what could be the cause of my brake pad wearing down so fast?

5

Asked by SheyChumley Jun 10, 2014 at 08:13 PM about the 2003 Pontiac Grand Am SE

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I had my front brakes done a little over two weeks ago, before i got them done the right
side was making a scrapping sound. So my boyfriend took the brake pad off and it was
completely gone, something was cutting into the pad.
He replaced the caliper, the clips, rotors and brake pad. At first they were getting hot
and i noticed it was smoking a few times. Its been 2 &1/2 weeks and i started hearing
the awful scrapping noise coming from the right side again. The brake pad is
completely gone and i'm so frustrated. My boyfriend has done brakes before and this
never happened until now. Before i bring it in to the shop and spend lots of money, i
would like to know if there could be something causing this.

4 Answers

5,125

Some people drive with two feet (believe it or not) and constainly have their foot on the brake.

2 people found this helpful.
1,605

Ignore all the rude smart ass answers the few jerks on here give. You may need to replace the brake caliper and/or the hardware that goes with it. These should be changed out in pairs, but sometimes people don't .

4 people found this helpful.
10,665

First: Check the condition of the steel around where the caliper mounts. If it's rusty, or dinged up, it can cause the caliper to bind in an awkward position instead of re-centering itself after using the brakes. This will wipe out the pads very fast, even with a new rotor and new caliper. Second: Check the proportioning valve at the master cylinder. You might be stopping the car on front brake only.

7 people found this helpful.

Your Answer:

Grand Am

Looking for a Used Grand Am in your area?

CarGurus has 67 nationwide Grand Am listings starting at $1,000.

ZIP:

Own this car?

Share your experience with others.

2003 Pontiac Grand Am

Review another car

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    tenspeed
    Reputation
    10,970
  • #2
    james sparrow
    Reputation
    2,360
  • #3
    John Saffrahn
    Reputation
    2,280
View All

Know more, shop wisely

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used Pontiac Firebird
11 Great Deals out of 362 listings starting at $5,950
Used Pontiac Grand Prix
8 Great Deals out of 185 listings starting at $1,500
Used Honda Accord
1,537 Great Deals out of 29,298 listings starting at $600
Used Ford Mustang
885 Great Deals out of 22,945 listings starting at $1,150
Used Toyota Camry
2,107 Great Deals out of 37,491 listings starting at $575

Used Cars For Sale

2005 Pontiac Grand Am SE For Sale
4 listings starting at $1,000

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.