Rear Brake Question

[cltpanther]

I don't see a search function, so sorry if this is discussed in another post. I have a 2008 Nissan Rogue AWD. My brakes were squeaking with 28k miles on them. Took the Rogue to Tire Kingdom this morning for an inspection. They said the front brakes look new, but the rear ones are almost gone. They also said the rotors had bad heat spots from where the brake pads were constantly touching the rotor, so I have to replace the rotors and get a brake fluid flush as well. $500 dollar *&)*(& brake repair with 28k miles on it. WTF????? Anyone else heard any issue with the rear brakes?

[philipa_240sx]

Usually I see rear brake problems on vehicles driven in northern climates where they use lots of road salt. I don't think N.C. gets much snow or uses road salt?

Regardless, rear disc brakes do require more maintenance than the drum style. This is partly due to the fact rear brakes are subjected to a lot more debris... mostly thrown up from the front tires. This debris can become lodged in the moving parts of the brake system and eventually the pads will 'seize' within the calipers causing uneven wear, noise, rotor warping, etc. Note: This problem is not specific to Nissan but to many vehicles with rear disc brakes.

The solution is simple: Disc brakes need to the thoroughly disassembled, cleaned and lubricated on an annual basis, usually in the spring. In northern climates, you may have to do this more frequently, maybe every 6 mos. With proper maintenance, they should last a reasonably long time.

I wrote up a very detailed DIY article on disc brake service. You can find it in the Technical Information Articles section of the forum:

http://www.nicoclub.com/articles.php?id=425794

[Cypress_1973]

Ya, Philipa is 100% correct. Every vehicle I've owned with rear disc brakes required more maintenance on the rears. I constantly had to adjust them, lube em, and usually had to get them replaced twice, compared to only once in the front. It isn't just the Rogue. It's basically every vehicle with rear disc brakes.

[kerrton]

What adjusting do you do to the brakes? I thought they were self adjusting - I took mine apart and cleaned and lubed them last year and I wasn't aware of anything that needed to be adjusted. Can you elaborate? Thanks.

[philipa_240sx]

Sorry, I was using some general terms. There is no 'adjustment' for most disc brake systems.

I'll edit my previous post.