Hey guys-

So, I've heard of all kinds of problems with the brakes on these vans. My last brakes only lasted about 20,000 miles until they hit metal on metal, and this time around I took the van to the local Les Schwab and got their 25k mile warrantied brake service.

Well, they replaced the brakes, and 8k miles in, I start getting a grinding noise from the front brakes. I took the wheels off, and noticed that the cross hatching on the new rotors was present on both sides, but the passenger side appeared to be worn in a bit more. The driver's side, on the other hand, seemed to be much less worn, with a very obvious worn groove at one point on the rotor (see pics below). Anyone know what's going on here? I had this happen on the first set of pads and rotors on this van, and could never figure out what was going on... now it's happening again. I'm starting to think it's a caliper issue...

Thanks for any info!

-Rodney

Driver's Side:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/21172911/DriverSide_Small.jpg

Passenger's Side:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/21172911/PassengerSide_Small.jpg

Les Schwab probably did not use OEM pads. I have never had any long term success using aftermarket brake pads. The warrantied ones usually wear the rotors out instead of the pad. They are almost always noisy, and the stopping performance usually less.