Brake pad uneven wear?

Dreamdemon

Dreamdemon

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Hi,

today I put a new front tire and realized that my brake pads need replacement. The weird thing is that the inside pad is worn completely while the outside pad still has about 3-4 mm left, never saw something so extreme before. It happened on both front brakes. Usually I would say that the caliper is not working correctly on one side but the same problem on both? Did anyone had similar wear pattern when he/she changed the pads?
 
I kept an eye on my pads through the many tire changes. My inboard/outboard thickness difference was never more than 1-2mm or so at most.

If you have uneven wear, the pistons are not moving freely. Is there build up around the pistons? Pump the lever slightly to push them out a few mm. Clean up any debris/dirt present. Make sure the pistons can move freely.

Also, make sure you lube the caliper sliders.
 
Ok I will clean them when I exchange the brake pads, but it seems I am not the only one with this "problem".

If the pistons do not move freely I would exchange the piston seals and check for wear inside, but for now I will just clean it. The braking power is enough, so no safety issue.
 
Every brake pad change I clean the exposed part of the pistons BEFORE retracting them back, an old tooth brush & brake cleaner to remove any dirt usually works well, this prevents dirt from getting between the piston and seals when pushing the pistons back. which is the main cause of piston sticking & prolongs the life of the seals.
when pistons move freely pad wear becomes almost equal on both sides.
 
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Well it is my first brake pad change (28k miles) so I cleaned the pistons when I changed the brake fluid, maybe I should replace the seals but they are very expensive so I will first clean everything once more and check the movement of the pistons.
 
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