2002 Subaru Forester L, drum brakes in rear
Asked by Idgie1225 Apr 17, 2015 at 03:40 PM about the 2002 Subaru Forester L
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
A garage told me they were replacing the rear brakes. I got the car back, and the rear
passenger side is making a clicking noise when I apply the brakes. I came to discover
that the brake shoes and rotors weren't replaced, only the drums. When I asked why they
didn't do the job, the mechanic told me the rear brakes last the life of the car. They told
me that the drums were warped. My car came equipped with anti-lock brakes.
5 Answers
I'm a little confused. Did you want all the brakes done? Like new pads and rotors on the front, and new shoes and drums on the rear? And all they did was put new drums on the rear without doing the brake shoes? Rear drum brakes do not last the life of the car. Never bring your car there again.
They did the front calipers, rotors and pads and told me the drums in the rear were warped. They changed the drums. I thought that the pads or shoes have to be changed when the drums get changed, especially with almost 190k miles. Do you happen to know what the minimum allowed thickness is for the shoes in the rear? These rear brakes are drum brakes.
I have never heard of a minimum brake shoe tolerance. Usually it's only the thickness of the rotors and drums. Nobody turns them anymore. They just replace with new. I have no idea why they wouldn't have changed the shoes. If they have the drums off, why not just do the whole job? I can't believe that with 190k, they are still original. Unless the rear shoes were never adjusted correctly and they have never really worked. Very odd........
I also just discovered that the anti-lock brake unit is missing. It is usually under the carpeting of the front passenger seat!
I'm not sure how removing it would affect the system. Never seen it done before. Maybe the rear brakes have never worked since they removed the ABS. The only way to know if they are working is to remove the drum and lightly press the brake pedal to see if the piston is moving the shoes. Who knows, they may have converted it all back to the old system.
