How often are you getting the clean lube and adjust of rear brakes done?
I have a honda fit 09 and one mechanic suggested I do it as a maintenance (108K miles)
while another mechanic said I never have to do it, only when the emergency brake is not working or jerking (I forgot what he said exactly with the emergency brake) but he said that you never have to get it done -- just to maybe change it as in the whole drum if having the emergency brake issue

What are your thoughts?

 

I check mine each fall (5000-6000 miles of driving) when I have the car on jack stands to rotate the tires. Once I'm to that stage pulling the rear drums and looking things over only takes a few minutes. I change the oil and check the front brakes, suspension, and undercarriage at the same time. This year I will change the A/T fluid and coolant for the second time. Last year I changed and flushed the brake fluid.

The rear drums and brake shoes will last a long time for most drivers, and replacement parts aren't all that expensive, but I figure that checking is easy and I can fix any issues before they become problems. At 125K miles (about 21-22K during my ownership) my rear drums show barely measurable wear and the rear brake shoes have half of their allowable wear remaining.

Preventative maintenance is almost always easier and cheaper than replacing damaged/ruined components and dramatically reduces the chances of a damaged/failed part messing up other components of your car.

 

+2

I replaced my front brake pads a few weeks ago, but while doing so I popped off the rear drums to give them a look. There was several millimeters of friction material remaining. I think it takes a long time to wear them out, because a) the rear brakes don't do as much work as the front, and b) the wearing surface is a comparatively large area. I gave them a spritz with Brake Clean but that's all I did. Everything was spotless behind the drums but I have only 61,000 miles.

 

Every year.

Drum brakes do last a long time, but they need to move freely to operate adequately.

The guy telling you about the hand brake cable is wrong. When you have problem with the cable, it is the cable that starts to seize! Best way to avoid that: always use hand brake while parked.

 

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x 2

 

It's not necessary to open and clean drum brakes as long as they are working well. I would do it every five years or every 50k miles. However it depends on the environment and conditions you are using your car. Brake dust in the drum accumulates moisture and can accelerate rust in the mechanism. Especially if you are in the rust belt.

 

^^Maybe it's just me, but that sounds like a reason to open and clean the drum brakes.

 

I grew up in the Midwestern US and now live in the Northeast. A brake drum that hasn't been touched in five years is going to require extreme measures plus a good deal of cursing to remove. I previously suggested that preventative maintenance is easier and cheaper than deferred maintenance, but I'll add here that it's also less stressful and takes less time overall: a couple minutes per year vs a loud, angry, stressful hour or more every five years/50K miles. One is easy and the other makes you question every decision you've made to that point in your life.

 

I want to be sure I'm reading this right, you haven't replaced brakes for 100,000 miles?
I'm in new york and with the salt here, brakes get replaced (and calipers/pistons pulled and cleaned) almost every year. Can't go more than two years, 25,000 miles before they're rusted solid.

 

They use lot of salt around here, and never replaced caliper every 2 years... Nor brakes. But every year, you need to have them cleaned and lube.

When I sold my Fit with 125 000 km, it was still on the original drums and shoes.