How often should I get my brakes cleaned?
John's Question: "My service
manager suggested I have my rear brakes cleaned
and adjusted. This is a $41 item. I agreed to
it last year. Is this work necessary on a yearly
basis?"
It
depends on what kind of vehicle you have. My first
suggestion would be to check your owner’s manual
and see what the manufacturer recommends as the
interval for this service. Make sure you look under
the “severe service” schedule, as that is the only
one applicable to Arizona driving conditions. Even
if there is no listing in your owner’s manual for
a rear brake cleaning and adjustment, I think it’s
a good idea to do it annually so long as the shop
is also doing a visual inspection of your front
brakes at the same time. Keep in mind however that
brake adjustment is more mileage driven than time
driven. If you were only putting 8000 miles on
in a year, then I would do this service every 18
months instead of annually.
