Pads.

Update: I took it to my guy in Union Twp. Just wasn't sure if he would be available. His guys looked at the brakes and said another 6 months and will need to be replaced. Rotors are good, so just another example of dealership squeezing money.

I would say half the 38,000 miles are city, the other half highway miles from road trips, to visit parents, etc.

Even if you drive mostly highway miles, getting out to a real highway from Jersey City can involve a lot of start/stop driving and wear down pads quickly.

Given that, if the OP then lived with squealing brakes for a while, his rotors can easily be scored past recovery, and also have led to a damaged caliper as a result. Brakes are one thing that should be addressed immediately, as the expense of repair can go up very quickly, as well as them becoming very unsafe.

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Are we talking just brake pads or the whole shabang (pads, rotors, calipers, lines, etc). If it's just the pads, I'd say that's totally reasonable for 38,000 of city driving - even 20,000 would be within reason. If it's the entire system, I'd be pretty suspicious.

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Strong second on Joe's. Honest guys, no BS, and good work. Also a lot cheaper than the dealer...

You might need to change your brakes that early if a majority of your driving is city stop and go driving. Not very likely if it's mostly highway miles.

I'd recommend you do a search on your model/year and brakes to see what comes up. And get a second opinion.

Take it to Joe's
Joe's Auto Electric

Who is the best most reliable not going to scam you business to have a second opinion on my car brakes. Dealership said I should replace brakes in the next couple of weeks. Car is 4.5 years old, 38,000 miles on it.