If you want to inspect the pads: undo the caliper guide pin and spin the caliper body away from the bracket. You can also peer into the channels of the caliper body.


Hard to say anything about your rotors or pads without pictures. Could be glazing. You'll have to spin the caliper if you want to pull the pads and inspect the surfaces


Rotor scoring can be normal depending on the extent.

Wow, I can't believe you need to remove calipers just to inspect the pad thickness.
Every other car I've owned, the pads are in plain view.

If you have PP Brembos you can inspect through the top, but single piston calipers are full body cast on most vehicles so you have to remove the caliper to get a good reading. If you have the right tool you can check it without removing the caliper, but most folks don't have an outside micrometer laying around and you won't be finding one at Harbor Freight.

Unless every vehicle you had before had pinned pads (Brembos or simlar), you would need to have removed the caliper to get a good reading.

You can visually inspect without removing the caliper, but that doesn't really tell you much other than a broad answer.

You could always just stick your phone down under the front of the caliper to take a picture. I can see the stock rears just fine with the wheel on.