2012 Honda Odyssey Touring, 95K.
Customer was at the dealer to have some work performed under extended warranty. As part of their inspection the dealer advised the customer that their vehicle was due for front and rear brakes. According to the paperwork, the front brakes were at 2mm and the rear brakes were at 3mm. The dealer recommended replacing the front pads and machining the rotors, and for the rears, recommended a replacing the brake pads only (common for Honda dealers around here, they only recommend pad slapping the rears).
When I inspected the car, I found the front brake pads to have 5mm remaining (see picture). The rear pads had between 4.0mm-4.5mm. During my test drive, even at city speeds, I noticed the steering wheel was shaking violently every time the brakes were applied.
Did this van need a brake job? Yes, the front brakes needed to be done due to the vibration during braking. But the front brakes did require replacement due to wear - there was plenty of material left. And the rear brakes did not need to be done; Honda's wear limit is 1.6mm and I typically recommend service between 2mm-3mm unless another condition warrants attention sooner.
Was the dealer's recommendation for a front brake job, legitimate? I don't know. I think the car definitely needed a front brake job but not for the reasons that was presented. Perhaps the service writer/tech really felt the brake job should be done and unless it was presented as a wear (safety) issue, most people would pass?
Do you guys think the dealer was being somewhat fair or was this simply another case of someone being too hungry?
Customer was at the dealer to have some work performed under extended warranty. As part of their inspection the dealer advised the customer that their vehicle was due for front and rear brakes. According to the paperwork, the front brakes were at 2mm and the rear brakes were at 3mm. The dealer recommended replacing the front pads and machining the rotors, and for the rears, recommended a replacing the brake pads only (common for Honda dealers around here, they only recommend pad slapping the rears).
When I inspected the car, I found the front brake pads to have 5mm remaining (see picture). The rear pads had between 4.0mm-4.5mm. During my test drive, even at city speeds, I noticed the steering wheel was shaking violently every time the brakes were applied.
Did this van need a brake job? Yes, the front brakes needed to be done due to the vibration during braking. But the front brakes did require replacement due to wear - there was plenty of material left. And the rear brakes did not need to be done; Honda's wear limit is 1.6mm and I typically recommend service between 2mm-3mm unless another condition warrants attention sooner.
Was the dealer's recommendation for a front brake job, legitimate? I don't know. I think the car definitely needed a front brake job but not for the reasons that was presented. Perhaps the service writer/tech really felt the brake job should be done and unless it was presented as a wear (safety) issue, most people would pass?
Do you guys think the dealer was being somewhat fair or was this simply another case of someone being too hungry?
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