Brakes and inspections

[Yaworski]

Here in Pennsylvania, we have an annual vehicle inspection, something that doesn't bother me because it gets someone looking at my car every year.

Inspection was in July and I was told that my front brakes passed but just barely. I drive less than 5k miles per year so I figured that I'd put new pads on in the spring. After all, one would hope that a car that passes inspection should be good for a year of normal driving. Right?

My car started making funny noises so I took it to the mechanic. Front brakes are down to the backing. Huh?

I looked up the state minimums for front brakes. 2/32". Yeah, 0.0625 inches. That's not even worth mentioning. Who the heck came up with that as a minimum?

 

[Mike J]

Interesting, they quit requiring a state inspection here a long time ago. My daughter told me her brakes are making a noise, sometimes. I plan to take a look at them today. I suspect they will be okay for a little bit. If they will be okay for a week or so I will order the parts online. It is a lot cheaper than buying them locally.
At least the tech did tell you they needed attention.

 

[Yaworski]

Your tires' safe tread depth the same number. 2/32" is the almost universal state standard nationwide for your tires. Just think- your brake pads are in contact with resistance intermittently. Your tires are in contact with resistance 100% of the time.

Had I known that 2/32" was pass for brake pads, I would have had them done in July.

 

[ArizonaTea123]

I watch videos about mechanics inspecting vehicles up north where the roads are salted for winter snow.
The frames are rusted through, suspension parts not even connected. Bolts rusted or just missing. floor boards completely gone. Holes in fenders and quarter panels. Basically rolling death traps.
For all of you that live up north, what do you do about all that salt?

 

[Yaworski]

For all of you that live up north, what do you do about all that salt?

Rinse the car off at the car wash on mild days.

My 92 Roadmaster failed inspection in 2012 because the rear bumper supports had rusted beyond repair.
My daughter's 2002 Ford Focus failed for the same reason a couple years ago.

So far the 2002 Volvo and 2005 Prius are holding together.

 

[Richard76]

You can get your vehicle oil undercoated. they will drill holes in door panels tail gates and other places that could hold moisture and spray ATF or another treatment in these compartments also put vehicle on lift and spray underneath. I get my truck done every fall and I have hardly any rust. cost is about $100-$300 depending on treatment and garage

 

[Danjet500]

No inspections here but I have the brakes checked at every oil change. Last one for my wife's Jeep was at 88000 miles. Tech said I have at least half the pad left. I couldn't believe it but he said come take a look. Still driving on the original pads.

 

[Cholo]

Inspection was in July and I was told that my front brakes passed but just barely. I drive less than 5k miles per year so I figured that I'd put new pads on in the spring. After all, one would hope that a car that passes inspection should be good for a year of normal driving. Right?

No. If I have brakes that barely passed inspection I'd be looking to replace them ASAP to avoid more costly repairs, or worse.

 

[bobski]

brake pads are no longer made with asbestos. they wear out 5 times as fast today.

 

[pyth0n]

Here in Pennsylvania, we have an annual vehicle inspection, something that doesn't bother me because it gets someone looking at my car every year.

Inspection was in July and I was told that my front brakes passed but just barely. I drive less than 5k miles per year so I figured that I'd put new pads on in the spring. After all, one would hope that a car that passes inspection should be good for a year of normal driving. Right?

My car started making funny noises so I took it to the mechanic. Front brakes are down to the backing. Huh?

I looked up the state minimums for front brakes. 2/32". Yeah, 0.0625 inches. That's not even worth mentioning. Who the heck came up with that as a minimum?

The manufacturer determines the thickness for their models. DOT for commercial vehicles.
Generally the pads should have been changed at 2-3mm (.079 - .118 inches). I do mine when they reach 3mm.

This is what I see at the shops now days.

 

[protoolman]

Here in Pennsylvania, we have an annual vehicle inspection, something that doesn't bother me because it gets someone looking at my car every year.

Inspection was in July and I was told that my front brakes passed but just barely. I drive less than 5k miles per year so I figured that I'd put new pads on in the spring. After all, one would hope that a car that passes inspection should be good for a year of normal driving. Right?

My car started making funny noises so I took it to the mechanic. Front brakes are down to the backing. Huh?

I looked up the state minimums for front brakes. 2/32". Yeah, 0.0625 inches. That's not even worth mentioning. Who the heck came up with that as a minimum?

I would definitely not judge my maintenance off a state inspection.

 

[Yaworski]

No. If I have brakes that barely passed inspection I'd be looking to replace them ASAP to avoid more costly repairs, or worse.

If I had known what the state's idea of "good" was, I'd have done it in July. I wish that my guy would have said something like, "Your brakes are about shot" not "They passed . . . "

Back in my track eventing days, I'd replace my pads two or three times a year.

Now I know that "passing" according to the state really shouldn't be driven.

 

[Yaworski]

This has gotten me curious. I used to live in Maryland where they don't have annual inspections but they do have a "rigorous and thorough" inspection at the time of purchase. An MVA rep told me that Maryland's position was that their inspection was better than an annual inspection like Pa. or Va.

So I looked up Maryland's requirements. Their "rigorous" standard is 2/32" just like Pa's.

 

[wproct]

I live in Iowa and inspections are not mandatory, but I always have my service/oil changes etc done at a dealer rather than a quick-lube. They do routine brake checks etc as part of the service. I do tire rotation every 5,000 miles and balance every 10.000. That may sound excessive but it pays off on the life of the tires. They also check to make sure headlights and all other lights are functioning. Our current SUV has 107,000 miles on it and I intend to put at least 50,000 more on it. This is the first vehicle that I have put over 100,000 miles on, but if I trade it in it will be sold to someone else who will put them on it so why let the next owner benefit from the good care rather than myself. I can't afford to buy new vehicles anymore so you don't know how well a used car has been maintained.

 

[Yaworski]

This is the first vehicle that I ve put over 100,000 miles on,

My current car has 198,000 on the clock. My last car blew a head gasket at 170k. Every other car before that went over 200k.

The current car is starting to rust, so its days may be numbered.

 

[Joe Chartreuse]

They used to have full inspections here- FULL inspections. Now they just check emissions. Vehicles of a certain age are exempt even from that. My brakes are awesome.

 

[Johnnu2]

I watch videos about mechanics inspecting vehicles up north where the roads are salted for winter snow.
The frames are rusted through, suspension parts not even connected. Bolts rusted or just missing. floor boards completely gone. Holes in fenders and quarter panels. Basically rolling death traps.
For all of you that live up north, what do you do about all that salt?

I just wait until the gas tank falls out; then I junk it and buy a new car. I don't even wash my Toyota until Spring (unless I get a warm day before that). My Toy has 80,000 miles and still orig. brakes; just checked them myself on my neighbor's home lift and they appear to be still "half-way" there. p.s. the only car that I've had rust out was a 1970 Chevy that was 17 yrs. old. The Jap cars have had no problems with rust up here; ME, on the other hand: I'm rusting out badly ))).

J.

 

[Fox Mike]

Most all cars today have disc brakes and 'chirpers' to tell you the pads are getting rather worn. That's when you replace the pads; when you hear the 'chirp'. If you then wait you can then replace the pads and the rotors

 

[Mike J]

I looked at the brakes on my daughter's car today. The back needs to be changed. The front could probably wait a minute but I ordered the parts to do pads & rotors all the way around. They should be here Wednesday. The car is a 2004 Honda CRV we bought from an elderly widow about 4 years ago. This is the first time I've done them. She won't be doing much driving between now & then. Probably no more than a store trip for mom.

 

[Yaworski]

Most all cars today have disc brakes and 'chirpers' to tell you the pads are getting rather worn.

Oddly, my car doesn't.

 

[GasGuzzler]

These topics are generally comedic and full of internet untruths. I guess I should read all the replies before commenting but I will address post one first.

Texas finally outlawed inspections for 2025. I have (had?) an inspection license. Not sure about your State but in Texas the brake portion is inspected by operation, not measurement. The vehicle must stop from the standard test speed in the required distance that is marked on the ground at the inspection station. The pedal must not travel beyond a certain minimum distance from the floor as measured by a standard tool supplied. There can be no pull, wander, or excess or abnormal noise (their definition is more objective). Parking brake must hold vehicle still in drive at 1200 RPM. Texas never cared (and shouldn't) how much lining material is left on your brakes. A State inspection here was in no way related to a vehicle inspection by trained personnel actually looking for potential issues.

Minimum tire tread is 3/32" OR two adjacent wear bars contacting the road in the center of the tire tread. Most brake pads are in contact with some amount of resistance 100% of the time the wheel is turning.

Most new brake pads have linings that are 10-12/32" thick. All of my cars have the factory pads except my 2005 Bonneville. It has the old iron single piston calipers. The others all have over 180K miles on the original pads with modern cast aluminum calipers.

Hard to believe how politicians made bumper supports part of a State inspection. We don't have rust here and our inspections were $7 max State regulated before nixed.

Who does the maintenance on the car? It should have the brake lining inspected at every service. They should last dozens of oil change intervals so it's odd it snuck up on you. Relying on the State doesn't work.

Brake pads have not contained asbestos in over 40 years and saying that makes them not last is so incorrect I can't tell if the statement was supposed to be a joke. Front pads on GM half tons routinely go a quarter million miles. On a 1993 truck they last about 30K. Guess what? Gas no longer has lead either.

I haven't had many cars I didn't put at least 100K on and I haven't bought a new car since 1998 ... when I bought two ... the last two new ones. Wife has had the same vehicle (bought used) for almost 19 years so she might get a new one this year ... an actual new one.

Absolutely ZERO reason to replace rotors 95% of the time pads are worn out. That's over the top comment number two or seven. Lost count.

Some brake pad designs require the person putting them on to install the wear indicators onto the pads before the pads are installed. Seeing how sorry the world is I can also see how someone would buy pads for the indicators, take them, then return the pads leaving the next guy with no small parts. I have never seen pads without squeakers but I am sure someone makes them.

 

[Johnnu2]

If you are old, like me, and suffer hearing loss (especially certain frequencies) there is a good chance that you won't hear the 'squeakers'. I'm not as nimble as I used to be, AND my eyesight isn't as great; the only way I can check my pads is on a lift (and with younger eyes). I'll keep trying though... )

J.

 

[Topfueler1]

My friend lives in southern York Co., PA and I know about the vehicle inspections. He had his '16 Dodge Pick Up inspected this year. The truck has low mileage on it. He doesn't put that much mileage on it in a year. He has three vehicles. His front brakes the rotors were slightly pitted from setting and not being driven that much. The pads had plenty material left on. The truck almost failed because of the pitted rotors. His mechanic let it slide. He put some mileage on it and the slight pitting was gone.

 

[blume357]

"We don't need no inspections".

 

[Jakeintexas]

I’d suggest that relying on state mandated inspections to catch normal maintenance issues is probably not the best idea in the world.

 

[Richbaker]

These topics are generally comedic and full of internet untruths. I guess I should read all the replies before commenting but I will address post one first.

Texas finally outlawed inspections for 2025. I have (had?) an inspection license. Not sure about your State but in Texas the brake portion is inspected by operation, not measurement. The vehicle must stop from the standard test speed in the required distance that is marked on the ground at the inspection station. The pedal must not travel beyond a certain minimum distance from the floor as measured by a standard tool supplied. There can be no pull, wander, or excess or abnormal noise (their definition is more objective). Parking brake must hold vehicle still in drive at 1200 RPM. Texas never cared (and shouldn't) how much lining material is left on your brakes. A State inspection here was in no way related to a vehicle inspection by trained personnel actually looking for potential issues.

Minimum tire tread is 3/32" OR two adjacent wear bars contacting the road in the center of the tire tread. Most brake pads are in contact with some amount of resistance 100% of the time the wheel is turning.

Most new brake pads have linings that are 10-12/32" thick. All of my cars have the factory pads except my 2005 Bonneville. It has the old iron single piston calipers. The others all have over 180K miles on the original pads with modern cast aluminum calipers.

Hard to believe how politicians made bumper supports part of a State inspection. We don't have rust here and our inspections were $7 max State regulated before nixed.

Who does the maintenance on the car? It should have the brake lining inspected at every service. They should last dozens of oil change intervals so it's odd it snuck up on you. Relying on the State doesn't work.

Brake pads have not contained asbestos in over 40 years and saying that makes them not last is so incorrect I can't tell if the statement was supposed to be a joke. Front pads on GM half tons routinely go a quarter million miles. On a 1993 truck they last about 30K. Guess what? Gas no longer has lead either.

I haven't had many cars I didn't put at least 100K on and I haven't bought a new car since 1998 ... when I bought two ... the last two new ones. Wife has had the same vehicle (bought used) for almost 19 years so she might get a new one this year ... an actual new one.

Absolutely ZERO reason to replace rotors 95% of the time pads are worn out. That's over the top comment number two or seven. Lost count.

Some brake pad designs require the person putting them on to install the wear indicators onto the pads before the pads are installed. Seeing how sorry the world is I can also see how someone would buy pads for the indicators, take them, then return the pads leaving the next guy with no small parts. I have never seen pads without squeakers but I am sure someone makes them.

I certified in PA, in 1977, as a state qualified inspector. It was an 8 wk course, two nights a week. Inspections are dine by any certified repair shop, dealership, etc...
Body perforation, protrusions (like a bent bumper), glass cracks, and many other criteria BESIDES brakes, suspension, tires and those usual suspects are included. It is a very comprehensive inspection.
Iirc, it was biannual. I left PA in Nov, 1980. Don't know if it's still the same. At the time, PA's process was touted as a model every state should use.
When I came to AZ, I was amazed at the garbage that was allowed on the road.
In 2002, a friend who does tile, was driving his F250 4x4 when the front pads fell out. He continued to drive it, using the the E brake, for months, hauling boxes of tile and tools...

 

[Jakeintexas]

FWIW on many disc brake cars it’s pretty easy to look at the pads and see how much brake you have left. Certainly while they rotate the tires you can also get a good look.

And everyone knows what 5mm looks like; it’s just a little bit less than a .22 bullet diameter. So you can ball park scale things from there.

I’m in TX now which (thankfully) just got rid of its inspection. We have a car at the PA farmhouse so have to endure their annual inspection which is a PITA. Especially since we’re pretty keen on maintenance and keep the cars up. I don’t hold mandatory ‘safety’ inspection in high regard and if given a choice will register a car in a no or minimal inspection state (like FL or TX).

Moreover by requiring inspections, like everything else only the rule following folks get snagged by it. Illegals just drive without.

 

[Yaworski]

Iirc, it was biannual. I left PA in Nov, 1980. Don't know if it's still the same. At the time, PA's process was touted as a model every state should use.

Now it is simply annual.

A friend from Kentucky gave me a car, supposedly well maintained. The rear brakes were so worn that the parking brake cable fell off. Both motor mounts were broken and the flex pipe was broken. An annual inspection would have caught all of that.

I'm just astounded that 2/32" of brake pad is passing.

 

[blume357]

For those of you with these mandated inspections:
It's good to know if I go out of state to some of y'alls locations I'm safe while out on the road.

 

[GasGuzzler]

Now it is simply annual.

A friend from Kentucky gave me a car, supposedly well maintained. The rear brakes were so worn that the parking brake cable fell off. Both motor mounts were broken and the flex pipe was broken. An annual inspection would have caught all of that.

I'm just astounded that 2/32" of brake pad is passing.

The motor mount is not an inspect-able item under the recently nixed Texas law. In fact, we were strictly limited to inspection of the exact items in the manual for the exact failures only. It was a way to keep shady shops from using the inspection process the sell work. Any smart and moral inspector would fail a vehicle for what could fail it and not for things that wouldn't ... but be 100% sure the customer knows about something like a motor mount. Might still get the sale by being honest. The worst part was listening to customers whine having to pay (yes, $7) for a failure. The concept that they were paying for a fraction of the time the person took to perform the inspection was foreign and for some reason thought a failure was free. I only had to do new cars (good for two years) to be able to title them because my flat rate times even 2/10ths of an hour (the way we're paid) was more than $7 we were limited to charging by law.

Once failed, the VIN gets reported so other inspection stations know it recently failed and for what. Customer had 14 days to fix the failures anywhere they wanted (including at home) to get the re-inspection FREE. If after that time period or at a different shop, they would have to pay again. Re-inspection only varies or denies the failed item is repaired. So if you failed for a broken tail lamp and return to the same shop in less than 14 days with that lamp repaired, the inspector must ignore everything else.

It was a broken system that was bleeding money. No one was much safer, the inspectors could be bribed, people were sold unneeded repairs, and the cost to the State and the shops was immense. Now cops just write more equipment violations so local municipalities get the revenue not the State.

0/32" was passing here as long as the performance was up to snuff.