“There is so many scams in the automotive industry. It disgusts me.”
A mechanic’s inspection of a newer Chevy revealed something that might make you rethink the next time your dashboard lights up with a brake warning.
The pads had barely worn down, but the vehicle’s system was already screaming for replacements. The premature warning could cost you hundreds in parts and labor. Here’s a better way to know when you’re actually due for a replacement.
In a video with over 5,500 views, mechanic CJ Hall (@cjhall5669) walks viewers through what he calls a manufacturer scam he discovered in his shop.
“How automotive manufacturers are stealing YOUR hard earned money with crappy engineering,” the caption reads.
Hall explains that a 2024 Chevrolet Traverse came in with just 58,000 miles on it, yet the owner was informed it needed new front brakes.
“That don’t make sense,” Hall says.
Hall got the vehicle up on the lift to see for himself. He held up the old brake pads next to a fresh set, pointing out what’s left on the supposedly worn-out components.
There’s a brake pad level sensor embedded in the hardware, and according to his measurements, there’s still about five millimeters of usable material—roughly half the thickness of a brand new pad.
“You got your new pads. If you look here, these have a pad level sensor, and you can see there’s plenty of pad on there,” Hall explains.
The problem, as he sees it, isn’t the pads themselves. It’s what happens when the pad wears down enough to make contact with that sensor wire. Once the friction material grinds against it, the system throws an error code, and the dashboard lights up, alerting drivers that they need new brakes. But Hall argues it’s a premature warning.
“The problem is with that sensor, once you grind all this [expletive] down, all this pad, it starts contacting that sensor, and then it throws a code on your thing telling you you need [expletive] brakes,” he says.
He says you shouldn’t immediately replace the pads just because the warning appears. Instead, let the sensor keep doing its thing while having a trusted mechanic physically inspect the brakes every six months or so. That way, drivers can squeeze more life out of their brake pads before actually needing replacements.
“What I would recommend that you do is when that happens, keep letting it do that. Keep letting it grind that thing down, and I would bring it in every, probably every six months or so. Have your mechanic check your brakes until they are actually ready to be changed,” Hall advises.
Hall says this isn’t an isolated issue, adding that this type of design choice represents a broader pattern in the automotive industry that prioritizes revenue over genuine maintenance needs.
“Like I said, this is five millimeters, which is about, if you look here, literally about half of that brand new pad. That’s how they’re taking your hard-earned money, and that’s not everything. There is so much. There is so many scams in the automotive industry. It disgusts me. It literally grosses me out,” he adds.
Brake service typically costs between $200 and $500 per axle at a professional center, with a complete brake repair that includes pads, rotors, and calipers averaging between $200 and $800, depending on the vehicle and parts used, according to Jiffy Lube .
AutoZone breaks it down further: professional brake pad replacement costs between $115 and $270 per axle, including $35 to $150 for the pads themselves and $80 to $120 for labor. If you’re replacing rotors along with the pads, the cost increases to between $250 and $500 per axle.
Most brake pad companies and mechanics agree that quality brake pads should last anywhere between 30,000 and 70,000 miles, AutoZone reports, though some may need replacement every 25,000 miles while others can last far longer.
Here are AutoZone’s tips for saving on brake replacement costs:
“That’s ridiculous! I’m disliking new vehicles more and more everyday!” a top comment read.
“Until they start squeaking, I’m keeping them, no matter what a sensor says,” a person said.
“I’ll run every pad down to the metal. Because the rotors don’t hold being turned and have to do pad and rotor anyways. Twice the miles out of them,” another wrote.
“I had no idea they have actual sensors on these now. I feel like we’re fine with the little metal audible wear indicator brakes have had for decades. This seems redundant and unnecessary,” a commenter added.
Motor1 reached out to CJ Hall for comment via a direct message on TikTok and to General Motors via email. We’ll update this if either responds.
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