I have a 2016 S60 T5 Inscript with about 52K miles. Does anyone know the average or expected mileage life of standard rear brake rotors? I ask because I have a wobble happening, sounds like the rear, esp. between 40 and 55 mph. Also I have a wear pattern on driver's side rear, inner tread. Would that more likely be an alignment or balance issue? I've had warped rotors on past vehicles with similar symptoms. I'll be getting it looked at in the next 30-45 days but like to be armed with at least the right questions. Thanks!

 

If you are getting a wobbling at 40-55, I would suspect your alignment/ wheel balance rather than the rotors. If you rotors were warped there would be vibration when braking. If you feel the vibration in the steering wheel, it's the fronts. Given your uneven tire wear, I would assume you need an alignment and balance your tires. I always ask for a print out of the alignment when I get them to see that everything is within spec and they didnt just "Toe and go" Also if your tires are very worn, you may need new ones. If your car has never had the brakes done, it will definitely need some soon! As far as rotor life goes, I personally swap them out when I do brake pads. I use FCP Euro for all my parts which are backed with a lifetime replacement warranty which makes replacing rotors when doing pads even more worth it. With how few miles you have on the car I would not suspect any suspension components to be of concern.

 

Does the printout show the target alignment spec and the result together? I use an independent shop, it'll be interesting to see if they can or will provide a printout. I don't have any vibration when braking. Is there a quick way for me to check the wear on the pads without taking things apart? Thanks for your input - much appreciated.

 

Yes it shows information so a customer can understand what was done. It's not uncommon for shops to give you this sheet without asking. I attached 2 images below. One is the alignment sheet and the second is a tool to measure pad life. I eyeball my brake pads through the rim to see how much life is left in the pad. Usually when you get to the 1/8" area, you are getting close. Most mechanical wear sensors will start screaming at under that thickness. You can get the pad check tool almost anywhere, even amazon or harbor freight. Im sure an autoparts store will have one and maybe even an employee nice enough to look at the brake pads for you if you're lucky.

 

Thanks for all your help!

 

+1 on what DIngus1 noted. if you have uneven tire wear, that could be alignment or a suspension or strut issue. Vibrations can be wheel balance/tire wear or perhaps an axle. What you can do is a simple front to rear rotation and see if that changes anything. Are your tires noiser than normal as well? Does the vibration or sound change when in a sweeper turn going left or right? You can also do a visual inspect on axle boots and raise the wheels and rotate by hand to see if you can feel any brake drag etc.

 

As a side note, I keep my alignment print outs but had a shop show me how they can get the print out to read what they want without actually doing the alignment. All they have to do is tap on the heads attached to the tires and bump them in the desired direction. Suddenly a perfect alignment and any problem is obviously due to the customer's ignorance.