Dealer Said I Need To Replace Front Brakes, But...

so in the first 2 reports the front brakes gained 1mm
Id trust them after seeing that
if you have not done brakes in 10 years just do them..

 

i recommend having them show you how they are measuring. it sounds like they are using the guess o meter, which is pretty standard for inspections. but if you want to know how worn all the brakes are, a little more serious investigation is in order.
i'm not sure the rear drums/shoes on gen 2 ever wear out under normal conditions.

 

If it's at all possible, take a wheel off, see for yourself. Much more direct than opinion polls on the 'net. The outer pad thickness can be eyeballed easily; for the inner pad you can check the thickness through the opening in the caliper shoulder.

My 2 cents: with the miles on the odometer, the dealership is NOT blowing smoke and: you're LONG overdue for a brake overhaul.

 

Take a look at both the inside and outside pads. Uneven rapid wear can be caused by sticking slide pins (they should be lubricated periodically to allow even wear). My 2004 Prius id at 184.5k miles on the original front and rear brakes.

JeffD

 

Go to a reputable brake shop and get a 2nd opinion, have them check the rears also, and if you need em, you need em and I'd have the work done by a dedicated brake shop.......just my opinion.

 

The rear Prius brakes typically will incur very little wear. New rear brake shoes have 4 mm lining thickness. Compare to new front brake pad thickness of 11 mm.

As previously suggested, the best practice would be to remove both front tires and look at the inner and outer pad thickness. The inner pads may wear faster if the slide pins are sticking.

My belief is that the Tustin Toyota and Rancho Santa Margarita Toyota service depts are reasonably honest based upon my personal experience when living in south OC. Hence if you look at the pad thickness yourself, you will log a data point to prove or disprove my experience.

I think the use of an independent brake shop would be OK as long as they know to disconnect the 12V power before starting work and are aware that Techstream is required to bleed the brake system.

 

I changed my front brakes at 150k and it prob could've gone another half a year. Rotors were badly rusted since I parked my car outside for couple years so I changed that as well although it still had a lot of life. in SoCal, depends on whether you brake often in that SoCal traffic. Brakes are rear drums so their measurements are different and typically they last twice as long than the front. your measurements are odd but probably best to get a 2nd opinion if you want to last your brakes to the end. I would just go and get it replaced since you are right about at the avg time many others replace their brakes.

 

Prius rotors rust due to lack of use. Periodically get up to 25-30 mph, put it in neutral (shuts off regeneration) and lightly use the brakes to clean the rotors. Repeat if you hear brake rubbing noises.

JeffD

 

I agree to have a look yourself. It may even be possible to get a decent glance through the spokes of the wheel.

I've always had front brakes wear much faster than rear brakes. Maybe the last bit of pad material was the most "crumbly" and went quickly?

 

makes more sense.

 

Checking brakes is one reason I like to rotate tires myself, even though the tire place will do it for free. About every other rotation I remove the rear drums, and make sure the rear shoes stay self-adjusted, as well. Every once in a while I'll give the star wheel a click.

My '07 has 170K gently driven miles and I've only worn about 50% of the brakes. Lots of highway miles, frequent use of the "B" mode on mountain grades. I don't think I'll ever have to do a brake job on that car, though if I ever need to replace bearings (much more likely), I will service the caliper guides then.