In a bit of a dilemma

[sjonesd3]

2003 SSEI
Ok see I have to take a trip for to Miami in April to visit a school I'm going to be attending in the fall which is 10 hours round trip (5 hrs there & 5 back) from early Saturday to late Monday and I'm trying to see which route is the most feasible. If I get a rental car I'm looking at about 400-5xx something due to being under 25. I can take my car but it needs a little work, Front wheel hub (passenger side) abs light won't stay off, new brake pads & rotors. I'm wondering should I fix those issues or just get the rental car. Only problem is that the only somewhat difficult job that I have done is installing a shift kit. Like on a scale of 1-10 how hard would those be if have the tools?

Thanks,

Stephan

[2003 SSEi]

pads and rotors are a 1-2 if you have any decent amount of tools. The hardest thing will be to break the caliper bolts off of the spindle

the Hub on the other hand, is probably a 5-6 only because you need to break off the axle nut and can be a PITA sometimes. Also depending on the milage the actual bearing can be a problem to remove also.

If the hub does not make a whrring/grinding sound and there is no play, the light is more of a annoyance than anything

[sjonesd3]

pads and rotors are a 1-2 if you have any decent amount of tools. The hardest thing will be to break the caliper bolts off of the spindle

the Hub on the other hand, is probably a 5-6 only because you need to break off the axle nut and can be a PITA sometimes. Also depending on the milage the actual bearing can be a problem to remove also.

If the hub does not make a whrring/grinding sound and there is no play, the light is more of a annoyance than anything

The tools part I'm not too worried about as I can buy those from my job.

The light goes off for like up to 3 weeks when I put electrical grease in between the connectors then it eventually comes back on. Trying to figure out what's causing it?

[haro1225]

You probably have a flaky wire causing the lights. I'd say do the brakes and take your car and save money. I have seen cars that need MUCH more work make it on longer trips than that.

[nos4blood70]

Do the brakes, there's a write-up in Techinfo.
http://www.pontiacbonnevilleclub.com/fo ... 40120.html
If the bearing is fine from a mechanical standpoint, then leave it be. It'll survive the trip no problem.

[RJolly87]

Renting a car does carry the 'worry free' factor in the event that something happens, plus it is vehicle wear that is not happening on your dime.

If it was a longer trip, I would say rent for sure, but 5 hours each way has me on the fence about it, and the 'under 25 rates' probably would have me swayed.

I agree, if the hub is mechanically fine, no worries. Also, depending on what conditions the brakes are exhibiting, and how close they are to critical, it may not even be a concern there either, because it's not like you are using the brakes on the highway. Even so, they are usually pretty easy to do.

[crash93ssei]

Absolutely fix your car, those are expenses that need to be taken care of either way, so even if you rent a car yours still has to be fixed.

[sjonesd3]

[quote="RJolly87Also, depending on what conditions the brakes are exhibiting, and how close they are to critical, it may not even be a concern there either, because it's not like you are using the brakes on the highway. Even so, they are usually pretty easy to do.[/quote]

It's like I have to push them down far to stop with a distance before the actual spot that I need to be. I'm not sure if they're warped or if the pads are just bad. I'm going to try & post a pic later today.

[RJolly87]

Keep in mind also that there are other possible causes for a low pedal as well. Once the breaks start to grab, do they stop the car smoothly and consistently? Does the pedal feel firm once you hit the point where they start to work?

[sjonesd3]

Yes they stop smoothly it just seems as if they take awhile, but they aren't grinding at all (they're ceramic not sure if that matters or not) yes it's firm.

[RJolly87]

How long ago were they put on?

For some reason I remember ceramics not working the best when cold as well...

[sjonesd3]

I got them in Dec 2013 but I'm not in cold weather anymore as well. I'm down in Florida now. I figure it might be replacement time since it's been that long.

[sjonesd3]

Couldn't get any really good pictures as I couldn't get the caliper bolts out, but from what I saw, my brakes aren't badly worn.

[nos4blood70]

A low pedal could be a bad brake master cylinder. That's what caused that symptom for me.

[RJolly87]

A low pedal could be a bad brake master cylinder. That's what caused that symptom for me.

That's one possibility. Try bleeding the brakes first though. It's free, save for the brake fluid used, and worth a shot

[nos4blood70]

Absolutely bleed them first and save yourself some money, but just giving ideas!

Not sure how your pedal feels, but mine felt like stepping into dog crap. I almost had to stand on the brake to activate the ABS.

[Sirius]

Did you get a flashlight and actually look at the thickness of your brake pads? I'm not trying to be insulting, but from your pictures I get the impression you just looked at your rotors for wear. If you didn't actually look at the pads, get in there with a flashlight and work until you can get the right angle to see the thickness of the pads - look at both the inner and outer pads. Verify that they are wearing evenly, too. New brake pads have close to 1/2 inch of material on them. If your pads are nearing 1/8" of material you need to replace them. Your description of your brake symptoms (low but firm pedal) are more indicative of worn pads than air in the system (which bleeding removes). You might be able to bring the pedal back by adding brake fluid to your master cylinder (have you checked to see if it looks low - that's another indicator of brake wear), but when you do replace your pads you'll be way over-filled.

I second what was said earlier - your car will need fixing whether you get a rental car or not, right? Fix it and drive it. Renting a car doesn't make economic sense unless you think your car won't make a 500 mile trip. 500 miles, one way, is nothing. For the cost of a rental car you could pay someone to fix yours.

[sjonesd3]

Did you get a flashlight and actually look at the thickness of your brake pads? I'm not trying to be insulting, but from your pictures I get the impression you just looked at your rotors for wear. If you didn't actually look at the pads, get in there with a flashlight and work until you can get the right angle to see the thickness of the pads - look at both the inner and outer pads. Verify that they are wearing evenly, too. New brake pads have close to 1/2 inch of material on them. If your pads are nearing 1/8" of material you need to replace them. Your description of your brake symptoms (low but firm pedal) are more indicative of worn pads than air in the system (which bleeding removes). You might be able to bring the pedal back by adding brake fluid to your master cylinder (have you checked to see if it looks low - that's another indicator of brake wear), but when you do replace your pads you'll be way over-filled.

I second what was said earlier - your car will need fixing whether you get a rental car or not, right? Fix it and drive it. Renting a car doesn't make economic sense unless you think your car won't make a 500 mile trip. 500 miles, one way, is nothing. For the cost of a rental car you could pay someone to fix yours.

Ok I'm going see if my job still has the impact wrenches on sale and then I'll post a pic of the actual pads. They looked a little worn when I checked but I'll take them off for a better look.

[sjonesd3]

I only looked at one side as the other side looked similar. Do those calipers look too rusty? And I'm wondering since I wanted to upgrade my calipers by the end of the summer should I hold off on the pads?

[nos4blood70]

Pads still have some life left, enough for a cross country trip at least. The rust you see there isn't harmful by any means.