Okay, I know brakes are kind of important, but money is a bit tight this month after the holidays. The grinding noise has been there for a week, but now it is starting to vibrate through the pedal a little. I am trying to figure out if this is a "drop everything and fix it now" situation or a "save up for two weeks" situation. I was reading up on the warning signals your car needs attention, and the list of symptoms like vibrations and noises definitely matches what I am experiencing. Has anyone here pushed their brakes to the absolute limit? How did you know it was the final straw?