Don't most questions revolve around the brakes?!

I have a question about an issue that my car has had for nearly 2 years. No mechanic has yet to find a solution to my problem (and I've been to 4, including Mr. Goodwrench). Wanted to see what you knew, or if you had any suggestions.

OK, first off, I own a 1999 Pontiac Grand Am SE (4 cyl, 4 door). I had new brakes installed 2 years ago this month by a local mechanic. Since that time, I've gone through 4 sets of pads. I do not do a ton of in town driving, but the wear is generally on the front half of the pads only on the front wheels. The cullipers (spelling?) have been cleaned and greased. New rotars have been installed, and the pads are wearing again. I'm getting the telltale sign of squeaking while stopping. The biggest issue that I have is a squeal while driving down the road. It's like the brakes are not releasing fully. It is generally when the wheels list slightly to the left. The ABS and entire brake system is working fine (according to GM Goodwrench).

The local parts store has stood the warranty on the pads for the first 3 times, however said they could no longer warranty them. These are the "best" pads that he can order, but in the scheme of things, I have no idea if they are high quality or not. I do not really want to get into the habit of buying brake pads ever 6 months, and I'm beginning to get concerned that there could be a serious problem with the car. My wife is now driving about 60 miles per day for college, and I really don't want anything to happen to her.

If you need more specifics, I'd be happy to pass them along. I'd also be happy to try to monkey with anything at your suggestion.

Thanks for your help. Hope to hear from you. I kind need to see the wear on the pads, but if the wear is even on both side and the front brakes are not dragging....your mechanic can raise the car and spin the front wheels by hand to see if there is too much resistance like from a bad master cyclinder or brake calipers. If there is no excessive resistance I would look toward the rear brakes not doign their share of the stopping. Fornt brakes will wear out twice as fast as teh rear becuase they do most of the stopping power.

If the rear brakes are not properly adjusted then your front brakes could be doing all the work! Your mechanic can check that too, and you can do a quick check on the adjustment of the rear brakes yourself. Apply the emergency brake while holding the release handle while driving about 15-20 MPH in a cleared parking lot. The emergency brake should bring the car to a stop rather quickly at this speed, so if it does not you need to have the rear brakes inspected. I would probablly just replace them and do a complete rear brake job all together.

Let me know what you find. The wear on the front brakes are uneven. The front set of pads are wearing out a lot faster than the back set of pads. I did have the rear brakes checked last time (or time before last). They were in good shape and were adjusted properly.

I will check out the e-brake test sometime to double check that theory.

Also, I noticed last night while checking out All Data that there was a TSB on my car that came out in March of this year. 3 of them actually that pertained to the brakes or brake system. Where can I findout what exactly those things mean? All I have so far is the title of the TSB. Do I need a subscription to all data to find out? Also...would GM repair or replace anything bad on my car if there is an issue even though it's out of warranty? Or do I need a recall for that?

Thought I'd check. Thanks again for the reply. Yes you need to buy the full version of alldata to get all the info. I dont think GM will fix anything that is not a safety recall, but it might help you narrow done the problem. if the pads are worn unevenly from left to right, then have your mechanic check resistance with the front brakes like I described above.Car Repair Talk's forum.