Brakes

[number 9]

How long should I expect the front and rear disk brakes to last.
I'm easy on them, - kindo drive like "a little old lady" &-)))

 

[AS]

Star Trek fan?

What car is it? Is the car new? What kind of pads does it have on? In
general, being gentle on them they should last at least 40k miles
(front) and a lil longer in the rear.

 

[Jim Stewart]

Star Trek fan?

What car is it? Is the car new? What kind of pads does it have on? In
general, being gentle on them they should last at least 40k miles
(front) and a lil longer in the rear.

I get 40,000 front and 80,000 rear
with about half the meat left. The
brake fluid change interval is 30,000
so by stretching that a little and
combining it with pad changes, 40,000
work well for me.

I don't drive like a little old lady,
but I don't drive like a teenager either.

 

[Ragnar]

How long should I expect the front and rear disk brakes to last.
I'm easy on them, - kindo drive like "a little old lady" &-)))

They'll last until they go "squeeeeeeeeeeeel".

Hard to put a number on them sometimes. My Outback went over 40,000
miles without issues. My WRX went 25,000 miles and needed new pads.

 

[Edward Hayes]

My Forester went 80,000 + front & 70,000 rear. NO that is not a typo
and have heard the same from others owners.

 

[number 9]

It's a '03 Forester, 44+ k, don't make much black stuff on the
wheels...
I have Whippet in the back (cargo area) so I'm really easy on
the car. I'll go for those 70-80 k.

My '84 BMW 318i I drove pretty hard; - the disks lasted
for 97k..

H.

 

[Tom Bavis]

How long should I expect the front and rear disk brakes to last.
I'm easy on them, - kindo drive like "a little old lady" &-)))

Who knows? My wife's Forester has 71,000 miles (so far) on the
original front pads...

 

[DK]

My Forester went 80,000 + front & 70,000 rear. NO that is not a typo
and have heard the same from others owners.

It puzzles me quite a bit but here it is:

Impreza with >90,000 mi of mostly city driving. Recently, a shop
that was changing tires (not Subaru dealership), did "free brakes
inspection" and stated that in front there is 10% left and rotors
warped but still can be turned, rear is 40% and too rusted. The quote
was for $273 for all. I declined and went for a regular maintenance
to an independent mechanic, asking for inspection. He stated that
there is still 50% left in front and rotors are warped a bit, declined
doing any work and recommended going until brakes squeal and then
replace both pads and rotors.

The disparity made me wonder what's going on and I went to study
regular Subaru dealership maintenance (done religiously until
about 75K). Well, I *could not* find a mention of brake pad ever
being replaced!? Inspection at all times is mentioned. 60K
inspection mentions explicitly 40% left on *both*(?) front and rear.

So, all in all, I have no idea of what's going on! For all I know, brake
pads have never been replaced during over 90K city driving but right
now the car brakes as good as it ever did and no bad sounds or
vibrations. Is this even possible?

DK

 

[Jim Stewart]

It puzzles me quite a bit but here it is:

Impreza with >90,000 mi of mostly city driving. Recently, a shop
that was changing tires (not Subaru dealership), did "free brakes
inspection" and stated that in front there is 10% left and rotors
warped but still can be turned, rear is 40% and too rusted. The quote
was for $273 for all. I declined and went for a regular maintenance
to an independent mechanic, asking for inspection. He stated that
there is still 50% left in front and rotors are warped a bit, declined
doing any work and recommended going until brakes squeal and then
replace both pads and rotors.

The disparity made me wonder what's going on and I went to study
regular Subaru dealership maintenance (done religiously until
about 75K). Well, I *could not* find a mention of brake pad ever
being replaced!? Inspection at all times is mentioned. 60K
inspection mentions explicitly 40% left on *both*(?) front and rear.

No disparity at all. The first shop wants to make
as much money as possible and the second shop wants
to do the right thing, knowing you'll come back and
that you'll tell your friends about them.

There's no regular interval for brake pad replacement
because brake wear is so dependant on driving conditions.
A 20-something person in San Francisco or Seattle will
go through 4 sets of pads while a 50-something person
in Sacramento will go through one.

There really isn't any such thing as a 'free brake
inspection' The only reason they do it is to sell
brake jobs. And you can bet there's pressure to
turn every free inspection into a money-making brake
job.

Keep going to the independent mechanic. He seems
honest. Listen to what he says and thank him for
saving you money.

 

[DK]

No disparity at all. The first shop wants to make
as much money as possible and the second shop wants
to do the right thing, knowing you'll come back and
that you'll tell your friends about them.

There's no regular interval for brake pad replacement
because brake wear is so dependant on driving conditions.
A 20-something person in San Francisco or Seattle will
go through 4 sets of pads while a 50-something person
in Sacramento will go through one.

There really isn't any such thing as a 'free brake
inspection' The only reason they do it is to sell
brake jobs. And you can bet there's pressure to
turn every free inspection into a money-making brake
job.

Keep going to the independent mechanic. He seems
honest. Listen to what he says and thank him for
saving you money.

I just find it really strange that in the city's stop and go
driving I'd only used up 50% of the brake pads over 90K!

So, okay, is it *really* absolutely safe to go until brakes squeal?
My daughter is driving the car half the time now and if there
is any doubt I'd rather spend ~ $400 for the peace of mind...

DK

 

[Ragnar]

So, okay, is it *really* absolutely safe to go until brakes squeal?
My daughter is driving the car half the time now and if there
is any doubt I'd rather spend ~ $400 for the peace of mind...

DK

The brakes don't squeal until the pad is worn down to the safety margin.
Yes, its perfectly safe to wait until it squeals.

 

[CompUser]

So, okay, is it *really* absolutely safe to go until brakes squeal?

Most of the time, yes.

Is it absolutely, always, 100% "safe" to wait for
the squeal? No--sometimes the spring scraper
will rust off, or mystically disappear. When
that happens, you won't hear a "sqeal"...you'll
hear a nasty *scrape*, from the metal pad backing
plate contacting the rotor, which will also be
the signal to buy a new rotor, along with the
pads.

The only 100% guaranteed way to replace the pads
before they wear too far (and cause rotor damage)
is to eyeball the remaining thickness.
Fortunately, this is pretty easy to do, and
someone can show you how to do this in a
minute---faster and quicker than trying to
explain it here ;-)