How long to brake pads last on average?

Vertigo

Vertigo

Vertigo

Soldato
Joined
28 Dec 2003
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16,589
The car was in today so I asked them to check the brake pads whilst they were at it.

They reported that they're 50% worn, yet the car has done nearly 40k miles! There's 9 laps of the 'ring in there too and a seriously heavy-duty stop when an 18-wheeler pulled out in front of me when I was doing 120mph.

Even the guys in the dealer guys looked surprised at how well they were wearing. Is this normal? I thought pads only lasted 30k miles or so.
 
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I used to go through front pads on the allegros every 2k miles or so. Depends on driving style, weight of car, pad contact area etc. but 40k does seem a very long time.
 
definately sure theyve never been changed?

pads can wear unevenly (ie inner pad more than outer) but i doubt it would do to that extent
 
Matt82 said:
definately sure theyve never been changed?
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Yep, that's the exact reaction I got from the dealer, just before he went through the computer logs to double-check they'd never been changed :)
TomO said:
we aways knew you didnt really drive fast toby

sounds like good wear from OEM pads though.
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LOL, was waiting for that :p

Although not as sharp as when new they're still going strong. I was sort of hoping they'd need changing so I could get the lease company to fork out for a nice new set, the dealer laughed and said I was the first person ever to moan that his pads weren't wearing fast enough :)
 
no disrespect intended Toby, but they must have been changed, even if the comp log says otherwise (could have been done elsewhere etc etc) or you drive extremely smoothly in someway or another not to wear the pads unduly.


eitherway, this thread is pretty amazing if its possible!
 
Well it's not beyond the bound of possibility that they've been changed but if so then it's without the knowledge of myself and the dealer has no record of it.

They were also checked shortly before my last 'ring trip in October 2005 and they were reported to be 40% worn which supports a wear rate of about 10% every six months as the car is now 2.5 years old.

I'm not aware of my driving being particularly abnormal or that I'm light on the brakes but maybe I am compared to the majority of people. I've never really thought about it to be honest.
 
40k including some laps of the 'ring?

Christ! Did you get out of 2'nd gear?

That sounds incredible to me, I'd consider a second opinion though, you'd hate to find they are not as good as you thought, especially if I pulled out on you next time you were approaching an HGV @ 120MPH ! :rolleyes:

Tbh, a crazy speed to be travelling on a road where an HGV is in your distance, would'nt you say?

Please, Think ahead before somebody like me ends up with you inside my trailer. ;)
FWIW, the pads on my old 318i lasted approx 18k judging by the brake dust on my 728's wheels, I think it'll get through pads a lot quicker than the 318.

Time will tell.
 
R124/LA420 said:
40k including some laps of the 'ring?

Christ! Did you get out of 2'nd gear?
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Just never used the brakes :p :)
That sounds incredible to me, I'd consider a second opinion though, you'd hate to find they are not as good as you thought, especially if I pulled out on you next time you were approaching an HGV @ 120MPH ! :rolleyes:

Tbh, a crazy speed to be travelling on a road where an HGV is in your distance, would'nt you say?
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Well firstly it was on the autobahn so I was travelling at perfectly legal speeds.

I was in the outside lane when the HGV pulled out from the middle lane ahead of me. Not sure what the rules are on German roads but you don't expect 18 wheelers to pull into the outside lane. Either he didn't bother looking or more likely took a quick look and saw how far back I was and so assumed it was OK to pull out, not realising how fast I was approaching.

Regardless, I did have enough space to stop safely, as evidenced by the fact that I didn't end up going into the back of him :) I mentioned it as it was prolonged manouvre at nigh-on full power braking force so I'd have assumed that alone would have taken a few percent of the pads.
 
A couple of hard stops isn't going to make any difference to the brakes, it would take dozens and dozens to make any difference at all.
 
Vertigo1 said:
Just never used the brakes :p :)
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:D
Vertigo1 said:
Well firstly it was on the autobahn so I was travelling at perfectly legal speeds.

I was in the outside lane when the HGV pulled out from the middle lane ahead of me. Not sure what the rules are on German roads but you don't expect 18 wheelers to pull into the outside lane. Either he didn't bother looking or more likely took a quick look and saw how far back I was and so assumed it was OK to pull out, not realising how fast I was approaching.

Regardless, I did have enough space to stop safely, as evidenced by the fact that I didn't end up going into the back of him :) I mentioned it as it was prolonged manouvre at nigh-on full power braking force so I'd have assumed that alone would have taken a few percent of the pads.
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Fair enough mate, I assumed, wrongly, you were on about the roads over here. :o
 
The rears could well wear quicker as they're smaller, although I appreciate they have less work to do.

Talking of the rear wheels, what really surprised me on mine was that the first set of tyres all needed replacing simultaneously, whereas on both my previous cars (also nose-heavy diesels) the fronts had gone way before the rears.

Fronts are going to be totally knackered come 29th May :D
 
R124/LA420 said:
Fair enough mate, I assumed, wrongly, you were on about the roads over here. :o
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No probs, thought you might have. If I'm brutally honest I left that detail out deliberately, wondering whether I'd get any "child killer" comments :D

Regards the incident itself, it was a bit of a brown trouser moment. One of those "he's not, is he?.......bloody hell he is!!!" moments. I'm very grateful the brakes are as good as they are as you can't afford them to be dodgy when standing on the pedal at 120.
 
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