Vehicle maintenance and women drivers

[clayton86]

Drove my fiancés car tonight since we needed room for more kids than my truck fit and her front brakes are howling. I just did her rear brakes about 2 weeks ago and now her fronts are growling when you stop. Sounds like she sheared another pad like she did on the rears.

 

I swear actually I know I do, I put brakes on her cars every year I think the longest she’s had brakes last is 13 months which would be these ones I’m changing tomorrow. It blows my mind she gets the brakes to metal on metal every single year with every vehicle she’s had in the 9 years we’ve been together. 
 

I got quite grumpy driving her car out to dinner about needing brakes again and she made the comment how my truck needs brakes also. Which I commented that yes the dealership did mark they were needing changed soon and they were amazed that I’ve got them to last 5 years since it still has original brakes the truck came with in 2017. She didn’t see how that’s any different that I get brakes to last 5 years and she barely a year. 
 

Anyone else’s womens vehicles need more maintenance than usual? 

[Deephaven]

Tell her to stop driving with both feet....

[MN Fisher]

10 minutes ago, clayton86 said:

Anyone else’s womens vehicles need more maintenance than usual?

Before the wife stopped driving - I didn't need to do anymore maintenance on her car than I did on my car/truck (drove full-size sedans until 1994 when I got a Cherokee, then in 1998 got a C-1500, replaced that in 2016 with a Silverado)

[TnRiver46]

I see people everyday from both genders race up to red lights just to slam on the brakes haha. What does that gain? I drive like a senior citizen and my brakes last a long time, like 6-7 years. (I’ve only been driving 22 years). 
 

seems like I recall @MN Fisher saying he had some brakes last a crazy long time 

[MN Fisher]

3 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

seems like I recall @MN Fisher saying he had some brakes last a crazy long time 

Ya - on the C-1500 Work Truck...got it new in 1998, first time I had to replace pads on it was 2007 at about 90k miles.

[TnRiver46]

Just now, MN Fisher said:

Ya - on the C-1500 Work Truck...got it new in 1998, first time I had to replace pads on it was 2007 at about 90k miles.

That’s awesome 

[MN Fisher]

1 minute ago, TnRiver46 said:

That’s awesome 

Well, it was a 5-speed manual....I used the gears for most slow-down situations.

 

I did go through 3 clutches in the 18 years I had it.

[flyfisher]

Just now, MN Fisher said:

Well, it was a 5-speed manual....I used the gears for most slow-down situations.

 

I did go through 3 clutches in the 18 years I had it.

brakes are cheaper lol 

[TnRiver46]

5 minutes ago, flyfisher said:

brakes are cheaper lol 

A single axle anyway….. I think I got a clutch at auto zone for $250 

[flyfisher]

Just now, TnRiver46 said:

A single axle anyway….. I think I got a clutch at auto zone for $250 

I'll take swapping brakes over a clutch any day of the week, except drums

[MN Fisher]

Just now, flyfisher said:

I'll take swapping brakes over a clutch any day of the week, except drums

Ya, drums are a whole 'nother animal. My old 1976 Charger SE and the 1979 Cordoba that replaced it (same body/chassis/engine/etc) had disc front, drum rear.

[flyfisher]

Just now, MN Fisher said:

Ya, drums are a whole 'nother animal. My old 1976 Charger SE and the 1979 Cordoba that replaced it (same body/chassis/engine/etc) had disc front, drum rear.

my old wrangler was the same way.  I did them once and hated life and they lasted long enough i never had to do them again before i sold it

 

[TnRiver46]

4 minutes ago, flyfisher said:

I'll take swapping brakes over a clutch any day of the week, except drums

I’d say brakes are always easier hahaha!!

 

My buddy said “yeah I can do clutch no problem. “ 

 

then he laid under my truck and said buddy, that looks heavy. 
 

I got a shade tree fella to do it. When he was done, I asked him if me and my buddy could have done it. He said “it would have had to have been a real big buddy”

 

my dang transmission looks like a silver whiskey barrel, he used a lift 

[Woody B]

Mrs B is easy on vehicles.  Her vehicle has ~113,000 miles with the original brakes.   It's on it's second set of tires.  

 

Most of the people who are hard on brakes, and hard on vehicles in general are the ones who are always in a hurry.   They're the people who go flying by you on the interstate and have to slam on brakes to make their exit.  

 

Another problem is people who have never been taught ANYTHING about vehicles.   Not working on vehicles, but what routine checks and maintenance is needed.   All they know to do is put gas in and drive.   

 

I'm an auto technician.  I see them all the time.   "My car is making a noise" and it's been 20,000 miles since their last oil change.   Modern vehicles are really tough to be able to stand up to modern drivers.  

 

 

[BigAngus752]

8 hours ago, Deephaven said:

Tell her to stop driving with both feet....

^^^THIS^^^

Unlikely that she brakes so hard or often that she is wearing pads out in such a short time (unless she's doing 60,000 miles a year).  She has to be a left-foot-braker.  That is extremely dangerous.  Left-foot brakers have a much higher chance of collision.  Men do it too.  Heck, I've seen men who ride the brake with the heel of their right foot while their toe is on the accelerator.

[A-Jay]

I grew up driving a stick, so I was definitely a two foot driver.

But my brakes lasted at least as long as my re-tread tires and refurbished battery did. 

Now I lease my trucks new every three years.

So no mainainance for me.

Radio knob falls off, it goes back to the dealer. 

A-Jay

 

[Jmilburn76]

My wife is rough on brakes as well, she needs to let off the gas and start braking sooner but she won’t. She bought her Wrangler new and got 50k on the brakes before needing replaced. I replaced pads and rotors with Powerstop thats geared more for towing, of course, she doesn’t tow anything.

[gim]

1 hour ago, Woody B said:

it's been 20,000 miles since their last oil change

That's likely a problem since they usually check the brakes when you bring it in for routine maintenance.  I know they check mine when I go in.  They rate them as "good, fair, or bad" with color codes green, yellow, or red.

 

Perhaps the service tech needs to have a talk with some of these individuals about their driving habits...

[Deleted account]

10 hours ago, clayton86 said:

Drove my fiancés car tonight since we needed room for more kids than my truck fit and her front brakes are howling. I just did her rear brakes about 2 weeks ago and now her fronts are growling when you stop. Sounds like she sheared another pad like she did on the rears.

 

I swear actually I know I do, I put brakes on her cars every year I think the longest she’s had brakes last is 13 months which would be these ones I’m changing tomorrow. It blows my mind she gets the brakes to metal on metal every single year with every vehicle she’s had in the 9 years we’ve been together. 
 

I got quite grumpy driving her car out to dinner about needing brakes again and she made the comment how my truck needs brakes also. Which I commented that yes the dealership did mark they were needing changed soon and they were amazed that I’ve got them to last 5 years since it still has original brakes the truck came with in 2017. She didn’t see how that’s any different that I get brakes to last 5 years and she barely a year. 
 

Anyone else’s womens vehicles need more maintenance than usual? 

She needs a new mechanic. Who changes out a set of pads and not check the other 2? 

[GaryH]

If she’s going thru brakes every year I hope you  buy the life time warranty brake pads.I know auto zone has them, you bring back the worn out pads and they replace them for free for the life of your vehicle. 
She definitely needs a little driving lesson. But I know I wouldn’t suggest it.?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[galyonj]

1 hour ago, gimruis said:

Perhaps the service tech needs to have a talk with some of these individuals about their driving habits...

 

Wasted effort. The kind of people that will listen to a technician's recommendations are not the kind of people that bring neglected or misused vehicles to the shop in the first place.

[casts_by_fly]

My wife is easier on a car than I am generally, but we're both pretty easy about them and relatively paying attention to what's going on to spot any problems.

 

That said, one of the benefits of a pure EV is that there is negligible maintenance.  No fluids to check aside from washer fluid.  the brakes last forever because you never use them- regenerative braking does 95% of the braking or more if you let it.  Tires are the only 'big' consumable.  For the average driver who just gets in and goes, its a pretty easy way to get driving.

[Deleted account]

5 hours ago, GaryH said:

She definitely needs a little driving lesson. But I know I wouldn’t suggest it.?

Happy brakes, happy couch...

[throttleplate]

On 10/17/2022 at 11:49 AM, casts_by_fly said:

My wife is easier on a car than I am generally, but we're both pretty easy about them and relatively paying attention to what's going on to spot any problems.

 

That said, one of the benefits of a pure EV is that there is negligible maintenance.  No fluids to check aside from washer fluid.  the brakes last forever because you never use them- regenerative braking does 95% of the braking or more if you let it.  Tires are the only 'big' consumable.  For the average driver who just gets in and goes, its a pretty easy way to get driving.

When the battery goes bad its gonna be pretty tough takin it out and walking it into Auto Zone.?

[GreenPig]

My wife is rough on a tank of gas with her 6.2.