Anyone replaced brake pads due to wear?

[jsorger]

I've seen all of the speculation about brakes lasting 100-200k and was wondering if anyone on the forum has had their brake pads (or for the techs) replaced them due to wear...

I'm at 77k and during the past 500 or so miles I have noticed some minor squealing coming from the brakes. For better or worse I have never made it to the point where I have heard the "warning squeals" coming from brake pads (with my previous Hondas I always had rotor wobble prior to noise) and am unfamiliar with how they sound.

It isn't constant yet seems to occur when rolling to a slow stop (parking, stop sign, etc). No noise, for example, when driving 40MPH and coming to a quicker stop at a traffic light.

I know I need to have them looked at during the next rotation, but just wondering about experience out there...

[Devil's Advocate]

92,000 miles and the original brakes look as good as new! (and if you read my other posts, I regularly tow trailers to and from LA and Las Vegas with two motorcycles, as well as some 118 mph top end runs!)

Be sure to check yours before going someplace and telling them that you hear "squealing", because before the end of the day you will definetly be hearing some squealing, and not from the brakes!

[galaxee]

hmm... i don't think DH has changed a set of prius brake pads yet. i know i would have heard about it if he did. he once called me in the middle of an experiment (thanks dear ) to tell me that he had a prius with over 100k and still significant brake pad life left.

[KV55]

I have a squealing front break and the garage has just looked at it and said it is the wear indicator and that the pads are 90% worn. The car has done 50,000 miles, mostly on back roads but generally slow and steady.
The squeal is very high pitched and occurs under 30mph when the brakes are not in use. The breaks were looked at last summer with the same squeal and the discs were replaced and the pads resurfaced. That didn't do the job and it was a month later when they greased the back of pad it stopped squealing. I think the pad just keeps coming away from the piston but has anyone else got any ideas.

[qbee42]

The brake pads on a Prius are pulled back when not in use, so you should get no indication from the wear indicator unless you are using the brakes. It sounds to me like yours are sticking.

Tom

[bac]

Originally Posted by qbee42

The brake pads on a Prius are pulled back when not in use, so you should get no indication from the wear indicator unless you are using the brakes. It sounds to me like yours are sticking.

Tom

Or perhaps there is some dirt/grime in there somewhere.

... Brad

[KV55]

Thanks Brad and Tom, and sorry to all for my hasty spelling - or lack of checking. Does anyone know if the pads rely on a sticky layer of high melting point grease on the backs to pull them away from the disc or is there some other mechanism?

[rigormortis]

just curious, is this the front or rear? i have a personal bet that the rears wear down first

[KV55]

In my case it is the front, and the squeal is from the front off side, but I think my brake wear is not usual.

[rigormortis]

i have noticed that when taking my car for the "free" 21 point vehicle inspection, i cannot obtain a straight answer on how much brake pad i have left, sometimes it is 9mm, and sometimes it is 5mm and the 9s are 5s and the 5s suddenly become 9s, its like suddenly after 5000 miles, my car's brake pads grew 4mm