Break pad replacement

This. The parts store (vatozone, O'reilly, advance auto,etc..) pads do not last long at all, especially if you put the cheapest ones on. They are really a waste of money IMO. Decent pads will last a long time unless you are towing heavy loads on a regular basis.

 

Quoted : "I changed mine exactly 1year after purchase (about 21K). This was actually normal as historically I change my pads on my daily drivers once a year. And I run ceramic pads."

He is driving a 2012 Tacoma...

Historically he does it with his daily drivers once a year!

Toyota stock pads on a 2012 only lasted for 21K... Either something is wrong with all his daily driver vehicles or .....?

 

Yeah, the cheaper ones do not last as long. But I will vouch for the Gold level pads at Advance Auto. They are ceramic and I have installed SEVERAL sets at my shop and the customers LOVE them. The first set I ever put on was for a local customer and the last time he brought his truck in I inspected it and the pads didn't show any sign of wear at all, and he had put 50k miles on them.

 

Interesting replies. On my vehicles I usually get around 150K or better, but I do drive conservatively.

 

05 Tacoma and changed the fronts at 95k miles and still haven't had to dealt with the Rear drums at all. when u do change them get ceramic pads cause they produce less brake dust.

 

Changed the front pads on my '09 at 95,000 and the U-joints on the driveshaft at 96,000 miles. I do tow a Carolina Skiff frequently.

 

maybe he does a lot of stop and go driving? or he had a long downhill driveway

21k is crazy, but i still think possible. brea...(<<<---almost got me!) BRAKE wear is a function brake use. i have an aunt, she drives with two feet in her automatic tranny car. she lives in the hilliest area in san francisco. her brakes get crushed daily. i think she changes them out all the time.

 

LOL!

San Francisco is brutal on the brake pads. I lived in the bay area for a couple of years. I would guess Queens NY also has a lot of stop and go ( I've never been there however ).

My 20 year old truck I sold last year still had the original brake pads and clutch and they still were at about 33% wear left... Maybe I am just light on my brakes?

 

I've been really happy with my Duralast pads (Autozone brand). They were around $50 for the pair, are wearing really well and have a better bite than the stock pads. I swapped out to Duralast pads and rotors about 20k miles ago and still have a LOT of pad left.

Honestly, I think the long life ones are a waste of money. The wear is what creates the friction and your stopping power. If you get a pad that won't wear, the stopping power is generally reduced and they can be really tough on your rotors. I'd rather change pads than rotors any day.

 

'06 with 81k miles and the original pads are still looking good.


When it comes time to replace I will be going with OEM Toyota replacements. Can't beat them.

 

That's good to know. I was really referring to the cheap ones that are like 19.99. I usually use Hawk and EBC brake pads, but I know friends cars that i've changed the brakes on who cheaped out, their pads only lasted like a year-year and a half. Maybe Ill try the duralast gold pads (i'm assuming that's what you used since that's about the price of the gold's).

 

I don't remember what they are, they weren't the cheaper ones and I think they're ceramic. Best part, they're warrantied for life. Supposedly, when they wear out, Autozone will give me another set whether it 10k miles or 100k miles (I did question it and have yet to use the warranty but that's what the store's claim was).

 

They'd probably go look at your truck, see dust somewhere on the undercarriage, and claim "abuse" like a stealership.

 

I actually asked the guy a very pointed question, I said "Even if these things perform flawlessly, they will wear out eventually". He responded, "Just bring them back, we'll look you up in the system and hand you another set". I really hope it is that easy, but warranty aside, I'd buy them again for $50 without the warranty, they've been great so far. I actually didn't know about the warranty until I went to check out. So far, I've had these on my truck for about 20k miles and my wife had the cheaper ones on her car for about 15k miles before she sold it. The cheaper ones squeeled a bit, I wouldn't get them, the more expensive ones are quiet.

 

No offense taken; however I'd like to invite you to come drive in NY city's rush hour traffic to see how long yours would last.

Like I said I've had to change mine's annually on my Supra and my Audi when I used them as dd. Traffic is stop and go so you're always on the brake buddy.

 

No, but thanks for the offer anyway!

I didn't notice you were from Queens until much later after San Francisco was mentioned... I can only imagine how bad your stop and go must be. I imagine you have to drive with a foot on the brake.

I live on the southern coastal area where it is mostly flat land and I do not live in a city... My point of reference is biased by this I suppose.

 

05 access cab, 105k. Replaced rotors with heavy duty pads and vented rotors, old pads were about as thick as a piece of paper. Replaced rear drums and shoes, old shoes had some miles left in them although the drum was wore way down and had a hard time pulling the drums off.
My first Toy was an 89 and I had 218k and never needed to change the rear brakes, fronts were changed 3 times.