My car recently started making a grinding sound from the right rear when braking to a stop. It's louder/more noticeable with the rear seats folded down. Am I most likely looking at something expensive here, or is it just time for new brake pads? The car has 68,000 miles, so I'd think they'd be good for at least a little while yet, but of course I can't speak to how the previous owners drove it...

 

just pull off the wheel and take a peak...

im guessing brake pads...if it is..get them replaced asap so you dont ruin the rotors

 

just pads

 

Just looked up pad pricing, and it seems reasonable enough, but it leads me to another question. On the ECS site, it looked like only the fronts have wear sensors - is that why my dashboard isn't lighting up telling me something about the brakes when the problem is in the rear? Also, is it generally necessary/safer to replace the pads on all 4 wheels, or can I get away with just doing the rears? (I don't have the required tools myself, so it's more than just parts cost I'm looking at.)

 

02s dont have front wear sensors. if youre only having problems with the rears just replace the rears. maybe look at the fronts and see how much is left. the new pads on the front probably have about a centimeter of pad.

 

just make sure u replace brake pads in pairs...so do both sides

 

Just to give some closure to the thread, I now have new pads and shiny new rotors in the back. Too bad about needing the rotors, that made things more expensive, but at least now I know they should be good for a long time.

I was told that my fronts looked less than stellar, but not dead yet. I'm not looking forward to that expense, but I guess I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.