UFO Brakes, Light is Warning, not $$ Danger

[Phil Rose]

At 9:31 AM -0600 1/3/04, Dale at TheMcCormacks.org wrote:
>A few weeks ago I asked for advice from listers on the risk of 
>driving after the "pad wear light" began to flash intermittently. 
>Some advised prudence others  less so.  Anyway, after disassembly 
>I'd reckon that there was another 500-1000 miles of pad(s) left 
>before metal-to-metal contact.

I don't have UFOs, so I wonder: can't you inspect the pad thicknesses 
without the need for "disassembly"? Anyway, I'd say that 500-1000 
miles of pad remaining didn't permit a lot of time for 
procrastination.  Of course the warning light doesn't imply that the 
car must immediately be pulled off the road and towed home (I assume 
you _didn't_ do that),  but unless you feel you aren't getting your 
money's worth until you achieve "metal-to-metal contact" (and risk 
damaging those pricey rotors), you did the right thing.

Of course these R&R decisions depend on how much value you place on 
convenience and peace-of-mind, relative to being able to squeeze 
every cent out of your vehicle parts. Too often, the DFIIIAB 
philosophy is no more than: DFIUYBDITMON (Don't Fix It Until You 
Break Down In The Middle Of Nowhere).

Phil
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Phil Rose
Rochester, NY
mailto:pjrose at frontiernet.net