TokenFlamer

Hey guys, just brought my xD to the Toyota dealer today because of a problem with my brakes...the low pad warning indicators did not work at all, I noticed the brakes started making a grinding noise a couple weeks ago, and we all know what that means; one or more of my pads were metal to rotor. Here's the problem, the car only has 22,190 miles (I owned a 98' Camry before this, and that car went 58,000+ miles before the warning pins indicated that they needed to be changed, and even inspecting those pads during the replacement indicated that I still had a hell of a lot of pad left). The dealer told me it was from driver application and they wouldn't be covered under warranty, but the brakes aren't worn evenly at all on the front, the left inner pad is down to the metal, the right inner pad has maybe a millimeter of pad left, and the outer pads are down enough that the warning pins should have started aggravating the eff out of me 3,000 miles ago, but that's the thing; they never started squealing. Not a peep, and then the grinding noise started. Has anybody else had this problem??!? Should I go and rip everyone a new one at the dealership?? Cuz I don't drive this car any different from the way I drove my Camry, and this is practically a brand new freakin' car!!! The brakes should not have worn like that!!!! Help!!!!!!!

CXTKRS1

Sounds right, remember the driver side of the car is heavier most of the time so expect more brake wear on that side. The only thing you might be able to do is complain about the squealers failing and the dealer might meet you half way.

TokenFlamer

Okay I'll see what I can do...but I don't race the car, do an excessive amount of driving, nor do I drive aggressively. I've heard of really cheap brake pads that are only good for 20,000 to 30,000 miles, but I doubt Toyota used those stock on this car. I'll have to do some research on the specs.

mikem53

brake pads are a wear item and can wear out quickly depending on the driver.. uneven wear can be caused by many things..
abuse, warped rotors, etc.. Sometimes the brake bias is off and the rear brakes are not engaging enough to help stop which causes the fronts to wear even faster.. The brakes are biased to the fronts which do most of the stopping.. Have them check the rears to make sure that they are indeed wearing properly.. There should be more meat on the rears.. The rears are drum brakes, which suck... which is why the fronts do most of the work..
I have 46K miles on mine and the fronts are more than half there...

ThisorThatxD

yea id have them make sure the rear drums are adjusted right. if not then the fronts would of been doing all of the work thus faster wear.

TokenFlamer

okay guys, thanks for the advice. Oh by the way I replaced them with Brake Best rotors and Wagner ThermoQuiets from O'Reilly's.

wr332

same with me mine was almost out about 1/10 lefted with only 19000 and almost metal to metal when i changed them. tech was like your lucky. one more month your be changing the rotors too. and i said the light never came on. and now i started hearding griding noice and only 31000 , i'm on oem pads, and light just won't come on. you guys need to check on them yourselfs

nobigdeal

Will the Maintenance required light come on when you need new brakes? I am thinking I need new brakes, no noise, just 36,000 miles and think its time. Just curious because my main req light just started flashing when I start it up, once I put it in drive, it stops?? Due for oil change in maybe another 500 miles??

ThisorThatxD

when the maint. req. light starts blinking at startup and then stops after x amount of blinks, that means youre about due for an oil change. i forget the exact mileage before it just stays on vs. blinking though. ive never had it come on for brakes, and dont think it ever would.

homestretch123

i agree. brakes are just apart of normal wear and tear and you have to keep an eye out for. i feel like mine are on there way out they're starting to sound like a bus when i stop lol

YELOSUB

Just hit 41k and started to hear that sound of grinding coming from the front...Time for a brake job...

steezie

had to get mine done at 31k. Ive always had a slight grinding noise even with new pads. Dealership str8 up told me they have no idea what it is. After 3 different brake jobs nobody can figure out what it is so i just accepted it and just turn my music up louder.

hapadc5

40,700 miles, replaced the fronts today using OEM pads.

cbmikey

I'm due to replace my front pads... I'm getting a low growl when slowing down at a slower speed, especially when the wife and kids are in the car. I've done tons of brake jobs on 90's GM cars... are these very difficult or fairly standard?

JayBo0o0

its fairly easy...my friend replaced mines took like 45 mins Air Hammer FTW!

XDC

Sorry for bringing an old thread back to life, but, I am at 24,000 miles and my front brakes are screeching something terrible.


I took it to the dealer and they charged me $35 to inspect the brake system. They are reporting I have 2/10 left on the front pads, and the rears are fine.


I just cannot get over this ridiculousness of needing new brake pads at such low miles. I am a pretty mellow driver for the most part, never ever tough on the brakes. My old Corolla would go 70,000 miles or more on a set of pads, same driving style. My old Pontiac Vibe had the original pads on it when I sold it with around 75,000 miles.


The dealer wants $257 to replace front pads, and machine the rotors. I am going to shop around, because I do not want oem pads back on.


Feels good to vent. Thanks.

cbmikey

You got screwed IMHO. I can go to Auto Zone locally and get 2 - 2yr warranty brake rotors and ceramic pads for less than $100. It'll take you 2 hours tops to do them with a basic understanding of disc brakes.

XDC

I had new front brake pads put on, and the rotors machined back in June. The pads are Akebono Performance Pads part# ASP1210. They are listed as a ceramic pad.

I paid $66 for the set online with free shipping. A co-worker's husband is a mechanic at a local car dealership; he installed them and machined the rotors for $40. A savings of $150 compared to local Toyota dealer.

I have put just over four thousand miles on the new pads including some heavy braking on two trips to Los Angeles. My daily driving is mostly in the city with a lot of stop signs , traffic lights, and speed bumps to slow down for.

What I have observed in the past four thousand miles is; there is a lot less brake dust mess on my wheels, and on the body of the car. I really want to focus on this matter, because the OEM pads created an absolutely filthy horrible mess on my wheels within a thousand miles of the same driving style. The dust that the OEM pads created would also cake onto my side view mirror housings, the body panels, and the hatch door.

But now, the dust created by the Akebono's is a minute fraction of that. Thy are not dust free of course, but it is so wonderful having hardly any black dust build up. Priceless.

The performance of the Akebono ASP1210 is very good. My initial concerns that a ceramic pad would not bite as well as semi-metallic OEM pads is unfounded.

The Akebono's- They seem to grab time and time again, just as well as the factory pads. I have put them through the same driving conditions as the original pads, and I don't feel anything different. So, I am getting the great brake performance that I need, but now without the dusty mess.

I was always happy with the brake control of the OEM brakes, I never had any complaints about their ability to stop my vehicle under any situation. I only hated that they wore out so fast, and created such a brake residue mess.

I would recommend the Akebono ASP1210 pads to other XD owners looking for a really good product for daily city and highway driving.

cbmikey

Thank you for the product recommendation! I think I might look into getting those and some upgraded rotors next summer. Since doing mine, I just recently had a rotor warp a little so I'm redoing my fronts brakes tonight. Thank goodness for AutoZone's no questions asked warranty!

Skeeno

I bought slotted rotors with ceramic pads on eBay for under $100. Almost no break dust and no warping issues with several thousand miles on them.