I have an '04 manual with only 14K miles and my rear brakes are shot. The dealership said it's because I don't drive it enough and it's sitting around with the parking brake on. The warranty is covering the calipers and I have to pay for the new pads. I have two questions. One, should I push to get them to pay for the pads tooor is this due to my negligence? And two, does anyone know how I can prevent this in the future? The dealership said the only thing I can do to keep it from happening again is to drive it more, which is a total waste of time, gas, and the environment. Since it's a manual I always put the parking brake on but would it be ok to just leave it in gear? Thanks for your help!

 

The cause is probably bad calipers, period. However, the brake surfaces are NEVER covered under warranty, even if something else causes them to go bad.

The one thing to check is whether the brake pads slide freely in the guides. I've heard some people complain that the little tabs are too big for the guides and they had to file them down a little to prevent them from binding up (which would cause premature wear).

 

I'd interested in knowing if you can leave the car in gear. I do that with my motorcycle(s) and have not had any problems so my answer is going to be that you can leave the car in gear instead of using the parking brake.

Check the forum name though and take it with a grain of salt. knowhutimean?

bad

 

I always set my parking brake, even with an automatic. When I had a stick, I wouild leave it in gear *and* apply the parking brake.

But that does remind me.... there is also an issue with the parking brake cables- in areas where the roads are salted, the cables on some cars get contaminated and seize up, in as few as two winters. If you see that the little boots on the brake cables are damaged, or if they do not seem to move freely, it's a good idea to replace them.