how long do brake pads last ?

maplegirl2011

hi i had my pads replaced last july on my corsa. i have only done 6000 miles since and yesterday my car started to grind a bit when i started braking. this is what happened last time (after 27000 miles) and was told they needed doing. surely they should last longer than 6000 miles. has anyone any ideas as to what else it could be. thanks

djl

on my cars i have changed pads every 2 years or so. i do about 8000 a year:beer:

kaya

vehicle/driver type make a big difference, automatics use em faster

moonrakerz

They may not be worn out, you may have trapped some road debris between the disc and the pad and damaged one or both of them.

Talking about damage - never hold your car stationary on the foot brake, use the hand brake. Holding the car on the foot brake doesn't allow the discs to cool evenly; if not, they can warp.

Silent_Bob_3

Why do automatics use them faster? Mine doesnt.

stumpjumper

I seem to be getting 11-15K out of mine but that's with a lot of high speed motorway braking (rush hour start/stop). The type of compund on the pads makes a big difference too, so might be worth asking for an upgrade quality pad next time you get them changed.

Grumpy_Old_Duffer

I find they wear out quite quickly doing hand-brake turns, trying to outrun the law!!!;)

chrisw

Silent_Bob wrote:

Why do automatics use them faster? Mine doesnt.

There is much less engine braking which is why they tend to wear faster.

I'm amazed at the low mileages people are getting, I usually get around 50,000 miles out of a set, doing the average 10000 iles a year and a mixture of motorway and town driving

Wig

charb wrote:

hi i had my pads replaced last july on my corsa. i have only done 6000 miles since and yesterday my car started to grind a bit when i started braking. this is what happened last time (after 27000 miles) and was told they needed doing. surely they should last longer than 6000 miles. has anyone any ideas as to what else it could be. thanks

Learn to check them and change them yourself, then you won't mind so much. Did you put GM pads on?

maplegirl2011

had them done at kwik fit so i took it back but they said brakes and discs fine, tyres ok so nothing to worry about, said its probably dirt. thanks for your replies

tomstickland

Depends on pad compound, brake discs and use.
6K sounds low to me, get the opinion of an independant garage, not quick fit.