Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Brake Work Today

I'm replacing the brake pads on a 2017 RAM 2500 4wd. The fronts are finished. Found all of the pads were seized at mounting tabs and one caliper mounting pin seized. The vehicle has 64k on the original brakes. My takeaway is replace everything at 50k no matter what the condition. The rears are next on the schedule. Corrosion under the alloy clips is the biggest problem I'm having. The rust grows and seizes the pad mounting tabs.

I started replacing pads early years ago. Staying up on brake issues saves me a ton of money. I have an '09 Subie outback and a '95 F-150. It's a PITA labor of love!

300k miles on our Ram 3500 4x4 and haven't had to put rotors on it yet. I think we've put 4 sets of pads on in 7 years. We tow over weight regularly but try not to race up to stops and never ride the brake.

2012 Fusion we just bought.
Noticed brake noise, and checked.
Pretty sure someone ran a pad down and ate the rotor.
Then replaced pad.
Rotor is a mess.

Can't find my anti-sieze, so I need some.


Just got back from the parts house.

Front rotor, mid grade pads.
Standard rear pads.
Small set if 3/8 drive Torx bits to remove rotors. Thought I had them, not sure.
Little tool to screw piston back in.
Bottle of brake lube,
small container of anti-sieze.

I'm in over $200.


Bought this car because it's listed as one of the most reliable used cars.

Put two new tires on it. $300
Needs struts, tie rod ends, and alignment.
I'll do the work, about $400.
Alignment is $70.

$1000 in this thing I paid $6k for.

Last car was a 95 Subaru.
$1500. Ran it 4 years.
$400 paying someone to do timing belt, cam/crank seals, water pump...
Swapped the newer tires from my junker.
$100 filler tube.

Not another dime in it.


I hate cars!

I know what you mean. When finished I feel like I accomplished something.

I change brakes every 200k whether they need it or not.

Neighbors love squealing... always waving at me with hand gestures.

I would add a portable sand blaster to recondition the mounting points. They work great and save lots of time.

I put anti seize on my wallet but the GF still got to it

Me too

Change mine every 50,000 miles.

That's a good idea, I should regularly swap out my girlfriends too.

Smart man. Keeps things fresh.

All I have to say is "Thank goodness for disc brakes!"

I had to stop at inspection on the rear's. Need to order OEM parts. The TRW pads used on original are close to artwork, besides I get 25% discount at the dealer. This only puts the parts 5% -10% over priced. Definitely worth it.

Unfortunately I always plan on spending $1000.00 on repairs if buying a used vehicle

No joke. I don't even jack with drums. Just take it to the shop for that.

I've found that using a 4x4 truck around here for offroading/hunting (mud and water) will certainly eat up some brake pads and wheel bearings. Put two new front hub assemblies on my Tacoma last week. Water had eaten them up and they were flopping and popping. What sucked was that the hub puller the wife rented at OReilly had buggered threads, which meant another trip to town to swap it out. Should've just left the truck with my mechanic from the start and went hunting.....

I used to think this.

Back in the days before rear disk and brine on the roads.


Now, I think the xtra work of drums is offset by the PITA of
stuck rusty slides that cause so much trouble.

Worn pads, damaged rotors.

A tight brake that triggers the ABS system on a slick road.
That one is a real treat.
One brake slides because it's sticky.
ABS senses a "skid" and reduces the effectiveness of the other 3.


Drums are more reliable, and less trouble.

If having to do a semi large purchase, I have had good luck with rock auto. I was suprised how much cheaper they were on belts, water pump, etc...
BTW, I am in no way affiliated with rock auto. Just passing it on

I went with OEM parts to maintain performance levels. I'm open to aftermarket parts if I was changing all four at once. Has anybody used Carquest Lifetime guaranteed pads and rotors? What do you have to do to get a replacement set? I would be interested in no question asked return policy.

I get as much as I can from Rock Auto. My '05 Dodge 4x4 2500 has been a brake headache. Calipers locking up, ate rear rotors. Put pads on the front (don't recall the brand but they were towing-heavy use rated) completely faded out pulling the RV. Rock replaced those free. Replaced all the slide hardware with stainless steel. Had the replace the e-brake shoes. One thing after another.