I was driving out of the gas station the other day and noticed a horrible grinding noise coming from the drivers side front wheel. I drove around the parking lot at low speed trying to diagnose it. It was present whether in D or N - probably not transmission. It got MUCH worse when turning the wheel. I could feel the grinding in the steering wheel. I figured it had to be the wheel bearing. I was NOT looking forward to doing that job...

So I went home and pulled the wheel off and this is what I found:



Unbelievable. What are the odds of that?

 

Pretty good. I see deep scores in rotors from time to time, which are most surely from debris getting stuck in there. People often report grinding/screeching noises from brakes that clear up on their own and don't return.

 

you need brake job, additionally your rotor is worn out as you can see the thickness of the rotor is not evenly wearing out, since one side is thick and the backside is thinner. that pretty much tells you need new rotors while you throw on new brake pads. I seen a lot of people don't realize brake pad is not what they "just" need, while people failed to "inspect the complete" job of the brake system, such as rotors and the caliper guide pins and the brake hardware which is the thin metal clips that holds the brake pad in place. It's a good advice to look the big picture since your rotor is obviously telling you sign of abnormal wear. Hope this help but at least you heard a noise and pulled the wheel off and inspect what you would expect to find.

 

Sometimes they're made that way and given the look, that's what it seems like. I don't see a big lip on the outside from being worn down. OEM rotors come like this, too. I don't recall what stock Nissan ones look like.

Cheapo vs normal

 

Oh man, I knew as soon as I posted the pic, someone would point this out.

I've been putting quite a bit of $ into the car lately and brakes aren't at the top of my list right now since they work and aren't screaming "FIX ME!". I'm REALLY relieved that I don't have to replace wheel bearings.

With that said, I think I will look into new rotors and why the inside of the rotor is worn more than the outside.

As a side note, the drivers side rear has some funky wear. The inner pad is worn WAY more than the outer. I'll probably start a thread on that when I'm ready to tackle that project.

Thanks for the input.

 

When one pad is worn more than the other, or if the pad is worn unevenly, it is b/c the guide pins are stuck. The grease gets old, plus moisture gets in and that's all she wrote. If they're not totally shot, you can remove them (make take lube and a beating), regrease and reinstall. But they are cheap, so not a big deal to just replace if you can get them out. If the seals seem crappy at all, then definitely replace those (or just get the guide pin kit).

If you plan on doing anything to front, I would do the 6th gen BBK.