How long do brake pads last

[Deleted User] · 17 April 2018 at 11:33AM

According to the service and MOT history on my 2008 Peugeot 207, the brake discs and pads where last changed at 67,000 miles in 2015 before I got the car. My 207 has now done 98,000 miles, would the pads be wearing thin by now?

I'm off to get some new tyres fitted this week or next but if I think I need new brakes too that will play a part in which garage I go to.

Nasqueron · 17 April 2018 at 11:51AM

My 64 plate Mazda 3 is coming up to 30k miles, one lot of pads have been changed, the other (I can't remember front or back) still had plenty in them and didn't need replacing at the MOT/last service.

FWIW my tyres are still originals and had 3-4mm left on them

wgl2014 · 17 April 2018 at 11:56AM

Wear rate varies with driving style and usage, brake pads are simple to change and pretty cheap.
I would suggest either having a look yourself at how much pad material is left or asking the garage doing your tyres to have a look when your wheels are off.

fatrab · 17 April 2018 at 11:57AM

Depends if it's done mostly motorway driving with a careful driver or been around town with someone who is never off the brakes.

I'd budget for them being worn, if they're not then you're laughing!

As always, avoid fast fit centres.

n217970 · 17 April 2018 at 12:01PM

How long is a piece of string? You need to go and look at the pads to see how much is left.

Wear rate hugely depends on the amount of braking you are doing, I have not changed the front pads on my car since I bought it and have done over 60k miles on them, they still have about 20% of the material left as well - my commute is about 40 miles each way and I brake about 12-15 times on that route depending on traffic. I also try to drive as efficiently as I can - coming off the throttle early and using the engine to slow down.

When I was in my 20s I had a much heavier right foot and driving a different commute a set of pads would rarely go over 20k

[Deleted User] · 17 April 2018 at 12:10PM

I'd say it's a mix of driving as the previous owner must have been a motorway driver as they racked up 16,000 miles in the year before I got the car. Most of my miles have been town driving as my commute dictates this.

bertiewhite · 17 April 2018 at 12:38PM

If you're taking the car to Kwik-fit then your brakes will definitely be dangerous and will need not only the pads changing but the discs as well.

You won't even have to ask them to look - they'll know before you turn up

markudman · 17 April 2018 at 12:53PM

bertiewhite wrote: »

If you're taking the car to Kwik-fit then your brakes will definitely be dangerous and will need not only the pads changing but the discs as well.

You won't even have to ask them to look - they'll know before you turn up

OMG, I worked for them was off with stress due to their demanding that I was a sparing with the truth, IE: is it half full or half empty.
So the answer to your question depends on size of car, if its Automatic or Manual, if you only do school runs or if you run up and the motorway all day, (very little use of brakes on a motorway)
but the best answer is look, if you are able and minded take the wheels off and if your pads are (the friction part not the metal bit) about the width of a twenty pence piece, (0.5 mm) they will fail an MOT, if looking from a service point of view, will they reach the next service?
if in doubt take to your local garage.not a national chain.

mcpitman · 17 April 2018 at 1:31PM

n217970 wrote: »

How long is a piece of string?

Exactly this, I have not changed the front pads on my car in 3 years, covering 90k miles.

A large majority of those miles are "off peak" on motorways and A-roads, so hardly ever touch the breaks apart from the major junctions at either end of my commute.

My wife has had a car for 3 years and has had the pads changed, all stop start town driving and no mechanical empathy at all!

System · 17 April 2018 at 2:50PM

Deleted_User wrote: »

According to the service and MOT history on my 2008 Peugeot 207, the brake discs and pads where last changed at 67,000 miles in 2015 before I got the car. My 207 has now done 98,000 miles, would the pads be wearing thin by now?

I'm off to get some new tyres fitted this week or next but if I think I need new brakes too that will play a part in which garage I go to.

Depends entirely on your driving style and type of journey. I do mostly non-urban roads on journeys at least 10 miles with very little braking, I typically get at least 60/70,000 miles out of a set. If you drive around town mostly or are one of these people who go steaming up to the backs of others, traffic lights and roundabouts and slam on the anchors you'll go through a set in no time.

The standard rule of thumb with brake pads is on a service to advise they need replacing if they're at 3mm thickness. That gives you plenty of meat still left on them to get them done by the next service. When you're at the garage ask them to check the brake pads. If they give you a percentage figure for how worn they are say that's of no help whatsoever because it isn't and is meaningless and ask them for the brake pad thickness and as I said, remember an advise to change is 3mm.

[Deleted User] · 17 April 2018 at 4:05PM

My driving is just normal driving, I don't go steaming up to lights and braking hard etc.

My car hasn't been for a "service" in that sense in the 2 years I've owned it, but it has had an oil change and I've changed all the filters in that time including the cabin filter that no one seems to ever change.

I going to buy tyres online to be fitted at a backstreet tyre & exhaust place. I'll ask them to look at the brakes while I'm there. I no longer have a trolley jack wise I would have jacked it up and took a wheel off. I'm not getting involved with the rubbish scissor jack from the spare wheel well.

How long do brake pads last

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