brake pads 70% worn at 15.5k miles? 2018 Mazda3

bigadaj

sweetsand said:

daveyjp said:

70% worn doesn't actually mean anything. 

I would also have thought on such a new car it would have a low pad warning, either an actual light or pads which squeal once they get too low.

I think you only get that on bigger cars or higher end smaller models as i found at at work when i said to someone the break wear light should come on and he said his car which was a common ford Fiesta basic model, so not all cars have them.

Are you hyacinth bouquet?

Mercdriver

bigadaj said:

sweetsand said:

daveyjp said:

70% worn doesn't actually mean anything. 

I would also have thought on such a new car it would have a low pad warning, either an actual light or pads which squeal once they get too low.

I think you only get that on bigger cars or higher end smaller models as i found at at work when i said to someone the break wear light should come on and he said his car which was a common ford Fiesta basic model, so not all cars have them.

Are you hyacinth bouquet?

You've spelt Bucket wrong

sweetsand

daveyjp said:

sweetsand said:

daveyjp said:

70% worn doesn't actually mean anything. 

I would also have thought on such a new car it would have a low pad warning, either an actual light or pads which squeal once they get too low.

I think you only get that on bigger cars or higher end smaller models as i found at at work when i said to someone the break wear light should come on and he said his car which was a common ford Fiesta basic model, so not all cars have them.

True regarding the warning light, but squealing pads are more common fitment. Its what my car has and they work.

in fact I have just found this from Mazda 3 site.

Brake Pad Wear Indicator

When the disc brake pads become worn, the built-in wear indicators contact the disc plates. This causes a screeching noise to warn that the pads should be replaced.

Thanks - Ithink what you are saying that on their lower end cars there is no brake light indicator but those warning things that make a noise when pads need to be changed soon

UncleZen

My mazda 3 needed new front pads at 30k, some would say I brake 'enthusiastically'

treeroy

general point of advice, try to use engine braking as much as possible, where it is safe. engine will last a lot longer than brake pads.

bigadaj

Mercdriver said:

bigadaj said:

sweetsand said:

daveyjp said:

70% worn doesn't actually mean anything. 

I would also have thought on such a new car it would have a low pad warning, either an actual light or pads which squeal once they get too low.

I think you only get that on bigger cars or higher end smaller models as i found at at work when i said to someone the break wear light should come on and he said his car which was a common ford Fiesta basic model, so not all cars have them.

Are you hyacinth bouquet?

You've spelt Bucket wrong

I think you're talking about a wholly lower class sort of person, actually.

Ebe_Scrooge

treeroy said:

general point of advice, try to use engine braking as much as possible, where it is safe. engine will last a lot longer than brake pads.

I agree with you to a certain extent.  Using engine braking  instead of the brake pedal demonstrates a good driving style, inasmuch as it proves you're doing "observation" well, looking well ahead, anticipating hazards, driving according to the conditions, etc.  Certainly on a motorway, I pride myself on almost never having to touch the brakes.  There is the counter-argument, however - brake pads are cheap, clutches/transmissions are not.  Engine braking does place *marginally* more stress on the transmission components.  In practice, it's probably negligible, and I'm in no way disagreeing with you - just thought I'd throw it out there :-)

Grumpy_chap

I agree that engine breaking rules.  This is how people of a certain vintage were taught to drive, changing down through the gears.  My brakes were changed at 33,146 miles (required when I purchased the car) and then next at 118,667 - that's 85k on a set of pads.

I understand that the current way people are taught to drive is to brake and then change to 1st or 2nd gear once slowed, ready to draw away again (depending on whether slowed to a crawl or slowed to a stop).

chip2000

Thanks for everyone's replies. It's a manual and I do engine brake at times. I'm a 35 year old Mazda driver if that's any indication of my driving style. Pretty convinced they've been changed prematurely now but oh well (expensive) lesson learnt.

fred246

At least you have helped somebody to reach their sales targets.