Pads changed at 25000 miles?

Pads are a consumable, so it would be surprising if they were a warranty item in any country. Perhaps that shop just does it as a matter of course so they can charge you for the labor. If the pads really needed replacement then either you've been braking like a maniac :_> or there is some mechanical problem. Prius pads should last 50,000 to 100,000 miles.

 

It's not covered by warranty. But they shouldn't have needed to be changed, and did they communicate to you beforehand that this was going to be done?

 

In the US, you are allowed to ask (and receive) the old parts back if you wish. It is to prevent dishonest shops from changing (or not changing and saying they did) parts unnecessarily.

I don't know about your car, but when I measured the thickness of the front brake pads at 30,000 miles, they had 88% of the original thickness left.

 

They can delaminate from the backing plates, but its not very common - I've never had a set do that on any vehicle I have owned.

They can wear unevenly and rapidly if you have a sticking caliper, but that would be obvious and would require additional repair to fix or replace the caliper. Not likely with 25k miles.

 

This was mine at 123,000 miles.

 

Yes John I'd definitely question it. Something not right with that, after 65,000 miles I've still got plenty of brake pad life remaining.

 

What does sometimes happen in the first 100,000 miles is that the rotors get rusty. Something about not using the brakes enough...

If the rust isn't too bad, then several hard stops while in neutral is enough to clear off the rust. Bad cases require replacement of the rotors, even though the pads are not worn out.

 

Then they should have been covered, right. Not just a wear item issue.

 

Hold on a sec--- In your post #8 on page one, you said the front brakes made a slight noise that was eliminated by shifting to Neutral. I am thinking that going to Neutral forces Prius OUT OF regenerative braking, and INTO friction braking. So the noise may not have been from your friction brakes at all. If that's true, the mechanic's explanation sounds a bit fishy, no?

 

Recognizing that you might be dealing with language translation issues, it is necessary to differentiate between a "defect" and "normal wear". Suppose a brake pad had delaminated from the steel backing plate, as dogfriend earlier mentioned. I would call that a "defect".

Suppose, as RobH suggested, the brake pad instead had an accumulation of rust built up, coming from the brake rotor and this was due to 1) your parking the car outdoors where it was subjected to rainy weather that rusted the rotor and 2) not driving the car sufficiently to get rid of the rust in the course of normal use. I'd call that "normal wear".

You'll need to study your warranty terms to see what exclusions might exist regarding brake pads and other "consumable" items. Good luck.

 

If the form is signed that permits discretionary work by the dealer one is open to anything.

 

I had my car serviced yesterday at just short of 20,000 miles (two year service about four months overdue). The service sheet said the brake pads were worn about 20%.

Good for 100k then!

 

After reading and studying many threads on this forum, I wanted to make this post on this thread. The '09 Prius that we bought used last year now has 53K on the odometer. The brakes started sounding off like they were worn. Raised it up on a lift and inspected the brakes. This is what was found. Inboard pads were worn down to nothing. Outboard pads were showing slight wear. It appeared that the "Caliper Glide Pin had seized (sic) in the Caliper Bracket". The tech was able to free them up. The tech is also going to clean and lubricate the Glide Pin's to eliminate the seizing (sic). Also the rotors are pitted heavily. The car was originally from Florida and there is corrosion evident on the undercarriage. Based on what I have seen in other post's, it appears that if the Prius is subjected to a lot of salty conditions, one should take the time to monitor pad wear for even wear on both sides, otherwise one might find their pads wearing out "prematurely". Many post's have stated that the pads should last 100K or longer. The tech who is doing the work for me said "This is the first Prius I have seen like this". He works at Tejas Toyota here in the Houston area.

To make a long story short, keep an eye on the pad wear. If it is uneven, check to make certain that they are not stuck otherwise you will wear out the pads prematurely.

This is what the assembly looked like on the car.




This is what the pads looked like after removing them from the caliper.



When looking at the above picture, it is very evident that the pads did not wear evenly. The pad on the right pictured above was on the inboard side of the caliper.

Ron (dorunron)

 

I wanted to post a update to my post from yesterday (Post #19).

I just picked up the car this morning. Everything appears to be in order now. I went ahead and replaced the rotors, both sets of pads, along with cleaning and adjusting the rear brakes.

Yes, I did let the dealer do the work, as I am arthritic and don't have the capability to DIY anymore.

I do note that the brake system "sounds" a LOT quieter than before the repair. When we bought the car used, you could hear the friction brakes when they applied at low speeds. Now the car is a LOT quieter than before. If I see any problems concerning the repair, I will make another post.

I do agree that IF the brake system is operating normally, that the pads should last a long time as other poster's have stated due to the regenerative braking system, however it does appear that if the glide pins get rusty, there is a chance that the pad will not retract from the disk after brake application which will cause the pad to not wear properly. Just for clarification, this problem applies to all vehicles, NOT just the Prius. It boils down to proper care of your car. Some folks call it preventative maintenance. If you just drive it, and not maintain it, NO car or truck will last a long time.

Ron (dorunron)