Driving to work this morning. I tapped on my brakes and they made an awful groaning noise. It doesnt seem to do this everytime i push on the brakes only intermittenly. Is this a sign that my pads are getting low? The pedal seems extra firm at times..and other times it feels rather spongy. What could this be. Thank you

 

could be your rotors or pads. Do your rotors have a bumpy texture?

 

They seem pretty smooth. Whats the typical replacement cost for pads and rotors at a mechanic. Or is it easy to do myself

 

So i checked out Motorvate.ca and he has directions for a front brake job replacement. I am going to try and follow this. Any recommendations on rotors or pads? I heard to stay away from Autozone. That they are crap. And a question about when you use a C-clamp to push the caliper piston back in...once you push it in does it stay there...when do u take the c-clamp off? Im a bit confused on this part.

 

And one other question...the pads go Inner Pad..Shim...Rotor..Shim...Outter Pad.. right?

 

innerpad rotor outerpad

 

Nissan brakes seen to do this, my car groans a bit when the brakes are cold. Pedal feel is always consistent, braking power is strong, no squealing.

 

check to see that your ebrake cable is not messed up. I had to have mine replaced to get rid of the groaning

 

I must be weird- don't see too many brake issues with the max- buy I have had brake problems for a long time- noises and braking issues- seems like the amount of boost is variable- sometimes hard and sometimes soft feel. Also, sometimes the fronts lock up too soon- in the wet- very dangerous. All the basics are OK, I've only replaced the pads and re-surfaced the rotors, however. And used Autozone pads- which should be OK.

 

It seems that i chage the brakes on someones car atleast bi-weekly, anyways i see this A LOT on high milage cars and the majority of the time it comes from the sliders not being greased. to check this when you pull off the caliper (14mm) bolts the pad retaining bracket will be left remove this (17mm bolts) and pull the screws attached by the rubber boots, there should be plenty of grease in there is not clean them up and re-grease. my basic rule of thumb is to put grease on any two things that contact and you can never have enough lubrication. if you have any questions you can PM me.
its not hard at all and its definately something you should learn how to do.
good luck,
phil

 

My front ones groan when they get hot.. especially in city driving.. with my old pads they did it and now with new rotors and new pads they still do it...

 

The shims go between the piston and backing material, not the pad material and the rotor. The shim is what eliminates the groaning sound as it's caused by a vibration between the piston and backing material of the pad. It in no way is related to wear of the rotor or pad material. OEM are usually silent.

 

Thanks for all your help guys.. Im going to either Autozone Or Napa to pick up front pads and rotors. They are dirt cheap at autozone.
I plan on following MotorVate.Ca's Front brake job guide any tips or clarifications before i get started to someone else who used this guide? Thanks again

 

I have shims on...