Just had my annual oil change at the local dealer today at 25k miles. Also got the tire rotation. When the service was done, the rep *warned* me that when they were doing the rotation, they noticed that the front brake pads were at 5mm and the rear at 6mm. He strongly suggested I changed the front pads, and said that the rears were still adequate. I was shocked hearing this as I have always heard and read many posts of people not having to replace pads even at 100k miles. I drive extremely frugal, with very long, early, gentle stops. I may try to remove one of the wheels to have a look, but the whole thing sounded very suspicious. Just to give you all an idea of my driving style, my previous car, Acura TSX stick, never needed a brake pad replacement by the time I traded it in for the Prius at 60k miles. The rep insisted that this amount of wear was common for hybrids, which just did not make sense. Are dealers really this slimy? I'm just hoping now that when they had the car raised, they didn't actually grind down my pads to force me into a pad replacement.
Per the 2010 repair manual: Front pad thickness - 10mm, Minimum - 1mm Rear pad thickness - 9.5mm, Minimum - 1mm 5mm in front does seems a like bit of excessive wear for only 25k, but I have no idea how you drive. I think your dealer needs to make a boat payment.
The same as when they write 35psi for all the tires on the service record and you check them at home and find every tire has a different pressure no where near 35psi. As everyone else said, check them yourself or get a second opinion.
This is typical stealership... I had one service on my last Prius at 30k they gave me the check list etc something about the braekpads I said no .. I had to take it back for something else another I think state inspection (maybe) at that "courtesy inspection" boy every single breakpads GREW several mm(s) ... What I usually tell the service writer up front, that if the mechanic finds anything please SHOW it to me... that is usually enough to keep them a lot more honest ...
You tell me. I made up my mind on this question two Toyota's ago. I'm sure that there are are dealers and service departments that are both honest and dishonest for all brands. I can fill this (pro-Toyota) forum with posts that will delight both critics and cheerleaders. Like I said before.... My mind is made up on this issue, and has been. I'll continue to gather data in case my opinion needs to be adjusted to fit changing data, but since you asked. MY answer is...."Yup. Pretty Much all of them are." I heard that Hybrids have $15,000 batteries that need to be replaced every three years. Take Away: Don't believe everything you hear. It's interesting that you used the word "rep." which I presume is short for "representative." Who exactly would you say that this person is representing??? There are 435 folks in Washington who "represent" us. Are they "all Slimy?" (The number of seats in the House of Representatives is currently set to 435, and has been since 1913, except for a temporary increase to 437 after the admissions of Alaska and Hawaii. Though the actual reapportionment will normally occur in respect of a decennial census, the law that governs the total number of representatives and the method of apportionment to be carried into force at that time can be created prior to the census. ...and YES!!! We need the civics lesson!!) Advice: Choose. You can invest some time (and maybe some money and tools) and familiarize yourself with automotive maintenance, or you can entrust your car to a dealership or independent mechanic, some of which are also crooks, and spot-check their work. You drive something like 8000 miles a year, and the stealership will probably shank you for about $700 bucks for a $200 brake job. Given the fact that you drive a VERY frugal car, and really you really don't drive it that much, I would presume that their 5-6mm measurements were accurate and not worry about this for another 1-2 years. Check your tire pressures (tyre pressures if you drive on the wrong side of the road!) Check to ensure that the morons down at the dealership didn't overfill or underfill your crankcase oil. Drive for another year or two and don't worry about it. Good Luck!
When I said "rep", I meant the service guy that wrote me up for the service, not the actual guy who did the work. I will see if I can see the pad removing just the wheel cover. I remember on the TSX, I was able to easily see the pad through the gaps between the alloy rims, but there is still the inner pad that I won't be able to check out unless I jack up the car. Do brake pads today still incorporate that warning element in the material so that when they are in immediate need of replacement, they will start squeaking?
Yes they do, it makes a scraping noise and turns on a warning light. The light is yellow, it is an explanation point inside a circle with some dashed lines on either side of the circle. It should illuminate, for a test, when you first turn the car on. brake pad wear indicator - Google Search
If you go the extra step, remove a wheel, you'll get a clearer view. there's a little opening on the back of the caliper you can look through, to see an edge view of both pads. My hunch, you're likely going to find at least one pad with around 5 mm remaining, per the dealership's service department report. But it is good to see for yourself. Yes, typically the inner pad has a copper tang that serves both as a handle and has it's other end protruding just a mm or two beyond the pad backing. But, you really don't want to let it get to that; better to get on it sooner.
5mm you have 50% more use of that brakes. Service advisor get bonus on upsell. If you bite, cha-ching. That's how they make money.
Why, yes he did! And he strongly recommended using genuine Toyota synthetic oil at $20 a quart. BTW, thanks to everyone for all the sound advice.
