I just got my winters off and my new summers on and the Canadian Tire mechanic said my brakes are all on their way out (front and back). They said maybe 20% remaining. The thing is that I had my front rotors and pads replaced 22,000 km ago at the cost of nearly $600. That was a different garage (not Canadian Tire).

I went to Canadian Tire today because they had the alignment tools which my normal guy does not have. So I guess my question to everyone is what you would do in my shoes? Should I believe these guys or are they trying to get more work done?

Is it believable that the brakes might not last that long? According to my regular mechanic, they installed the OEM parts. One thing that had struck me as odd, is that these brakes started maybe a year ago to squeal a little just when you start to brake (not once you applied more pressure). Regular mechanic said at the time that this is down to the harder type of pads used now. Believable?? According to mechanic today, this means they installed poor quality pads etc.

Finally they told me that if I leave the situation for too long the caliper might get ruined. Is this true??

I did see and feel a fairly deep groove in the rotors (maybe 1 mm perhaps?). Scam?

I'm considering installing myself. Never done it, but I think I might give it a go.

Thanks all!