do I need a brake job?

Post # 12 is awesome....new pads = 9mm....

If you can remove the rims yourself, do an inspection and lube the pins while in there.
Rotor turning or replacement...is there a lip on the outside edge of the rotor? That's a test.

If not, maybe get a second opinion on your brake pad thickness.
Many just replace pads and never turn/ replace rotors with the negative being a vibration felt in the steering wheel while braking or brake noise occurring.
Concur brake advise over the internet is not the greatest as there are variable one must physical see and touch.

No comment on the beeping noise you hear....could very well be hill assist.
Does your owners manual offer any guidance on this?

Good luck.

 

I had a similar question. My front and rear pads on my 2010 Prius are at 4mm ... I have 140,000 on my car. I have a friend with 175k and still original brakes; another who did her first brakes at almost 200k .

This measurement from my dealer (4mm) hasn't changed in the past 3 oil changes-- have to love how a Prius handles braking! Am I pushing my luck?

 

The US schedule is to do an in depth brake inspection every 30,000 miles or 3 years. So yeah, you're pushing your luck.

More info:

Scheduled maintenance frequency | Page 2 | PriusChat

 

On turning rotors...

I have NEVER needed to turn rotors when replacing pads unless there was evidence of warping, pitting or grooving. All I had to do is take a piece of coarse sandpaper and scuff the disc surface to remove any glazing that had formed. Turning is the method used to service damaged rotors. It's not part of a typical brake pad replacement.

 

I agree. Way too much machining or replacement going on. Also, no one ever mentions dial gauges and micrometers: if you suspect a rotor issue, check it first.

Front:



Rear:

 

Depending on the manual -- one says 1mm and the other says 2mm for replacement. At 4mm you have plenty of time ... I replaced mine around 160k (front and rear) -- they still had +2mm. I had bought the pads over a year before thinking they would be due.

At the 5 year mark I thought it was reasonable to replace the pads .. clean everything and swap out the fluid. That's how i made myself feel good about doing it early.

The normal reason for cutting a rotor was to fix a warp -- it's no longer recommended. They need to be replaced if not running true or under specification. All of mine were above specification

 

Toyota manuals don't insist on replacing ... if there is a rotor problem requiring machining, and enough rotor is left, they're fine with that. They recommend an on-car lathe, so the rotor ends up exactly aligned with the plane of rotation. (That's also why they recommend match marks any time you take a rotor off, so you put it back in the same alignment; or, failing that, just grab the dial indicator, try all five positions, and put it back in the one with minimum runout.)

If there isn't a rotor problem requiring machining, there's no recommendation to do it.

-Chap

 

I've taken my rear rotors off once, and missed that: basically a one-in-five chance I put them back on as before. Oh well, and they seem ok. If there's a repeat I will be cognizant of that.

 

Modern brake rotors have very little "meat" on them -- the solids a bit more. With labor costs -- trying to fix a a rotor is pointless (they are cheap). I would never cut a vented rotor.

When you cut a rotor on the car .. it's aligned with the car. They used to do this years ago when machining was not as accurate and many if not most cars had some misalignment -- same with tires. You have to mark the part otherwise it's way off --- the rotor is not true to itself. Tires are weight matched to rims on good assembly lines to minimize weight use.

My 2010 with 160k had a tiny lip -- almost nothing. Just new pads needed