Hypermiling helped ruin my brakes. Toast after only 25k km / 15k miles

[user removed]

This looks like a problem that is environmental. I don't see this kind of corrosion where I live which has little snowfall and salt on the roads. I do use my pressure washer to clean the undercarriage of my cars probably twice a year and the cars (not the truck) sit in my garage when not in use. I know that is not an option for many here.

With the unavoidable environmental issues many here face, if I was in the same situation, I would probably pull my wheels at least annually, in the spring when things started to warm up enough where freezing temps became less of an issue. Then I would take my pressure washer and thoroughly clean the whole undercarriage of my vehicles. When I got my truck, I did this and found dirt accumulations on the undercarriage, especially on the steel brake lines going to the rear brakes. Combined with severe winter weather and road salt, the dirt holds the salt and moisture and allows it to corrode everything much worse than it would if it was cleaned fairly frequently.

While it would not solve the problem completely, it would at least reduce the cumulative effects of the causes of corrosion. On my truck I actually had to mechanically scrape some of the accumulations off the get all of the crud off some areas, even after pressure washing.

A scotch abrasive wheel on an electric drill would clean the rotors up nicely at the same time as the wheel removal-pressure washing was done.

regards
Mech

[user removed]

I never touched the front or rear brakes on my VX from 27k to 62k miles. The car sat for 14 years between the time it was totalled and when I bought it. I did change the brake fluid when I got it back on the road and at 62 k miles, when I sold it, the front pads had at least 50% of the pads left. Rotors looked great.

When I changed the brake fluid I noticed the rubber seals under the cap for the brake master and clutch master were disintegrating from the fluid deterioration, but that was all of the damage.

A fluid flush every couple of years in the spring when humidity is low is a good preventative maintenance.

regards
Mech

[Xist]

Metro, what did you end up doing?

You know, I do not enjoy when it is 120° outside, but apparently I save myself all kinds of problems, although I was a heat casualty a week ago.

Go Army.

[rmay635703]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Do you have any information that a film of WD-40 won't "dissipate from the rotor with the first applications of the brake"?

(EDIT: of course, assuming a fairly aggressive application, enough to generate heat)

Washing and waxing my brakes actually had some lasting affect if you don't like WD-40

Pressure washing also helps remove some of the crud if you do it often with wax.

and yes I do that occasionally on my cobalt when the brakes stick