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120K Brakes?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by red-hot-prius, Oct 28, 2021.

  1. red-hot-prius

    red-hot-prius Junior Member

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    My 2010 Prius has 120K and is in great shape. I got the spark plugs done recently, and new tires and battery. She runs like a dream. I keep thinking I MUST need a brake job by now, right? According to my last inspection at the dealership, the linings were 5-5-6-6, which is in the "yellow" zone. They told me I had a ways to go before I would need new pads. The first five years I owned it, I commuted 70 miles round-trip daily on a highway, so it's possible my brakes are holding up well for that reason. I don't feel like I've lost stopping power. It's not like I want to spend the money -- but I want a safe car. Am I being over-cautious to replace them now? I mostly drive around my mostly-flat city, but I take it on a 3,000 mile snowbird trip each year (and going down the rim into the Phoenix valley is always a heart-stopper!).
     
    #1 red-hot-prius, Oct 28, 2021
  2. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    After seeing so many other Prius owners reporting 200k+ miles on the factory pads, I'm not all surprised that yours are still good at a mere 120k.

    My household has run several pre-hybrids 90-110k miles on the factory pads. My main problem on those older cars has been winter road salt corrosion causing sticking calipers, leading to uneven wear and sometimes excess drag. I need to learn DIY brake maintenance (well described in other threads here) to make sure they are adequately lubricated and sliding freely.
     
    #2 fuzzy1, Oct 28, 2021
    red-hot-prius likes this.
  3. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    We're at 125k and I just lubed the caliper slide pins with SylGyde silicone grease. Go to the maintenance forum and check out the how to video by Nutz About Boltz.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
    #3 xliderider, Oct 28, 2021
    red-hot-prius likes this.
  4. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    250k original rotors and front pads. Just changed the rear pads because one wheel bearing was growling. The hydraulic brakes don't do much because regen slows you down exclusively 80-90% of the time. Brake by wire.
     
    #4 rjparker, Oct 28, 2021
    red-hot-prius likes this.
  5. douglasjre

    douglasjre Senior Member

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    Yellow zone? Is that some consumerism lingo? Pads don't wear out so fast. 200k maybe....
     
    #5 douglasjre, Oct 29, 2021
  6. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    What you envisage is meant by "a brake job"?

    Toyota USA recommends an in-depth brake inspection, essentially pulling the caliper off the rotor, cleaning up the pads/shims and points of contact on the caliper, clean/relube of the caliber pins, every 30K miles or tri-yearly, whichever comes first*.

    Ignoring the brakes till the pads are down to 1 mm, you can have troubles. It does seem like both dealerships and owners turn a blind eye to brake maintenance though. Bottom line: you shouldn't wait till your pads are at 1 mm to do a brake service.

    * Look through your Warranty and Maintenance Booklet: every 5K there's mention of "visual inspection", but the language changes at 30K intervals; the VI inspection is not mentioned, and instruction to check rotor against spec is added. It's pretty subtly, but I think they're expecting a traditional inspection, every 30K miles.
     

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    #6 Mendel Leisk, Oct 30, 2021
    Last edited: Oct 30, 2021
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