Looking at how bad the brake system is, the mechanic said, "Why didn’t you get this checked earlier?"

Early in the morning, a Toyota Corolla pulled into the shop. The car owner immediately asked the mechanic to take it for a test drive, as there was an abnormal noise when applying the brakes.

During the test drive, the mechanic confirmed the brake noise was present. The sound came clearly from the right front wheel, while the left front wheel produced barely any noise at all.

After getting out of the vehicle, the mechanic inspected both the left and right front wheels and noticed two obvious abnormal signs:

We’ll show four comparison photos to reconstruct what we saw on site. The picture below shows the right front wheel with a heavily blackened inner rim.

Upon examining the brake rotor, numerous linear scoring marks can be seen across its surface, indicating an abnormal condition.

The picture below shows the left front wheel. There is no noticeable black brake dust on the inner side of the wheel rim.

Take a look at its brake rotor; the surface is smooth, which is the normal condition for a brake rotor.

After seeing these conditions, the mechanic told the owner straight away that there must be an issue with the right-side brake system, and the tire needed to be removed for further inspection.

Let’s go over a basic automotive principle first. Vehicle braking works by two brake pads rubbing against the rotating brake rotor sandwiched between them. The friction generated slows the car down or brings it to a complete stop.

Let’s examine the brake assembly of the right front wheel:

The uneven wear of the brake pads shown in the picture above is a typical case of one-sided brake pad wear. Now look at the brake assembly on the left front wheel in the picture below. The brake pad pointed out by the green arrow still has plenty of thickness, which is the normal standard thickness.

The mechanic explained that the root cause of uneven brake pad wear lies in the caliper slide pins highlighted in the red area of the picture below. If these pins seize up, they will trigger one-sided wear on the brake pads.

After the mechanic pointed out the fault, the car owner felt a sense of dread. Fortunately, no more serious damage had occurred. The mechanic asked the owner, “Why didn’t you get this checked earlier?”

The owner replied that the abnormal brake noise had appeared a long time ago. He thought the noise would go away on its own and never imagined the brake pads would suffer such severe uneven wear. It was all due to his carelessness!

All motorists can learn a lesson from this case. If you notice anything unusual with your vehicle, be sure to take it to a mechanic for inspection promptly. It’s far better to confirm there’s nothing wrong than to risk costly damage later.