The front "original brakes" lasted 50-60 K. No ABS.

Next set, just replaced pads, got <15K (even wear) ceramics.

Next set, made sure rears where adjusted, turned rotors, got <9K (even wear, shuddering) semi-metal.

Replaced struts, shocks, front hubs, got it aligned somewhere in here.

Next set, New rotors, adjusted rears got 20K , but shuddering right side went to metal, left side normal wear for the miles, some goo on the leading edge. Has always stopped dead straight, no locking, even surprisingly smooth until metal to metal sound. Normal dust on wheels both sides (I cleaned them good)

This time, (I have 2 sets of rotors) turned rotors. semi-metal stops dead straight even in panic no locking.

What do you think, the right side dragging or the left side does not push or some other. Or the expensive replace/rebuild both calipers?

The brake pedal shows evidence of long term pedal riding, it was a rental.

I am used to replacing pads every 15K whether they need it or not, not "warped rotors" that's not the problem. It is the abnormal wear that concerns.

Donbrew

 

If I read this right I would have to think the right caliper is not releasing all the way.

It could be that the slide pins need cleaned and better lubed, the rings in the caliper that they sit on may be binding and not let the caliper pull back more.

It also could be the piston not releasing back into the caliper all the way.

Those are just two things off the top of my head that would cause that. The pad dragging is all that will wear them out so soon over the left side. Find what his keeping the caliper or piston from releasing an you will find the reason the right side is wearing more.

Normal wear on the left and stopping straight tells me it is working.

This is one of those things better to tell by looking but VA is a little far to see here.

I would check the caliper slide pins and the rings in the calipers to make sure they are not binding first. That is the cheapest thing. I have not priced a Caliper for the HHR but often rebuild calipers are price not too bad.

Are both pads worn even on the right side? A hanging caliper will often wear the one pad more than the other. But not always.

Sol you have any ideas?

 

Slides look OK.

Both inner & outer on right went to metal, outside all the way inside close enough to say metal. The weird thing is L & R both wore quick the last time.

There was some odd accumulation of crud on the leading edge of the L pads. Kind of gooey, not powdery.

I thought that if only the inner wore out CALIPER!, but then both went this time. And no pulling except for road crown effect, to the left, not right.

My current plan is to watch them closely for a few K then start pricing calipers, I think they are around $75. I just don't get the sometimes both sides, sometimes one side part.

I do about 50K a year and always plan on pads before 20K and try for at least turning rotors, sometimes just pads if they look OK.

Anyway, this could be part of the "warped rotor" thread since the symptoms while driving sound the same i.e. vibration upon semi-hard braking, but no pedal pulsing and sometimes no vibration at all. No locking up, except when backing down the driveway and slamming to self adjust the rears.

 

The slides on the HHR are really only bolts IMO. Not really much to do with them, just make sure they are clean and lightly lubed.

I have to agree, sounds like a caliper issue. If one is going it could cause the other to "overwork".

If everything is put back together correctly, I'd swap the calipers out with a good replacement set. With that low miles and the brakes "metal to metal", does sound like a sticking caliper. Might not be doing it each time, but that's what it sounds like to me. SOmetimes they are hard to disgnose and by the time you get it up in the are and spin the wheel to see if it's dragging, it could release. Next time your drive and get out, put your hand near the hub and see if you feel a lot of heat. It will be warm/hot reguardless, but if it's sticking, it will really be hot.

Keep us informed.

 

Now I remember why I put my IR thermometer in the car! That's been bugging me, this getting old stuff sure is getting old. I will try to check tomorrow.

 

Get down and smell too as somtimes you may catch a wif of hot pads.

What band of pads are you using as all are not created equil.

Check for heat but if it is not hot keep checking as like Sol said it may not do it all the time just some of the time.

Either way something is hanging up.

 

This update after about 4K. I could never get a consistent reading from the IR thermometer, sometimes one side higher sometimes the other. However, inspected the pads and everything seems equal now. I did have a lock'em up incident and there was smoke from the right side, not sure front or rear. Today I had another lock'em up and it went perfectly straight, no smoke just lot's of screeching. The damn fool sat at a stop sign saw all of the traffic in front of me (65 MPH) and decided the one with DRLs wasn't really there (me), scared the guy next to me and him lucky that he realized his mistake and got to the shoulder 20Ms before there was an impact that would have been very impressive and probably on the evening news due to deaths and road closings.

 

Could be a piece of trash got in there and is now gone. When I had my truck, I did a front pad replacement and afterwards had a odd noise in the front. I took it all back apart and could find nothing. Drove it a few weeks and the noise never went away. It was brakes I could tell by the sounds, but again could find nothing. So I took it to a shop I trusted. They test drove and heard it. Took the brakes apart, found nothing. Put it back together and no noise.

Their "professional" answer, .