I took my car to Infiniti and had the rear brakes replaced about 6-7 months ago because the left rear brake was gone (I'm talking metal to metal). Yesterday I heard a grumbling sound coming from the same spot.. turns out... It's metal to metal again!! It's grinding on the rotor now.. again!

I look at the right side and it's totally fine. Aren't they supposed to last for thousands of miles?? I've probably only driven 2500-3000 miles since they were replaced. What could be causing my left rear brake to wear out so ridiculously fast?? Is there some type of warranty for the service Infiniti performed? What else beside them potentially doing a bad job could it be?

Thanks!

Hector

 

I can't think of an explanation of one side being worn out faster then the other... but I can easily say the factory rotors are horrible in quality and it could be that the rotors need to be replaced if they have already been re-surfaced a few times. I decided to just get all new rotors and pads and so far so good. I don't know if this issue was just on the g35's or the 37's as well.
How many miles do you have on your g?

 

Not sure if this thread should be moved to the Brakes section...??

 

I think they replaced the rotors too.. at least that's what it looked like on the invoice. Maybe I should just take it to Pep Boys/Autozone instead of being charged an arm and a leg for Infiniti to install crappy parts.

My G has about 56k miles on it and the rear brakes (and rotors?) were replaced at about 53-54k.

 

Could be a stuck caliper.

 

gotcha... I would make sure if they did replace the rotors or not. If they did I would take it back to the dealer and question their work and have them inspect and fix whatever that is causing the issue at no cost to you. No disrespect to autozone or pepboys employees but they wouldn't be able to tell you for sure because they're mainly re-tail and you would want someone that specializes in servicing your car.

 

Call the dealership and ask to speak with the service manager. If everything is as you say, then they SHOULD cover it under warranty unless there was some new and unrelated failure.

 

Yea I'm taking it back this weekend so that they can explain what happened since it's only been a few months. I hope they don't hit me over the head with random "if we fix this, it 'SHOULD' fix the problem."

If it's a stuck caliper, is that something that they can fix or will it have to be replaced? and any idea how much would that cost?

 

gotta be something like a stuck caliper.. how is your gas mileage? if it's dragging, your mileage should be really terrible I would think.

 

Mileage is horrible (at least to my standards)... Last time I checked the computer said the average mpg (mostly highway) was 15 or less

 

A "stuck" caliper can be caused by different things. If it is the slide pins sticking, then it is clearly the fault of whoever last did the brakes since they should have been checked out thoroughly at that time. If it is a piston that is binding, it becomes a little more grey as to who should cover it. If it is contamination/blockage in the hydraulic lines, then it seems to be an unfortunate, but unrelated brake issue.

I still can't imagine how you wouldn't have felt a severe dragging and/or pulling as well as noise if the brake was dragging so badly for the whole time. Assuming you weren't just oblivious to overt symptoms, it almost makes me wonder if they "forgot" to do one of your brakes when the last job was completed.

 

yeah something wrong with the piston on the caliper.. from your mileage and brake life of 2500 miles it sounds like almost like driving with the parking brake lol.

I'd open up the caliper, and use a screw clamp and see if you can back it off(compress piston), and how dirty it looks around the edges. If you aren't comfortable taking the brakes apart please have an expert check it out, your safety is not worth it if you are not sure.

 

Generally, I'm very good with noticing when my car doesn't feel right. It always drove well and besides the low mpg, it felt fine. Occasionally, I would hear a slight grinding (don't know if 'grinding' is the right word) noise, the kind you might hear when you just replaced your brakes, but it would go away within a minute of driving. I figured it was brake dust or moisture from the weather.

I don't have the proper tools to do the job myself, so I'm at the mercy of the dealer =(
I hope it's something that they cover under warranty. I don't wanna have to pay $500 for them to fix the problem and redo the brake/rotor.

 

Like I said, talk to the service manager. If you explain your situation, as a good will gesture, he might be willing to do a thorough inspection for free, determine the exact cause, and then cover if it is their fault. And if it's not covered, you could choose to have it done somewhere cheaper. You won't know until you ask.

 

Yea, I spoke with the service manager that helped me last time. I'm going to see what he can do when I drop the car off tomorrow. He seems like a nice fellow.

Thank you to everyone for your help! I will keep you posted on the outcome