I had the front brake pads replaced and the rotors cut about 2 years ago on my '96 V6 T100 and about a month after that service the brakes have squeeled when stopping. I took it back to the shop and they recommended I give up the lifetime pads they installed in favor of OEM pads. They said the pads they installed glazed the discs or something. I didn't have the superfluous cash at the time to make such a switch (as little as it probably is for OEM pads) and have lived with the squeel for these couple years. The last 8 months or so I get a grind if I apply the brakes too hard, so I been lightening up and trying to slow/stop more gradually to minimize any damage I might be causing but idiot drivers in my area like to stop short when there is 200' or something of stopping distance before a red light, so I don't have much choice on stopping slowly.

I don't have the resources to even have a mechanic look at it because I know it'll wind-up a $300+ job (I always get screwed by mechanics). My question is an economical one:

Where can I buy OEM brake pads (preferrably online) for the cheapest possible price (shipping low)? And how difficult is it to replace the front pads? I've only once replaced the front pads in my Isuzu pickup many, many years ago and found it pretty easy. Any special tricks I should know about with the T100? What does a warped rotor look like? (any pictures online?). The rotors were cut before, so I am concerned they might not be able to be cut again. Is it possible to bring the rotors to a service center and just pay for them to cut them again? If the rotors are not too bad, can I get away with just replacing the pads to at least buy me more time to get a complete overhaul of the brakes in say, a year?


My goal is to improve braking myself for the lowest possible price. If I were not in such financial difficulty I would just have a shop take care of it, but I really want to know for my own personal edification anyhow. I don't have a repair manual, so any tips would be appreciated.

Disc brakes are generally a pretty easy repair. OEM replacement pads can be found at most any part house (Autozone, Pepboys, Advance Auto, etc.) and should be fairly inexpensive, $20-$35. You can just pull the calipers, remove the old pads and put the new ones on. Use some brake grease (small packet usually comes w/pads). Now if your rotors are warped or severely glazed or gouged they'll at minimum need to be turned. You should be able to pull them yourself and take them to NAPA or the like and get them turned for $5-$10 each. But as you said if they've been turned once already they may not have enough material left on them and the shop won't turn them again, which means new rotors <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />. Good luck,

Found these on ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...p;category=33567&item=2426149328

Autozone and other auto parts stores do NOT sell OEM pads. OEM pads are from the OEM- Toyota.

I would highly recommend Toyota pads as well. They are about the best you can buy for your truck.

Replacing them is nearly as easy as changing a tire, however if your rotors are glazed, they probably need to be turned.

Check the T100 FAQ for discount Toyota parts sources.

youll probably be in need of new rotors now too . the squeling was probably because who ever did you pad replacemnt before didnt put the anti sqeuling thing back behind the pads when they were replaced. that with a little spot of grease to hold them in place . i almost didnt putthem in when i did my new brakes because they new pads didnt come with them , and they werent oem pads . but i slipped them in atthe last minute , my only problem was ,my rotors were so warped that i had to cut so much off that they warped again within a month . now i bought some slotted rotors which are sitting in my bedroom waiting for me to put them on , hopefully ill get to it tomorrow.

airrikk17

I just replaced the rotors on my 96 T, so if you are interested in purchasing my original rotors I would be happy to sell them. They do need to be turned but have never been done before so plenty of meat left. They actually look and feel pretty smooth except for one spot so you might even be able to get off without turning them, but that is not the recommended way to do it. Send me a PM if interested and we can talk price.

Hey, could you let me know how the slotted rotors work with the T's brakes? I have a Tundra, and am thinking about making that upgrade. I was hoping you could pass some feedback with it. I am pretty sure it's worth it...but, all opinions for me are good. :] Thank you. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/rodent.gif" alt="" />

see new post about the slotted rotors , jsut got them finished.

airrikk17

I installed cross-drilled rotors (power stop) rather than the slotted ones as the writeups I found (no longer have reference) seemed to say the drilled were better for the offroad applications, with less pad wear then slotted. I have not noticed too much difference yet but have not wheeled them and still waiting for the larger tires.

I may take you up on that rotor offer Kookadala after I get a chance to access how bad mine are. I ordered the pads from the eBay link above. I figure that is probably better than what I have on there now, warped rotors or not.

Can someone describe what a good rotor versus a bad rotor would look like? I imagine a good one is as smooth and flat as a CD's outward appearance, whereas a bad one would be grooved like a record with sorta a rolling hill surface. Would that be a fair comparison?

When I can afford to do better, I'd like some "tough as nails" braking system because I am one of those impatient drivers that likes to get where they are going in a very alert way and then stop and wait eagerly for the next opportunity to move forward (generally, when the traffic light changes green I look back seconds later and notice the car line behind me has just barely started moving - I just go the split second the traffic light changes green). The lethargic nature of drivers in my area is frustrating, but also very demanding on my brakes as I have to stop short often to compensate for bewildering, random stops many drivers perform here.

Maybe if I posted some pictures of what my rotors look like, I could get some opinions from you experts on here?