James, I am NOT any kind of mechanic. I've never bled the brakes or anything.
My only experience relevant to your situation is this: My Goodyear brakes faded gradually over a long period of time. It gradually got harder and harder to stop. All they needed was nice thick, new brake pads. Perhaps the mechanic who last viewed your brake pads was mistaken and that's what you need. Ten to 15 years ago, Goodyear brake pads were hard to find and, IIRC, were horribly expensive. As I haven't seen any messages begging for pads in the last several years, perhaps the supply problem has been fixed. Keep the thought in mind as others answer your question. Ed
