wagner brakes any experiance with them?

well already at the point where i have to do my brakes on my truck. i bought it in september last year with 8k on it and now i have 41k in less then a year. considering i am going to be going through brakes almost once a year at this rate i am having a friend show me what to do so that way i can just do it myself from here on out. I am mechanically inclined i would say but just never actually did my own brakes so just having him help to make sure i dont mess anything up.

but anyway i shopped around a bit and decided to go with Wagner ThermoQuiet Ceramic pads because the pricing was good and they sound like a pretty good pad. Has anyone used these pads? if so how do you like them what are the pros and cons so far.

I went to my local AdvancedAutoParts to go purchase them and found out there is a pretty good deal on them. I am not too sure exactly how this works but when i went to purchase them the guy at the counter said there is a limited lifetime warranty on these pads. He said that basically when the pads wear out save the receipt and bring the pads back they will replace them one time free of charge. so basically you get two sets of pads for the price of one i was pleasantly supprised to hear this and now im glad i chose them. Anyone shop at AdvancedAutoParts and come across this deal? Is it too good to be true?


well planning on putting them on tomorrow and ill keep you posted how it goes and my impressions after they are in.

 

ive used them before, and wont hesitate to use them again. There a great pad, for a great price. Almost makes me wonder why I just spent $200 on slotted rotors and pads..

 

yea they are great pads!

 

Probably want to stick to that store, I have always been told it was Mfgr Defects, not wear that was covered. kind of a ymmv kinda thing. If you go to another Advance auto parts down the street, they might say "how is wearing out the fault of the pad?"

 

Normally advance will do a one time replacement of brake pads that are wore out.

That being said...ThermoQuiets are Awesome, by far the best brake pad you can buy over the counter.

 

this is not directed to the OP, but just a thought in general. I dont understand how folks are wearing out the brakes so fast. I have 42k on my truck and the brakes still look good. My camry got 125k on factory pads, and I changed them just because I couldnt take it any more. I guess it is driving habits. I am easy on my brakes but to each his own.

 

I dont see how that would work, limited lifetime usually pertains to the quality of the pad, like a defect in the material. I dont think normal wear would be covered, if it was then how would wagner make profit, b/c they are giving pads away. I think the dude at advance is probably misinformed or frequenter on the short bus. of course I could be wrong, and if so, I can live with it.
If this is true then brother take em up on it.

 

It works 'cause something like 90% of people don't keep the receipt or even remember about it in the (somewhat more normal) 3-5 year period between brake pad changes. IF they even own the car still.

Also pad cost must actually be incredibly cheap, with markups of 200% or more considering retail charge is $40-90. Two for one and they still make money. Just look at the things and you know how simple and highly automate-able it is to make.

 

this was what I was thinking.

 

They are a great pad. quiet low dust and pretty fade resistant. For the price they cant be beat.

 

Besides keeping the receipt it only pertains to the original purchasing party it doesn't transfer to a new owner of that vehicle if it is ever sold.

Idk what mileage other Tacoma owners are getting out of their pads but my mechanic/personal friend who has been in the business for a while was surprised that I got that many miles out of my pads he said he typically sees people changing pads every 35k-40k Idk how accurate that is but that was his estimate

 

Basically unless something is out of warranty, and you keep your receipt, you will be taken care of. When you come in there with 5 different names, and wanting them to call all the area stores because you forgot what phone number you gave when you bought them, then you start to have problems. The brake department usually runs about a 60% profit in a parts store, so you do not have to worry about putting them out of business (even if pauly part timer thinks you will).

 

Just FYI,

9 out of 10 times when you buy a lifetime warranty pad when you finally get to the point where you need new pads you will also be replacing the rotors. They make the pads very hard so the pads wear very slowly, this in turn chews up the rotor prematurely.

They offer the warranty because they know that (1) You will sell the car (2) Will lose receipt/forget about warranty -or- (3) you will be purchasing rotors when you come in for the free replacement pads.

Save the rotors and buy a quality pad like Factory Toy, Hawk, Etc...

 

This is a good point IMO. I've owned several Honda cars over the years and I always use the factory pads that are fairly soft. They only last 30 to 50 thousand miles, but I've never had to resurface or replace a rotor.

To the op's question. I've been in the auto parts bizz for a long time and I've sold many sets of Wagner pads over the years. They seem to be quite good based on the feedback from mechanics and customers. The Thermoquiets seem to be their best product.