Which brakes to replace first?

dad004

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99 Mazda 626 LX
My wife heard the brakes squeaking the other day. I was going to replace the pads and rotors. I plan on doing both front and back, but not at the same time. She's not sure where she heard them. Which should I do first, front or back? Or does it matter?
 
LOL
Without taking things apart, I was wondering if it's best to make sure to take care of one before the other.
 
Is the squeak coming from the front or rear?
Without taking the wheels off, it's difficult to identify which ones need to be replaced.
You might be able to see the pads through the wheels, but if you pull the wheels off, you should be able to easily identify which ones need to be replaced.

My wife's 09 CX9 went through 2 sets of front brakes before the rears needed to be replaced.
My old MazdaSpeed6 had rears replaced at about 45k miles and fronts were still about 50% when I traded it in @ 70k miles.
I just replaced the rear brakes in my '14 Explorer @ about 70k miles, fronts are still around 50%.
 
Squeaking brakes do not necessarily mean that the pads or rotors must be replaced. There are other causes for a squeak. If the squeak isn't from the squealer device in the pads when they're too thin, then the squeak is from the steel backing of the pad rubbing against the cast iron of the caliper. Clean them and lube them with a suitable brake anti-squeak lube.

You can look at the calipers and see how much pad thickness remains on the outer pads of each caliper. It is possible, but not very likely, that the inside pads are much more worn than the outside pads in each caliper.

Why replace the discs? I know, they're a wear part, but if they aren't significantly thinned or grooved, why replace them? A shop will always replace them for (a) more profit, and (b) less chance of a come-back. If they aren't thinned or grooved, just sand them with abrasive cloth and clean them with solvent.
 
We bought the vehicle of August of last year. I don't know how old the brakes are. We have put about 15,000 miles on the vehicle. I was going to do the job myself. My thinking was since I don't know the history, it would be a good idea to start over. Does that make sense?
 
Are you referring to the 1999 626? At 19 years old, it may need lots of work. New brake fluid and rebuild calipers with new seals would be on my list, in addition to pads & rotors. Talk a very close look at the condition of the brake hoses. However, if everything looks reasonably current, just look at the thickness of the friction material on the pads and the extent of the grooving or thinning of the rotors to decide if any work is needed.

If you have a newer CX9, again, take a good look.
 
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