I decided to pull the Corvette out of winter storage partly because winter seems to be pretty much over, and partly because the Jaguar needs brakes--including new rotors. (Jaguar apparently uses very thin rotors as a way to reduce weight--so at less than 60,000 miles, I need new rotors.) That was going to be $600 operation.
The Corvette has been making some odd growling noises when braking, even before I took it out of storage, so I was concerned that these noises and strange pulsating feelings from the brakes were an inboard brake lining failing. GM has wear sensors on outboard brake linings, because these usually fail first, but I have had the inboard ones fail first before, causing great damage to the rotors. In this case, the rotors are worn out. They are the original rotors, so 93,000 miles is okay, but of course, it is more than $800 to do those.
There are no bargains, unless you stop driving.
UPDATE: Oh yes: I had not noticed, but the rear tires are well beyond worn out. And they are pretty spendy, too. These are the days that I think the Corvette may need to go to a new home. My wife calls it "the tart," and like all such mistresses, it is expensive to keep. Perhaps it is better suited to someone with a highly paid professional job, not a state employee.
You could drive cheaper cars. My Chevy Cavalier was under $200 for all new pads, rotors, shoes, and drums all the way around.
ReplyDeleteIt is one of the few luxuries left from my days working in the private sector. I'm not keen on losing it.
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