To POST a message, please Sign In.

    Advertisement

    Browse by Category

    Browse by Vehicle
       View All Vehicles

    Browse by Board
    Browse by Topic
    View All Topics

    Edmunds Community

    Advertisement