1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

I Have 50% Brake Pads / Shoes Remaining

Discussion in 'Prius c Main Forum' started by Lukey51, Mar 25, 2020.

  1. Lukey51

    Lukey51 Active Member

    Joined:
    Jan 11, 2020
    203
    108
    0
    Location:
    TN
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    Two
    Something tells me the original shoes and pads are still on the car at 109k miles.
    I assume I'll be good for quite a while before I need to look into replacing these.
    I think I read about someone with a Prius C who had to change his at 205k miles recently.
     
  2. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 31, 2018
    7,035
    2,780
    0
    Location:
    USA
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius c
    Model:
    Four
    Yes, entirely possible.
    But at 8 years old, OTHER brake system service is highly recommended.....WAY before that.
     
    Mendel Leisk likes this.
  3. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    54,474
    38,105
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    Something like every 3 years or 30K miles? If the year interval is well before the miles you should be ok to stretch it to 4 years.
     
    Lukey51 likes this.
  4. Lukey51

    Lukey51 Active Member

    Joined:
    Jan 11, 2020
    203
    108
    0
    Location:
    TN
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    Two
    I don't get what you're saying. Did you forget which post you were replying to?
     
  5. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

    Joined:
    May 12, 2018
    6,690
    6,375
    1
    Location:
    Pennsylvania
    Vehicle:
    2018 Prius c
    Model:
    Two
    Yes you'll want a fluid change or at the bare minimum a proper moisture test done on the fluid you have. Lots of shops don't promote or trust the testers; they want the revenue for doing the bleed job anyway.
     
    Lukey51 likes this.
  6. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 31, 2018
    7,035
    2,780
    0
    Location:
    USA
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius c
    Model:
    Four
    I don't think there is a mileage recommedation for brake fluid changes......but there might be.
    Seems like I remember 2 years but I also agree that is WAY overkill and 4 should be fine.
    I strongly suspect that most owners never have brake service of any kind until a failure occurs or an inspection shows a need for pads.
     
    Lukey51 and Mendel Leisk like this.
  7. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 31, 2018
    7,035
    2,780
    0
    Location:
    USA
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius c
    Model:
    Four
    No but people DO forget to quote occasionally.
    The convention IS: If there is no quote, the assumption is that the reply is to the post immediately before.
    And in this case, that makes perfect sense.......if you think about it for more than a second......instead of shooting from the hip.
     
  8. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 30, 2008
    23,072
    14,976
    0
    Location:
    Indiana, USA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    Even an 'inspection' as simple as slipping the pads out and shoving the calipers inward and outward half a dozen times on their slide pins, until they feel easy and smooth again, some time when the tires are off for rotation, doesn't take ten minutes to do, and helps guarantee that you'll rack up the big numbers for pad life. Some people take the pins out and regrease them unconditionally, which I'd probably do only if I saw damage to the protective boots or if they didn't feel smooth and greased after being shoved inward and outward a few times.

    If it's been a while since you did that, the first few shoves will feel like they're greased with peanut butter, but it improves as you work it a few times.

    The thing about a Prius is since we all know how long the pads and shoes can last, it ends up feeling kind of embarrassing if you end up replacing them way early because of a minor problem that could have been caught by a regular quick check, but wasn't.
     
  9. Lukey51

    Lukey51 Active Member

    Joined:
    Jan 11, 2020
    203
    108
    0
    Location:
    TN
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    Two
    The brake fluid was replaced by a Toyota dealer at 86,801 miles according to the CARFAX.
    I'll look at some youtube videos and then maybe take the pins out and lube them.
    I like the idea of preventive maintenance. :)
    I like to keep everything lubed, except for the face of the rotors. ;)
     
  10. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    54,474
    38,105
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    Yeah think I did.

    Yeah definitely missed the mark, thought it was brake inspection interval, not fluid change.

    FWIW, Toyo Canada says tri-yearly or 48K kms, whichever comes first, for brake fluid change. Toyo USA says nothing.

    Regarding in-depth brake inspection in the States: there are two inspections listed in the US schedule, the 6 monthly visual inspection with tire rotations, and a tri-yearly or 30K miles inspection. The latter has precious little explanation, save to inspect the rotor. I take the latter to be a fullish brake inspection, involving what @ChapmanF described.

    Toyo Canada, last time I checked, recommended the fullish brake inspection maybe every 2 years or..., but I've been opting for tri-yearly (we're very low mileage), per the States. This spring the fronts were due on "my" schedule, but I looked at them, they looked very clean, and considering the ridiculously low miles we're putting on, decided to let them slide another year.

    All that said, I think the main thing is to HAVE a schedule, for brake inspection. The following is way too often the norm:

    This is coroborated by watching South Main Auto (my current YouTube entertaiinment): every time he's looking at brakes, or pulling them off for bearings/suspension work, they're a sorry pile of neglect. And this is in salt-belt up-state New York.
     
  11. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

    Joined:
    May 12, 2018
    6,690
    6,375
    1
    Location:
    Pennsylvania
    Vehicle:
    2018 Prius c
    Model:
    Two
    Miles are meaningless for this- you have to go by date. Ideally every 3 years but even if it were every 5 you're probably okay. I'm pretty sure the owner's manual says to "inspect" every 3 years; which means to test with a chemical or electronic tester and proceed to a flush job if it doesn't pass the test. Relatively few mechanics trust those tests, so it's usually best just to flush it every x often.
     
  12. Lukey51

    Lukey51 Active Member

    Joined:
    Jan 11, 2020
    203
    108
    0
    Location:
    TN
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    Two
    I should be able to lube my brake parts without setting off codes?
    I'm thinking of having either my neighbor or a local car care place check them out for me.
     
  13. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

    Joined:
    May 12, 2018
    6,690
    6,375
    1
    Location:
    Pennsylvania
    Vehicle:
    2018 Prius c
    Model:
    Two
    From what i've seen, the big thing to remember is to disconnect the 12v battery during the procedure. If you open the driver's door the car wants to run the brake pump, and if that happens while you have a caliper apart for greasing it can go badly.
     
    Mendel Leisk likes this.
  14. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 30, 2008
    23,072
    14,976
    0
    Location:
    Indiana, USA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    It isn't running the pump that poses a problem, because that pumps fluid into the accumulator under the hood, not out to any brakes. It only runs to make sure the accumulator pressure isn't low.

    On the other hand, the system (at least the Gen 3 liftback) also has a self-test that it does on its way to sleep, which you can usually hear a couple minutes after powering off: a short sequence of clicks and squishy noises.

    When it does that, it really is opening valves to test pressure out to the brake lines. That will complicate any project where a caliper has been dismounted.

    I don't know if/whether/when a Prius c does the same self test. I'd assume it's more-or-less Gen-3-like where that technology is concerned.
     
  15. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

    Joined:
    May 12, 2018
    6,690
    6,375
    1
    Location:
    Pennsylvania
    Vehicle:
    2018 Prius c
    Model:
    Two
    Thanks for the correction/amplification!
     
  16. Lukey51

    Lukey51 Active Member

    Joined:
    Jan 11, 2020
    203
    108
    0
    Location:
    TN
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    Two
    Local (reputable) car care place gets $180 to inspect and lube the pins, front and rear. He said in most cases it's not necessary.
    My neighbor would probably do it for a fraction of that. I don't think it's something I'm gong to try to tackle myself.
    I may get my neighbor to do it, but am concerned about setting off codes. My neighbor isn't familiar with the Prius, Id bet on that.
     
  17. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    54,474
    38,105
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    What I do with a regular 3rd gen hatchback:

    1. Disconnect 12 volt negative cable.
    2. Pull off the caliper, inspect/clean/relube pads/shims, ditto for caliper pins, possibly check rotor thickness/runout.
    3. Reassemble all.
    4. Push brake pedal multiple times (taking out any excess travel).
    5. Reconnect 12 volt negative cable.
     
  18. dig4dirt

    dig4dirt MoonGlow

    Joined:
    Apr 6, 2012
    1,150
    741
    0
    Location:
    Lancaster Co PA
    Vehicle:
    2014 Prius c
    Model:
    Two
    Also keep in mind the Prius "c" has drum brakes in the rear

    They might be tough to open up (forget which size bolt to use) but you can
    use the bolt(s) to break the brake drum off....like get it un seized.
    It wasnt' so bad for me to do, as I guess toyota dealer actually has taken a peek when they said they did.

    But I did the inspection/lube on both cars and then a week or few later did the fluid flush.
    I did watch a ton of videos...and read a lot here.
     
    Lukey51 likes this.
  19. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    54,474
    38,105
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    M8x1.25. Can be used with the rotors too. The threaded holes can be really rusty: start the bolts in till they're nearly stuck, back them out, blow out the rust, repeat, till you get them right through.

    Pretty much an industry standard? I know Honda's the same at least.
     
    dig4dirt likes this.
  20. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 31, 2018
    7,035
    2,780
    0
    Location:
    USA
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius c
    Model:
    Four
    Deleted by author.