I am having some issues with the brakes on my ’08 Sierra 1500. I currently have 33k miles on it. Bought new. At 15k miles my rotors warped and I had to get them cut. I was upset about needing brake work so early, it was covered under warranty. 4 days beore Christmas I take it in for service and tell them the brakes are pulsing again. I get a call and am told that I need new front brakes. The rotors need to be turned again and I need new pads, as they are down to 2mm thick. I find out later 1 pad of 4 is down to 2mm, the rest look new still.
I was not told that only one of the pads was down to 2mm, the service writer took me out into shop to show the bad pad to me, I then look at the others and note the lack of wear on the rest. I asked that the brake work be covered under warranty because I had already had brake problems and felt that whatever caused the warped rotors at 15k miles caused the warpage was not fixed causing the accelerated wear on the pads.
I was declined by the service writer he told me the calipers came off when they turned the rotors the first time and the slide pins and grooves would have been cleaned and lubed at the time. It was snowing the beat heck at the time and it took me an hour to get to the dealer instead of 10 minutes, I worked that night and did not have the time to dig my heels in before I left. I called the service manager and pleaded my case again to him the next day after taking the old brake parts home with me. He turned me down also. So, I called GMC customer support, laid it out again and am waiting a call back from someone tommorrow. She had called the dealer, who told her the same thing they told me, that brake problems caused by sticking calipers are not covered under warranty, calling it an “environmental” issue causing the pins to stick. I understand that and would not argue my point if I had not already had work done on the brakes.
No one there seems to think that needing brake work done every 15k miles is odd, not normal or unacceptable. I do! I went 80k miles on my Saturn with original brakes and had them done because I wanted them done, not that the techs recommended it, same thing with my tires, they were still legal depth, but I did not want to drive though another winter with those tires. My ’04 Silverado went through 3 engines in 44k miles but I never had an issue with the brakes. I know how to drive, I was a mechanic in the Army, I was ASE certified in brakes and most every other specialty area offered at the time in auto and heavy truck. I only use the brakes when I need them and not only at the last second, steady even braking pressure then lift my foot holding just enough pressure to keep the vehicle stopped. Yes, I could do it myself, don’t want to though. I have never had a real good feeling about the servie dept. at this dealership. 494 and France or so. Hard to explain, just never felt good about it, sales experience was top notch though
Anyone else have issues with brakes like mine? Thoughts on what I can do if I get shot down in my request to have it covered under warranty? The vehicle has been back to the dealership for all recommended service, as have all my vehicles. If I am expected to do brakes on this thing every 15k miles, it is being sold and I may try a Ford this time. My track record with GM does not seem too good. Think I need 3 issues to apply for lemon law and it will be out of warrany soon.
Oh, just remembered this, service writer mentioned that brake issues could have been caused by mud from going off road collecting in the caliper grooves, only off roading I do is crawling across a usually frozen corn field while deer hunting. I was the truck probably once a week, have never thought to direft a blast of water onto the calipers to clean any debris off, this sounds a little hokey to me.
/ Rant off
Thanks for any thoughs or suggestions!
I’m can’t wait for feb. and redwing in the boat 