shadowmaxdc

My 98 SE has been horrible on brakes, eating front rotors every 12k miles. I drive conservatively and am not a racer. Now I have frozen rear calipers at 76k miles. Has anyone else had this poor of a record for brakes?

Anyone done a quality aftermarket retrofit, like a Brembo, or similar that was ok?

Dealer wants $1000 to fix the rears, without new rotors!!

Help me if you can.

4dsc for ever.

Lo-Tse

Something is not right!! WHen you say the front rotor is being eaten, what kind of pads are you using?

Seized caliper can happen. Most commonly caused by slider pin corrosion due to breakdown of the rubber boot that is sheilding it from the element - salt and dirt.

1000 bucks to "fix" the rear brake is way too much. Find out what are they going to do for you. Are they going to replace the two calipers with brand new ones or just repair the seized ones. A remanufactured rear caliper with a core exchange (includes pad) costs about 190 US each!!

ASk your mechanics to give you more detailed explanation on what the heck is happen with your brake. FYI, I have a 99 SE and my original brake rotors and pads lasted me over 110,000 km!!!

Lo-TSe

shadowmaxdc

It's all factory Nissan stuff. The rotors warp, then they machine 'em down, then they warp again. Then you replace the rotors and repeat. I'm on the third set of front rotors and the front calipers have been serviced once (I guess that means looked at and charged me $55).

So complete new rear calipers with pads installed? Maybe $600 tops?

Thanks for the info.

I wish I could have 110k brakes (sigh).

98MaximaSEguy

cant say that my brakes have been as bad as yours....but i kno the feeling of gettin new pads an all every 12k or less...i used to get my rotors resurfaced or turned and they would work great for a while...and im never rough on my brakes.

It all changed after i got some brembo blanks off of here.
less than $200 for all 4 corners...cant go wrong!! Its been at least about 15k since I got them...no stuttering, fading, or anything.

BadKarma99-4spd

iTrader: (4)

i agree, brembo oems from tirerack and quiet stops for pads and they are fantastic

CKOTuHA

iTrader: (11)

I also have a 98. My fronts got warped, so I changed them on Brembo's slotted/cross drilled and Axxis metal brake pads. All with instalation and shipping $210. The difference is noticeble, and now my car doesn't shake when i brake on high speeds

Lo-Tse

I am really puzzled. My OEM brakes componets should be the same as yours!! The most common reson for a warp rotor is heat. It does not make sense since you mentioned that you do not do hard braking. Based on your description, your pads could be dragging on the rotor all the time. That would explain why so much heat was generated that eventually warped your rotor. Did your mechanic say anything about your caliper? BTW, if your rotor is warped I do not think machining them would remove the warpage. Also, how did you know your rotors were warped? Can you described the how you felt when you braked on the warped rotor?

The reason that I am keep asking you questions is that I do not thnk your mechanic is telling you all the truth about your brake system. The system was built to withstand fairly hard use. If yuo have to change rotor every 15K, your brake system is not working properly - it might not be safe!!

Lo-Tse

shadowmaxdc

__________________

I think Nissan wrote a TSB that called the problem "brake judder". Pulsation is the main symptom. Machining removed the high spots, i presume. Front cal's were rebuilt long ago (50k miles) now rears need it. Rear rotors are fine as far as warp, but they are solid not vented.

Sounds like OEM Brembo swap is my next try, starting with rears. Way less $$ than the $1000 Nissan wants to put on the SOS.

Thanx to y'all for the advice/experiences.

ps: You will notice on the 350z Brembo's with big rotors are an option, hmmmmmm..... "Pay me now or pay me later" comes to mind.