I changed mine at 12,000 to eliminate the brake dust. Only vehicle that I have ever owned that had the dust problem.

 

My rotors did not warp but were simply worn out. The brakes got hard use in the mountains and I wanted them replaced before I bought the company car for my wife. First time I have had the brake rotors actually wear out before the OEM pads.

 

No kidding - someone at Five Star Ford in N Richland Hills told me that, with all the chronic congestion on 820 and I-35W, he sees some people needing new pads after only 20,000 miles.

Of course, there are people in front of me who have hit the brake so hard that I wondered if their rotors were still round afterwards.

If you are squeaking, keep in mind that could be a brake pad issue, a rotor issue, or a caliper issue. If the squealing doesn't fall in line with the average amount of time you usually have your pads replaced, please take the truck to a DEALER. I've learned the hard way that no one else really does a good job AT ALL with brakes than your dealer.

 

What is so special about a dealer? You must have taken your vehicle to some of the ripoff national chains. I trust my local independent garages far more than I trust either chains or dealers. When I go to my independent garage, I know who is doing the work and their expertise instead of the next person on the list at the dealership who generally replace everything instead of just what is needed.

 

Changed mine at 29k Worn as can be.

 

I have a fairly conservative driving style, and must also give some credit to the wife, since she drives it a lot too...but we don't know how long the pads on our '01 Screw will last...the originals are at 101,000 and still have some life left.

Original front pads on our '90 Ranger lasted 13 years and 216,375 miles.

 

You have MECHANICS working on your truck as opposed to TECHNICIANS... There are a lot of short cuts in brake work and sad to say but probably over 50% of the shops you take your car to get serviced at will pull this.

 

Your Technician is a mechanic who went to a class or a wanna be mechanic who went to a class. The certificate on the wall doesn't differentiate. You're really gullible if you think the "technician" at the dealership doesn't take short cuts. Some bill out parts so they will be paid for the installation and don't install them. I go to my independent garage (I live in a small town) because they depend on their reputation to stay in business due to repeat work and they have thrived.

 

Now tell the truth.
You lived on top of a hill.
Your job was top of another hill.
In 13 years, you never caught the Red Light in the town down in the valley you coasted thru.

The '04s and up are a lot heavier, pad life would go down compared to a lighter vehicle even with the same driver.

 

I live in south Louisiana...I have long heard of these things you call "hills" but I've never actually seen one...do they really exist?

My house sites at 22'>msl. My office, 16 miles away, is at around 30'>msl. That's a "grade" if you want to use the term loosely, of 0.0095%.

Probably more due to conservative driving style, lots of highway miles, manual transmission, and the small, light truck.

I agree that the '04s and up are a lot heavier, but you would think FoMoCo would have upgraded the brakes to go along with that weight.

 

That must be where I fall too. My '99 has 69k on it and the pads are fine.

 

I changed the front pads on my '99 at 75,000.
Still have the factory rear pads at 92,000.

 

Amen.

I'm not going to say which chain is the worst I've run into, but I will say that both words of the name are "intelligently" misspelled with a "K" instead of a "Q" or a "C", the first word being a synonym for "fast" and the second a 3-letter word describing a certain type of "vehicle."

Which is why when I don't have time to do it myself, it's off to the dealership it goes.

I haven't yet run into a good garage mechanic up here, but I will say that interestingly enough I have to take my truck to the dealership LESS than I ever had to take it to my mechanic in Galveston....and the bill is cheaper too.