Brakes, Brakes and More Brakes…Help! 2018 Mazda3

[Mazdamike88]

Hey! I have a 2018 Mazda 3 Sport and I love it! However, I have replaced the brakes and rotors so many times since I bought it in 2020. The most recent news is, they can’t figure out why the right rotor is heating at such a higher temp than the front left. We have replaced, brakes, rotors, brake lines, calipers, and now they are saying it might be the wheel bearing.

What is going on?! I love my car but I am ready to be done with it. I never replaced so many brakes in my life on one car in such a short time.

Any insight would help!!

 

[200955]

When you say that you've replaced the brakes many times have YOU actually replaced them or some shop? Under inspection are the pads wearing severely or the rotors as well? If you had a wheel bearing running hot enough to heat the entire rotor I doubt you could even drive the car or at the least the noise from the bearing would be horrendous from a cooked bearing. In order to get a handle on this you really need a thermal laser gun (about $29.00) to compare the difference in temperature side to side. Perhaps the hotter side is working and the cooler side not so much. There are many reasons if a set of pads are binding and creating heat:
1.- Rust-jacking behind the pad mounting slide guides rendering too tight a fit
2. Sharp edges or protrusions on the ears of the pads digging into mounting guides
3.- Bent caliper guide pins or poorly lubricated
4.- Distorted mounting bracket or excessive rust on the caliper slide area distorting pad angles
5.- Piston binding in the caliper due to being "cocked" slightly - piston comes out but won't return

Usually the surface of the rotors and pads tell the true story of what's happening but sometimes the solution isn't that simple. Correcting the problem by parts substitution (as far as the rotors and pads go) hasn't resolved the issue and if the over heating is truly present you must look elsewhere. I suspect the caliper is the problem but a flex hose that has internally separated could maintain unwanted return pressure at the caliper.

 

[Mazdiod2]

Hey! I have a 2018 Mazda 3 Sport and I love it! However, I have replaced the brakes and rotors so many times since I bought it in 2020. The most recent news is, they can’t figure out why the right rotor is heating at such a higher temp than the front left. We have replaced, brakes, rotors, brake lines, calipers, and now they are saying it might be the wheel bearing.

What is going on?! I love my car but I am ready to be done with it. I never replaced so many brakes in my life on one car in such a short time.

Any insight would help!!

Incompetent mechanics seem most likely. Brakes are hardly rocket science (except for the EPB, which seems close). Exactly how many times have you replaced the brakes and rotors?

How many miles? Wheel bearings do go bad. If it is a bad wheel bearing at least you have a bunch of new brake parts, which should last a while.

 

[Silentnoise713]

...2018 Mazda 3 Sport ... bought it in 2020.

Joys of unknown car ownership. Fortunately brakes are a very simple in how they work.

1) Youtube "How floating calipers work" to educate/empower yourself
2) Looking at FR pads, are both sides wearing evenly or dose one side have more wear? Does the rotor show excess wear? BTW, don't buy cheap rotors (unless you are selling car), they score, rust, wear poorly.
3) I would lean towards caliper slider pin and boots binding, causing drag, which creates excess heat and uneven wear. Say wheels were under water long enough for containments to enter boots or using wrong type of grease on rubber boot which causes swelling; opposite to it being slippery ridding the pin.
4) Seems you already put in a NEW caliper so that eliminates worn/stuck piston or piston seal. Did you also change the brake fluid? Bleeding might work but if has overhead before (creates air bubbles) and the car is over 4yrs old, you should have it flushed.

 

[200955]

There is a procedure commonly used to determine a faulty wheel bearing. In the "worse case scenario",with the suspected side jacked up you would feel play in the wheel by exerting side motion (left then right) and vertical motion (top then bottom) on the outer edge of the tire. It is best to remove the caliper and remount the wheel, rotor in place. A completely shot bearing will show excessive movement. But even if there isn't play this is not a conclusive method. If you were driving the vehicle on a worn bearing or one lacking in lube, you should hear a growling, wining or scraping like noise. To check the right bearing when moving, swing the steering to the left which transferes the weight of the car to the right side resulting in heavily loading that bearing. If it's shot, it'll let you know. Lower your right window to hear bearing reaction to severe loading. The question remaining is what will you do if you change the bearing (mucho $$$$$) and the issue remains. I hope the shop is willing to admit they made a misdiagnosis.

 

[negusm]

My mom's car (Mazda 5 2015) had all front rotors and pads replaced last summer by a third party shop. I pulled the front pads and rotors and replaced them a month or so ago with OEM pads and rotors ordered from MazdaSwag. There was excessive pulsing in the pedal and excessive wear on the pads. Wear was even on both sides.

I could literally feel the weight difference between the Mazda rotors and what the shop used. I was very surprised. Mazda rotors were definitely beefier.

The difference is Night And Day.

My opinion is you MUST go OEM to get any sort of quality. It's ridiculous anymore.

 

[Buzzman12]

The difference is Night And Day.

My opinion is you MUST go OEM to get any sort of quality. It's ridiculous anymore.

Well, it is your opinion and I respect that, but truth is, that's a blanket statement that's just not reality.
There are definitely inferior brake parts out there, and that's probably what your third party shop used. Cheap junk to maximize profit.
There are also many high quality none OEM rotors and pads that are as good or better than OEM. The old adage that you get what you pay for applies here. Good quality rotors and pads are going to cost more.
I replaced all four corners on my 2017 Mazda 6 last year (sold it this spring) with third party parts. The original Mazda rear rotors were junk. They rusted badly within the first year. Mazda wouldn't cover it under warranty and told me to pound sand.
I bought Bosch rotors and I can't remember the brand of pads. The rotors still looked new when I sold it.

FYI, just last month I replaced my Kia Stinger OEM front pads because they are known to be garbage.
I switched them out for EBC red stuff pads. They are far and away superior to OEM.

Moral of the story: You can find excellent none OEM rotors and pads for your Mazda.

 

[200955]

Well, it is your opinion and I respect that, but truth is, that's a blanket statement that's just not reality.
There are definitely inferior brake parts out there, and that's probably what your third party shop used. Cheap junk to maximize profit.
There are also many high quality none OEM rotors and pads that are as good or better than OEM. The old adage that you get what you pay for applies here. Good quality rotors and pads are going to cost more.
I replaced all four corners on my 2017 Mazda 6 last year (sold it this spring) with third party parts. The original Mazda rear rotors were junk. They rusted badly within the first year. Mazda wouldn't cover it under warranty and told me to pound sand.
I bought Bosch rotors and I can't remember the brand of pads. The rotors still looked new when I sold it.

FYI, just last month I replaced my Kia Stinger OEM front pads because they are known to be garbage.
I switched them out for EBC red stuff pads. They are far and away superior to OEM.

Moral of the story: You can find excellent none OEM rotors and pads for your Mazda.

I agree with you completely! Running quality coated rotors that are after market and equal quality ceramic pads I have never had braking issues (Stop distance), rusty looking rotors, or irregular rotor wear. No squeaks, screeches or pad dragging sound. Half the price of the dealer and actually a slight bit thicker with better cooling vent openings. The people who make these superior rotors are often referred to as "The Competition" and some do an excellent job. There are just some things supplied by dealers that aren't the greatest!

 

[N7turbo]

I agree with you completely! Running quality coated rotors that are after market and equal quality ceramic pads I have never had braking issues (Stop distance), rusty looking rotors, or irregular rotor wear. No squeaks, screeches or pad dragging sound. Half the price of the dealer and actually a slight bit thicker with better cooling vent openings. The people who make these superior rotors are often referred to as "The Competition" and some do an excellent job. There are just some things supplied by dealers that aren't the greatest!

I wouldn't mind coated rotors. I swapped to ceramic pads at 3,000 miles to eliminate the type of brake dust that cakes and corrodes the brake and wheel area. But another source is the rotor. Every time it gets wet, it not only looks bad, but it sheds when the pads scrape it off. But it probably won't be an expense I spring for until down the road. I don't think it's as harmful, either.

 

[Buzzman12]

There are just some things supplied by dealers that aren't the greatest!

Now there is a statement I can agree with.

 

[200955]

I wouldn't mind coated rotors. I swapped to ceramic pads at 3,000 miles to eliminate the type of brake dust that cakes and corrodes the brake and wheel area. But another source is the rotor. Every time it gets wet, it not only looks bad, but it sheds when the pads scrape it off. But it probably won't be an expense I spring for until down the road. I don't think it's as harmful, either.

I put on a set of Delco coated rotors over a year ago and have yet to see a sign of rust on them anywhere. Furthermore the pad wear pattern on the rotors is still smooth with no ripples or wear lines. The pads I use are always Power Stop Z23 Evolution's ceramic from RockAuto ( under $40 CAN with all hardware). Stopping is great with no drama whatsoever.