128k and dealer says I need both front and back brakes $900

This dealer is probably just trying to fleece you. Most places offer a free brake inspection, you can get a 2nd opinion and then decide whether or not to do the services.

I don't think it's as bad as the dealer states.

 

+1

Comment: Ten years and 128K is fairly typical for Prius brakes. Not great. Certainly not shabby.
I'm a little concerned about the dealer's quote, which unfortunately is also typical for Toyota.

Given the measurements that they might or might not have actually taken, you should not have to have the drums and rotors replaced unless they're warped or badly scored from pad wear that the above measurements do not support.

Conclusion: Either they're incompetent or they're trying to fund the kid's Christmas through unnecessary repairs.

Advice: Get a second opinion.....and if my suspicions are correct fire your dealer.
Also consider sending a letter to the owner as a good will gesture for future customers who can't work on their own cars and cannot afford to buy new pieces/parts for their car that they don't actually need.

Be careful with the second opinion BTW.
You might even need a third.
Brakes are important, and my default is to aggressively replace worn components, but given the fact that your car has a pretty consistent service record you shouldn't be a candidate for new drums and rotors.
Not without very frank symptoms that you're not describing.

I smell...............boat payment and UNrefrigerated fish.

Good Luck!!!
Post results, please.

 

Another ditto. Also, since the dealer is only talking about working on friction surfaces, not the tricky hydraulics, anyone can do the work. Get a couple more estimates at the local garages. There's nothing different about the Prius rotors, drums, pads and shoes. (Be sure they know to disconnect the 12V battery on the Prius, which will add a couple of minutes.)

On a side note, if you've never flushed the brake fluid, you might want to consider it and that's a job for a Prius mechanic with Toyota tools.

 

Man, they saw you coming. Make sure they see you leaving....fuel injector cleaning alone is enough to usually indicate hard upsell.

It would be interesting to see what another Toyota dealer had to say (without telling them about the first dealer).

 

Have you ever had an in-depth brake inspection and maintenance? The one that's supposed to be done every 3 years or 30,000 miles?

Page 40 of the Scheduled Maintenance Guide:



There is more to brake maintenance than just replacing pads. Periodic inspection, where the caliper is pulled off, pads are inspected/cleaned/lubed, caliper pins are lubed, disc thickness and runout is check, all of this is supposed to be done periodically.

Toyota Canada specs brake fluid replacement now, every 3 years or 48,000 km's (30,000 miles). Same as the full in-depth brake maintenance. The reason: brake fluid attracts water, it can start to rust in there. Honda Canada's recommended every 3 years, regardless of mileage, for decades, as far back as I can recall.

 

Yes, brake fluid attracts water and becomes corrosive, and that's really bad for the accumulator which is very expensive. And it's bad when a caliper or piston corrodes enough to leak. And it's worse yet when there's enough water to boil when the brakes get hot. Brake fluid is incompressible, but gas is very compressible, and there go your hydraulic brakes.

 

Hey Mendel:

How's come the Canada manual is in miles???

 

That's the US document, download from tech info.

 

Would it be too difficult for you to personally inspect the front pad and rear shoe thickness?

Furthermore, even if you accept the dealer measurements as correct, you could drive another 20K miles before the rear shoe thickness becomes 1 mm. So there is no need to rush into a repair job, esp at those prices.

If you don't notice any unusual vibration or noise, I would decline replacing the rotors and drums.

 

Brake lining wear is not at all linear, even under similar operating conditions. One reason is that as linings wear away, there is less of it to dissipate the heat, causing more rapid wear rates near EOL.

It is COMMONPLACE for a second brake job to involve major hardware replacement, there are a number of factors in play and certainly time is one, but others are:
- Incompetence at first reline (improper procedures)
- Prior machining drum/rotor to limits - you can almost count on this happening
- Incomplete prior repair - not correctly flushing brake fluid in lieu of pushing old fluid backwards into system
- Corrosive environments cause loss of rotor mass
- Extreme thermal cycling causing cracks (driving thru ice-cold water over a vehicle's life = bad)
- Improper/incorrect parts used previously (OEM parts are THE BEST, period)

Having posted all that, I've had 120k of service from brakes on a Volvo 240 operated in an urban commuting environment and they are HEAVY cars with relatively well engineered but small brakes. A Prius driven in an average manner *should* get at least 150k from the front brakes and double that from the rear.

 

Get an independent shop to replace the front pads for 150 and call it a day. Ask them to save the old pads for your own information and to check up on the absurd dealer claims.

Or, if you have time to entertain yourself, go to a different dealer and get a quote, but they probably share them so their scams are not so obvious.