Brake Pads - how long do they last?

It all depends on where the car was driven.

If it was used a lot on the highway, then the wear would be far less than if it was used in the city.

45,000k isn't bad at all. They don't last forever :-)

HI Helena,

I would have thought they should last longer than 45,000Km uless its been a lot of stop & start city driving or they were not fitted properly. WE just had ours replaced for the first time last year on our VT commodore brought new in 1999 - pads changed at 120,000km. It has done mainly regional driving and not driven hard. We replaced them with high quality ceramic & titanium ones which the mechanic said with our driving may outlast the car ...(lol)
Cheers,
GPM

A lady friend of ours was told the same thing at 30,000km. She asked me to have a look. The pads were less than a third worn when compared to a new set and it seemed it was on the dealers sheet that they should be changed - not on condition but on time as estimates said they may be worn by then. They were still on the car when she traded it at 75,000km and working well and still not near the wear limit - I had a look with a mirror before she traded it! It was primarily used for long runs and little town running. I have also encountered similar things with my Patrol 'needing' to be changed even though some items had been changed after a long trip and only six weeks prior. Get a second opinion!

Changed the fronts on my cruiser at 110k, had since new. I am not a granny driver, but not too harsh either. Rears at 130k.
Regards
Krakka

Helena....disc brakes can take a lot of abuse and still wear very little....but things like mud can change that....also they may not wear evenly due to the piston getting stuck or the calliper holding bolts not being tight...but the mechanic would be looking at the amount of braking material left on the pads ( 2 per wheel) and that it is wearing evenly and reasonably flat and that the disc is smooth and not scoured or with ridges etc where the disc will need attention too...also that the disc has not warped or damaged in some way....you will need good and effective brakes....don't compromise...it is you safety and the safety of others in your care at stake.

Thanks everyone - I hate to be ripped off - the mechanics seem like nice guys but I get the feeling that they are changing them because of the time interval rather than the actual condition of the pads themselves. I've only been to these guys once before, and was quite happy with them, but they say I'm 'due' for new pads.

Agree with 2nd opinion option. Easy money for little work done, changing disc pads.

Just installed my 3rd set on the 2 x 4 Hilux, 297500 Kms. About 145000 Kms per set.

Helena,

Get a second opinion by all means, however there are so many variables that can effect wear.

Auto, manual, country driving , suburban or city stop start driving.

I traded my Mazda Ute at 189,000K's with original pads, shoes and clutch.

I had to replaced the front pads on my wifes auto Susuki Cino at 31,000k's and she is no better on tyres.

I have seen a hell of a lot worse, usually customers who had perfected the art of left foot braking auto transmission vehicles, more than a few rest their foot on the brake pedal.


Ian

Helena,
We have a 1998 corolla manual (bug eyed model) and it has 199,000 km on the clock all country driving and it still has it's original front pads and rear shoes. They can be very easy on the brakes if not driven too much in traffic.
But I would get a second opinion those Km seem a bit early even for a city driven automatic.

Cheers
Dave

Our 2001 corolla has done 96000km and the brake pads are still OK. Maybe your previous owner was a rally driver?

Seems a bit short to me. Neither of my Peugeots have had new
Pads, one has 300k on it. Hilux has 150 k & pads are not half worn.
Auto Jack has 110k...look like new. I admit to being a very light
braker. Perhaps a second opinion, if it doesnt cost half as much as the pads. Most Brake shops should give an opinion without
charge..........oldbaz.

Helena

I can remember a few customers at work over the years wearing out their front pads in under 20,000 ks and expecting them to be replaced under warranty!

I agree with Dunco, it all depends on where the car is driven, who is driving it and what loads it is carrying.

One of my jobs was in a garage in Wagga Wagga. Some of our customers were taxi drivers. I was constantly changing pads on their cars. They could apply the brakes a dozen or so times just driving the length of the main street.

Another customer had a 200B Datsun. Her job was driving around to all the towns in the Riverina collecting samples from doctors for analysis. She did thousands of ks each week but the brakes always looked new because it was common for her to do a hundred ks or more at a time without using them.

I would say your mechanic wants to change yours because they are worn out. I can not remember ever seeing a service book that recommends pad changes at regular intervals. I doubt if any manufacturer would be game to try and predict the life of pads when they are subjected to so many variables. They all say to inspect them. I just had a quick look at my Hilux book and it says inspect them during every service but makes no recommendations to change them at any particular time.

Brian

My cruiser needed rear pads at 40k - zip left on them, the fronts i replaced at 50k, may have gone to 60k but was towing a van to qld so wasnt risking it. my parents calais has done 75k and i think thay should get another 40 odd k's out of them. i used to have a ford econovan (4 stud model) which was designed to carry 225kg part time, i used to carry about 800kg FULL TIME in it and the pads had to be replaced every service as it wouldnt do 20k on one set. cheers Paul

The Jack has done 136,000 and still on the original pads.
The disks must still be there too, or the brakes wouldn't be working:-)

I tend to use engine braking where possible.
I don't like "riding the brakes" and the only time I do this, is going down a steep decline due to the automatic transmission.

Bill

Hi Helena,
This one really is how long is a piece of string!

As everyone has said, get another opinion.

My Troopy at over 2 tonnes got 80,000 k's out of the factory front pads. I thought that was darn fine, actually downright brilliant!

My mother has a Corolla, if she gets 80,000 k's out of the front pads I'll be very bloody peeved. She's one of those old dear's that get the distance between their glasses and the windscreen the same as the distance between their eyeballs and their glasses!

Geoff

Can you have a look at the vin number (17 letters & numbers long & found under the bonnet,on the rego sticker or rego papers) on your corolla & tell me if it starts with JT7 or AHT (this relates to brake wear)

Normally a mechanic will recomend replacing the brake pads if he doesn't believe they will last (not hit the audible wear indicator) before the next sevice is due (every 10,000 klms on a corolla)

Regards Don

AHT Corolla's were built in South Africa (JT7 were built in Japan) & have what Toyota describe as a european spec brake package (stop better) that have softer pads & rotors than the jap ones but wear pads & rotors much sooner than the Jap ones do (jap ones can do 60,000 klm plus normally)

Some people (a lot) were only getting 20,000 to 40,000 klms out of original pads & rotors before they needed to be replaced due to wear so if it is on the originals 45,000 klms is a good life for a AHT Corolla

Has the mechanic said anything about rotor wear or just pads ?

Regards Don

Pad wear can be visually checked with the wheels removed from the vehicle but rotor wear needs to be measured to check that he rotors arn't already worn less than minimum thickness or if there is wear on the the rotors that machining them to get a flat surface wont take them to less than minimum thickness

It is normal practice on a service to note the pad life remaining & if the mechanic believes they will need to be replaced at the next service let the customer know when the vehicle is booked for the next service in so they can allow the necessary funds to cover it

Get them to check rotor wear as some non toyota workshops (if that who is doing the work) may not be aware of the brake rotor wear on the AHT Corolla's

If you are concened if they replace the pads ask them to keep the old ones so you can have a look at them & see how much thickness of pad material remains on the pad with the least amount of material remaining

New pads are around 12mm thick,minimum thickness is around 2mm & i would replace them at around 4-5mm to be safe

Regards Don