Brake Service

[PolarDog]

Hi All,

I've got almost 30K miles on the car and the dealer is suggesting that I need a rear brake job. I have confirmed this by hearing the wear-bar squeak when I brake.

Lots of brake questions (sorry):

1) I've seen some of the threads that mention that it is a good idea to upgrade the rotors and upgrade the pads. Can the dealer upgrade the pads/rotors beyond the original stock or should I consider taking the car elsewhere (if "elsewhere", can any in the Schaumburg IL area recommend a place)? What brand rotor? pad? I am concerned about the effects to the warranty if a "non-dealer" solution isn't used...

2) Is there anything else I should have done to the brakes that might improve performance and/or longevity (aside from not using them)?

3) Since I've seen recommendations to replace the rotors, so would it make feasible sense to just "grind them all the way down" beyond salvaging knowing that I have to replace them anyway (I understand the degradation of performance and safety)?

4) Finally, to those who have already had a brake job: How are the new brakes holding up? Are they wearing down as quickly as the first set did?

Thanks!!

[EXceptional]

Have you seen this Thread >>> post5791180.html

What did you decide to do with your Brakes ?

[PolarDog]

Yes, I did see that thread. Very nice job, but given several factors, it is beyond my capability.

As far as the current brakes are concerned, I brought the car into a different dealership that told me that while the brakes were wearing, they were not yet beyond spec. The rotors are in good shape and are not causing any vibration. I have 34k on the car now, so I feel as if I am approaching a plausible brake life of 40k. I still hear the faint squeal every now and again when I lightly touch the brakes (which goes away after a deeper press of the pedal), but it hasn't gotten worse. Performance is the same too.

If I can get 40k out of the brakes without compromised rotors, I'll replace with stock.

I'd be curious to hear how everyone else is doing with their brakes.

Cheers.

Pdog

[ex35tdt]

I just wonder if we can use G37 brake and rotor. It works very well. You hit the brake and it stops right away instead of EX35 you have to keep your foot on the brake for a while.
My EX is 2010 so it will be a while before I ask my dealer if I can fit G37's on it.

[jmess]

Braking performance is impacted by vehicle weight and tires along with the brake swept area: Swept area of a brake is an important measure of it's effectiveness. The swept area of the disc is the total area contacted by all the brake pads in one revolution of the disc. So larger surface area pads and/or larger diameter rotors would increase the swept area.

The vehicle weight of the G37 Sedan is 3807 Lbs AWD and 3613 Lbs 2WD; the EX is 3979 Lbs AWD and 3783 Lbs 2WD. The EX has the same brakes as the G35 did according to Edmund's:

When it's really important, this 3,820-pound rear-wheel-drive EX also comes to a halt from 60 mph in 118 feet, an excellent performance from the G35-spec brakes and Dunlop SP Sport 7000 tires.

The G37 2WD Sedan with sport package brakes and tires does 60-0 in about 110 feet and the EX35 2WD does 60-0 in about 118 feet. With the additional weight of the EX AWD it probably takes another 2-5? feet longer to stop. The G37S has wider and stickier tires which helps.

I would agree the EX35 brake pedal feels a little soft during the first 25-30% of travel. This could be a function of the master cylinder and/or power brake pump pressure. Less effort for the initial brake application would make the car seem easier to drive by more people. I would prefer the firmer pedal feel that the G37 has but my wife likes the easy to drive feeling the EX brakes provide.

Nissan could solve the problem by adding the Sport Package option for the EX.

[PolarDog]

Update: At 35k miles, I had 10% of my rear brakes and 50% of my fronts left. I probably could have stretched it to 40k, but the dealer suggested that by doing so the rotors would have a much higher likelihood of damage. As it is, the rears were replaced and the rotors turned. Nothing with the fronts. Cost was $75 for the pads and $200 for labor (I had a 10% coupon to knock the price down a bit).

A few other asides:
1) Tires at 40%. I have the MIchelin Latitudes and they have done reasonably well for me.

2) I had the dealer change the auto lock function for me (so that now the doors lock and unlock when the shifter is moved from and to Park respectively). They did charge $62 for this even though I had the car in for other work, but I was left with the impression that this was not a trivial task.

3) I looked into the headrests with the integrated coat hanger. $330. I passed. He mentioned that although the color would match, the leather type/texture would be different.

4) Nav update. Just an echo from another recent thread: Dealer suggested I wait a bit more for this year's update.

5) I mentioned the lift-gate struts were weak now that it was getting cold. He offered to replace, but I declined. I told him I would keep mentioning this every time I brought the car in until a suitable solution was found.

Happy Saturday everyone.

[Jason Tucker]

Update: At 35k miles, I had 10% of my rear brakes and 50% of my fronts left....Happy Saturday everyone.

Hey Polardog...how come so little on the rear pads? 90% of the braking comes from the front brakes but you still had 50% left on the them. Will accidently leaving the parking brake on cause you to eat up your rear pads so much faster than the front?

[PolarDog]

I don't use the parking brake at all, so I'll rule that one out. I was hoping to get to 40K before replacement, but I'll count myself luckier than others. The premature wear of the rear brakes is well documented by others, which leads me to believe that it is a design flaw or a cost trade off. I know that the braking world got worse when asbestos dust was identified as a health hazard...