[ash7678]

still going strong at 54k odd kms on my santro xing. the trick is to have the pads serviced long with your periodic maintenance and rely as much as possible on engine braking.

[rajshenoy]

Guys, are there any symptoms which can spot this issue before its too late? Atleast i dont want to get stuck in the middle of no where

Another reason why i am asking this is that i get some strange noise from front brakes when i apply to stop the car(not abrupt braking,just usual one in slow moving traffic)

It doesnt come when i slow it down(i use engine braking+ brakes) it only comes when the car is about to stop

my car has run around 13500kms and i gave for service couple of months back, i never paid any attention to details such as these, but this article is making me think about it

[equinox22]

^^ What kind of noise is it? A squeal can be heard if the pads are worn out. And unless you are braking real aggressively all the time, 13,500km is too less for the brakes to wear out.

[sgiitk]

The front discs have a wear indicator, which is essentially a bent piece of metal which starts rubbing on the disc platter when the pads are getting to the end of their life. Drums have no such device, but the rear liners and pads tend to last much more since the bulk of the braking is by the front.

[mobike008]

My Accent's front brake pads lasted for 36,000 kms under heavy driving style. Had i used it for another 500kms, they would have touched the rotors and would have had to replace them as well

Thank god, got away with Rs.1700 instead of 5K

[rajshenoy]

Originally Posted by equinox22

^^ What kind of noise is it? A squeal can be heard if the pads are worn out. And unless you are braking real aggressively all the time, 13,500km is too less for the brakes to wear out.

Yeah squeal is a right word for this. basically its comes when the car is close to stopping

Saying i apply breaks when car is at 60-80kmph and everything is fine till it reaches speeds of say 20kmph and after that this sound comes.

Same thing happens in bumper to bumper traffic when i am not crossing speeds of 20kmph.

I havent used the car much, 13500 kms in 2+years and, I dont call myself a rash driver, so perhaps i can count the number of times i have applied the brakes real hard in last two years

[streetracer_919]

my fiesta have done 25,000kms. its brake pads are still in good shape.

[manim]

Originally Posted by ash_blore

brake pads on the civic lasted about 20K. Replacement cost around 12K

Did you change pads for all four wheels?

Mine (Civic-AT) lasted for 40K (The front pads alone were changed).
I paid only around Rs.4,750/- for them (material and labour).

Your rate of 12K seems excessive, can you please clarify?

(Maybe you changed also the brake-disc's?)

[ImmortalZ]

He was probably forced to change his discs with it. Honda A.S.S seems to love doing this when the discs could last another set or two of pads.

[carboy]

Is there an easy way to know if brake pads need changing or not? Or do you have to rely on the service guy's advice?

[sgiitk]

ATs as they have no engine braking (unless in L or S mode) wear out pads much faster (say 2x).

[trrk]

Hi,

Originally Posted by sgiitk

ATs as they have no engine braking (unless in L or S mode) wear out pads much faster (say 2x).

It can't be a general rule, as my CVT pads were OEM even at 46500+kms when it was sold.

The brakes were perfect.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by carboy

Is there an easy way to know if brake pads need changing or not? Or do you have to rely on the service guy's advice?

1. Visual inspection. Not for the layman.

2. Brake pads are engineered to throw out the "cheen cheen" sound when braking, and at the time that they need replacement. The lesser you drive after hearing this sound, the better (else the brake discs will get damaged).

3. Stick to km averages. Most cars need a new set of pads anywhere between 30,000 - 40,000 kms.

[nitrous]

Originally Posted by GTO

2. Brake pads are engineered to throw out the "cheen cheen" sound when braking, and at the time that they need replacement. The lesser you drive after hearing this sound, the better (else the brake discs will get damaged).

Thats right.
Once the brake pads wear down to a specific level, the wear indicator gets in contact with the disc and produces this high frequency metallic squeal.

[musicmanaman]

I changed mine at 35k, just felt like changing so did so, I din't have any break problems as the reason for change.=, just thought 35k is good for a change of pads.