When and where to change brake pad??

[Red-Bull-Fit]

Hi am new to driving so he do I knw wen do I need to change the brake pad??hw many km can a brake pad last? Roughly??

Currently I am doin 17000km..nt sure if previous owner changed the brake pad wen he did his 10000km servicing... So us there any signs to inform me??

Lastly hw much does a pair of brake pad cost??

Are brakes pads Being categories as good brake pad or normal brake pad??

Hw much for a pair of gd brake pad and any wk shop to recommend??

[manxman]

Do you live in the U.S.? Where you live will make a difference in shop recommendations from our members. Brake pads have a wear sensor that will make a high pitched squeal when the pads are worn down enough to need replacing, but when you hear that squeal, you need to replace them ASAP. Pads need replacing when their thickness reaches about 2mm. You need to remove the wheels in order to see/measure pad thickness. From your writing, it sounds like you should use a repair shop to check the condition of your brakes, and to do the replacement work. Normally, your brake rotors should be machined to a flat condition at the same time that pads are replaced.

Replacement pads can be bought from hundreds of on-line parts shops like jcwhitney.com, collegehillshonda.com, and bernardiparts.com. I would suggest that you avoid buying brake parts from Ebay, unless it is a name-brand set of pads.

It doesn't matter how many km are on the car, or how many YOU put there. There are drivers who use brakes gently and drivers who wear them out in 1/2 the time of the gentle drivers. Your repair shop will tell you what your pad condition is now, and when you should come back for replacement.

[claymore]

If you look at the first photo in this DIY you can see a large hole in the caliper. If you get a flashlight even with your wheels on you can look into that hole and see how your pads are doing for thickness.

http://www.hondafitforums.com/showthread.php?t=560

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i311/claymore729/pads1.jpg

Or you can lay on the ground and look from the inside of the wheel looking in from the backside of the wheel and even better if you turn your wheel all the way out before looking.

If you look in this thread even though it's for rear discs in the first photo you can see the hole and look in and see one pad on one side then the rotor then the inside pad.

http://www.hondafitforums.com/showthread.php?t=561

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i311/claymore729/rear.jpg

If you look at the second photo you can see the pads on the side of the rotor you see the black part with four bumps then two black chunks on the sides of the silver rotor then the black inner part of the brake pad.

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i311/claymore729/rear1.jpg

What you are looking for when checking your pads is the thickness of the black smooth section to the left and right of the rotor.

The third photo shows the pads out of the car BUT remember these are NOT WORN OUT pads worn out ones will be much thinner. If the braking material gets to be about 1/8 or and inch that is worn enough and should be replaced. In this photo you can see the silver "Sticks" attached to the pad those are the pieces of metal that will rub and cause a squeaking, grinding type noise that lets people know the pads are worn out.

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i311/claymore729/rear4.jpg


If you look around in the brake section there are several threads on brakes how to pick them, and how to replace them.

[manxman]

John,
As a "first time driver" (his words), this member obviously does not have the skills to be working on brakes on his own. That's why I was urging him to go to shop, both for measurement and for repair service. Making brake service sound "easy" to a total newbie will get him killed.

[macbuddy]

Hey Red,
When changing my tires at about 51K, I noticed that my front brake pads were getting low. Here is a picture of my used pads sitting next to a brand new set.

(click to enlarge)
http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/4314/photo121508001.th.jpg (http://img64.imageshack.us/i/photo121508001.jpg/)

I replaced my OEM pads with the Hawk HP+ pads (HB418N-646) pictured above. I usually try to get the most life out of my brake pads, tires, oil, etc. I wouldn't recommend that you wait this long to change your pads however.
-macbuddy-

[claymore]

Good stuff macbuddy. But everybody needs to remember that on one wheel one pad will wear more than the other as you can see if you look at the photo closely. So when you check your pads while still on the car remember to look at both pads before deciding.

[Red-Bull-Fit]

Thanks for the info..guess as a newbie I dun have the skills And knwledge to change it but it has certainly increase my knowledge on brake pads...

Thanks guys

[Red-Bull-Fit]

Btw guys wat the market rate for changing a pair of brake pads???

[manxman]

Btw guys wat the market rate for changing a pair of brake pads???
Dealers and independent service shops never just put in a new set of pads. Most of them automatically machine the rotors to restore flatness, and all of them should at the very least measure the rotors to check for run-out (warpage). They will also check the condition of the brakes lines and check for leaks in the piston seals.

None of us know what the usual shop labor rates are in your area. You will just have to do your own work and make some phone calls. Watch out for any shop who quotes a single price over the phone- he can't know what your car needs without seeing it. A good shop will only give you an estimate, and will call you with the exact repair charges after they have done a complete inspection. They can do a rough run-out measurement on the rotors without removing the rotors, and that quick measurement will tell them whether or not the rotors must be machined. An average shop will just machine every rotor every time. That increases their labor, and increases their sales of new rotors at a high markup (that might not have been needed without so much machining).

[Red-Bull-Fit]

hi guys i went to the wk shop...i ask the person if i need to change the brake pad as i have to step quite hard before i can feel the brake effect.he look through the wheel and show me where the brake pad are and there is still enough brake pad before i change it.

and he also inf it normal for fit to have a softer brake feeling.and needs to be stepped hard for the brake effect to kick in.

hmmm........... learn something new again...CHEERS^.^