I am guessing its a come-on but ......
Has anyone heard of a dealer saying a 2-year old Mazda 6, 28K is in need of a brake clean-up?
After a service the mechanic told my wife there is nothing wrong with the brakes but they really should be 'cleaned up' every few years to keep them in top condition.

I have never heard of such a thing, has anyone else?

I usually take it in for service but couldn't make it today - is it me or are the dealers suggesting things whenever a woman takes the car in?

 

Complete and utter B.S.; plain and simple.

 

My car is 6 years old and I have had mine done a couple of times. Last time the pins were seizing and they freed them up. It helped with the brakes. I have also had new brake fluid put in. Next time I need new brake hardware as when he put it back together it made a noise, he re-adjusted it and it's ok now. Also, while they were there, I told them to paint the calipers black and rotors (near the centre where rust was). Rusty wheels are not attractive.

 

I am with Noggin on this one.
On disk brakes the calipers sit on sliders. These sliders are protected with rubber boots but still it is possible for them to corrode and stick. Cleaning and greasing the sliders certainly helps to keep them in top shape. I do it when I hear noise or when I am having trouble moving the calipers in and out by hand.

Rear disk brakes are even more prone to be affected because the front wheels kick up dust and dirt some of which ends up in the rear calipers.

With drum brakes it is actually important to clean them periodically. The dirt accumulates and can make some adjusters and E-brake levers stick. In my '98 Protege I had to put the e-brake actuator in a vise, apply PB-Blaster and a hammer to loosen them up. They had been neglected by the previous owner.

 

to TanProtoge; When did you have to do this and how long have you had the car? If it is in the last 12 months the thing was/is 12+ yrs old so I would expect to have problems !!!

 

A lot would depend on the weather in your area as well. If you have bad winters and road salt in your area, doing this maintenance could save you trouble in the long run. Also if you drive in dusty areas and roads, you'd want to clean and re-lube the sliders and pins.
And brake dust coming from the pads as they wear is also a concern so if you use your brakes often and/or hard, you might also consider this as part of regular maintenance.
But in general, if you take your car to a shop for such work as brake pads, they will offer you the opportunity at that time to purchase as new "hardware kit." These are not often truly needed and a way for the brake shop to make a little additional money. But if dirty conditions do exist in your part of the world, it may not be such a bad idea either. Either that or do it yourself and sand, clean and lubricate the old ones before installing new pads.

 

Guys, we're talking about a two year old car with disc brakes at all four wheels, and believe it or not, there is no benefit from cleaning or lubricating the brake calipers or sliders mid way through the life of the pads (unless we're talking about a car driven only a couple thousand miles per year, and even then two years would be way too frequent).

Pipedesign; if you're really concerned about this, go to the service manager at the dealership and ask him to produce the official Mazda Service Manual or TSB which outlines such service. He'll hemm and haww, and then tell you no such a thing exists.

The recommended serivce is simply a way to extort more money from their clients.

 

I don't disagree. There probably is no service schedule or TSB for the job.
And yes, I'm sure they are trying to add to their bottom line. I've been there and know how these things work. Most are totally bogus and only designed to improve the shops bottom line. Like most, they will take advantage of customer they think know nothing about their cars.
They have even tried it on me, after I had told them I was in the business and have been around cars all my life!! Those are the shops I do not go back to.
But there could be some small benefits to such a service, especially if one was able to do it for themselves instead of paying a shop to do it for them. Or as I suggested, if driving conditions of the car are such as to cause additional wear on parts.
Example: If I regularly drive down dusty, dry roads I would know to replace my air filter more often than recommended. Wouldn't you?
Not ALL services recommended out of a fixed schedule are bogus, but most are. This may be the case w/Pipedream. I don't know because I don't because I am not privy the their particular circumstances.
Would this one make a big difference in the long run? Probably not.

 

Sincere thanks for all who took the time to respond - it's difficult for you to respond when you have so few details.
There is no recommended service like this and I am sure it is 90% make-work and 10% a good to do - anyway it won't be happening..

Unfortunately I have been away from car maintenance too long and the cars have changed so very much since I used to 'soup mine up' - last one was over 40 yrs ago.

Thanks again all ..........

 

Pipe:
I bought this car in '09 with 148000 miles on it. It is the 3rd car in the family and serves mostly our 2 teenagers. I don't perceive these things as much of a problem because I like to work on cars. This was an extreme case of "deferred maintenance" which helps to understand the benefits of "proper" maintenance.
After I went through a lot more deferred maintenance I have nice running old car with 168000 miles on it. It's not perfect, but very nice running. My post was never meant to be complaint. My experiences as shade tree mechanic can help others. That is why I respond to "need help" questions here.