How To Inspect Brake Pads

You can see the brake pad of several cars through the wheel holes. In order for the inspection to be better, you’ll need a flashlight. Most often you don’t even have to lift your car, but we still recommend lifting your vehicle on a jack. This will help you to get a better angle to look at your brake pads when the wheels are lifted. Look closely at the contact side between the brake pad and the disc rotor using your flashlight. If your brake pads are starting to look thin, then they will need a replacement. As a rule of thumb, your brake pads should be thicker than 1/4 inch or at least 3 mm remaining, but if it’s less than that, you’ll need a new one. 

Sometimes a visual inspection doesn’t cut it, you’ll have to check the brake pad thickness to be sure. 

1. To determine the thickness, you can use a soft material something like a straw. 
2. Slide a straw between the caliper and the rotor. Push till the straw hits the brake disc and comes to a stop. 
3. Use a marker and mark on the straw as close to the brakes as possible to get an accurate measurement.
4. With the help of a tape or ruler, measure the space between the end of the straw and your line. 
5. You’re not done yet. There’s one more step. The brake pad backing plate has a thickness of about 5 mm. 
6. You’ll have to subtract it from the number you get. This will give the approximate thickness of your brake pads.
7. After you subtract from 5 mm, if the thickness of your brake pad is less than 1/4 inch or 3 mm, then it’s time for new pads. 

The above two steps can help you know the thickness of a single brake pad without removing the wheel. However, you’ll have to check all your brake pads to know how they are performing. Check your brake pads for signs of uneven wear and tear. Uneven wear and tear usually mean there is an underlying issue with the other brake components as well which needs your attention. 

Even if the thickness of your brake pads appears to be the same, there are other things, you should look out for. There are chances that your front brake pads are fine, but your rear brake pads are worn down. This is also a form of uneven wear. Visually inspect the entire length of your brake pads. It has to be the same throughout. Even a smaller variation needs a closer inspection as it can indicate various issues. Similarly, you’ll have to check the thickness of the front and rear brake pads, as well as the left and right brake pads. If you find a difference in thickness, then you might have uneven wear or tear and they might need an alignment. 

However, it is common to have more worn pads on the front wheels than the rear ones because the front brakes have more braking impact than the rear and so are likely to fade quicker.

If you check the brake pad by removing the wheels, you can be certain of their condition. Roughly, the front brakes do three-quarters of the braking all the time. Hence, they tend to wear out three times faster than the rear brake pads unless you drive a truck and haul heavy loads or tow. Here are a few steps as to how to check the front brake pads.

1. Park your vehicle on a level surface and loosen the front lug nuts. 
2. Jack up the front of your vehicle and secure it on a jack stand. 
3. Now remove the front wheel and you’ll be able to see the pad thickness through the edge of the caliper.
4. With the help of a vernier caliper or scale, you can check the brake pad thickness. 
5. If your brake pad has a thickness of less than 3mm, then you’ll have to replace the brake pads
6. Install the wheels again and lower the vehicle to the ground.

A. Pedal Feel

If your steering wheel is vibrating, or if the brake pedal feels squishy or travels more before braking occurs, then it is a sign that your brake pads are worn out. You will still be able to apply brakes, but you will have to put more pressure than normal on the brake pedal for the vehicle to come to a stop. 

B. Listen To Your Brakes For Noises

If you hear any grinding, squeaking, or growling noise as you step on the pedal, then it is a sign that the brake pads are worn out. The brake pad, which produces a high-pitched squeal, has little metal tabs set to touch the disc while the pad is  3mm worn. When you press on the brakes, the squeal of the wear indicator will go out. The tabs cannot damage by rubbing the disc but if you allow it to last too long, there will be no friction to stop the discs since the friction material on the pads is completely worn out. If the metal backing plates grind on the discs, it would be significantly less effective to stop and may damage the discs as well.

C. Pulling

As you apply the brakes, if your car is pulling towards one side or other, then it is a sign that the brake pads are worn out unevenly. This is where you need to re-visit both sides for even amounts of wear. The caliper may be poor when one side has little wear. Or if a pad is worn on one edge but not the other,  then it may not be parallelly and solidly touching the disc. You should always replace the brake pads in pairs, even if just one of them is worn out.