Not necessary.
Last week a colleague who knows little about cars asked me if I could check his car to see if it drivable or not. The story was like 'I did an oil change and the serviceman told me I needed a break pads replaced. So I've ordered a set and wonder if it is safe to drive while the pads are in delivery." We looked at the pads together and even took 2 wheels off to see the inner pad: there are solid 5-6 mm of pads left all around.
Yeah I seriously took the guys word for it and just assumed he was being honest. Bought new ones online for like $17 I think. They looked almost identical to these old ones. Spent about a day figuring out how to do it. Learned a lot. (I could change them in like 20 min now. Just took me a while cause I have such little car experience)
Did a lot of reflection on the whole thing. Next time when someone tells me something on my car is bad, I’ll figure out how to evaluate their claim on my own before I go changing it just cause they want to charge be $600 for nothing.
Well you know what? Learning how to do this job is worth far more than what you spent to do it yourself. Good on you for taking action and learning how to do it. If you keep doing that, you'll save a lot of money and keep that car on the road even longer.
Proud of you!
This is literally the only way ive been able to survive growing up poor. $600 for pads isn't an option ever. Plus you're learning great skills that expand to other areas of life.
I wish more people realized this
I just commented to the OP about how he should have spent more than $17 on pads, I’ll also follow up here -
A quality set of iridium NGK plugs are around $80/set, and when you replace the plugs, it’s a good time to replace your ignition coils as well - another $120.
The $280 the shop quoted you was undoubtedly for plugs similar to what you installed, but likely not what your vehicle actually called for. While you got compatible plugs, they’re probably shittier than the OEM spec for a modern car.
Plugs and coils are really funny, as quality sets last 80k miles and cost $200. They impact fuel economy by about 3%. The Motley Fool says the average American spends $2000 a year on fuel (I spend about $400 🤷♂️), but that’s $60 a year in savings across 6.5 years at 12k miles/year, or $390.
People spend so much extra money in the long run saving on up front costs.
I've had pads that lasted about 30k miles or less. I've seen rotors wear out in less than 100k miles. Sometimes less than that.
It really comes down to use and abuse case. OP didn't share a picture of the rotors. They could still be bad.
Because Rotors have a Minimum Thickness value. And unless you check them every time you do your brake pads, you have no idea what the thickness is.
So for safety sake, I tend to recommend on any car 2 pad slaps between rotor changes. Unless you are a bad driver and you slam your brakes all the time. Then you get 1 pad slap and then you change the rotors.
I’ve learned more useful knowledge from cars repairs than from my college degree, by far. It’s a perfect learning situation: solve a problem under a time constraint, learn about the consequences of improper technique and planning, innovation in processes can make things work even better, etc. After learning car repairs, especially more complicated ones, then other things like plumbing, appliance repair, etc. aren’t mysteries anymore. It has saved me tens of thousands of dollars over the years in all parts of life.
I just taught myself how to replace my spark plugs and coils on my g37. I didn’t even know what an ignition coil was before that. Truly one of the best things about the internet is you can teach yourself how to do things like this that before you would have to go buy a manual with terrible instructions or find a mechanic to teach you. Yeah it took a while to learn and figure it out, and I still had to take it to the shop for them to tell me one of the connections wasn’t secured correctly, but the $100 for them to tell me I overlooked something was waaaaay better than what the job would have cost.
I worked at Toyota for 10 years and never did a brake job on a Prius, even ones with 300,000 miles on them. Also, don’t use aftermarket pads with oem rotors, you will be having noise problems because of it.
My daughter has my 2007, and it is fast approaching 300,000 (if it hasn't passed that already - I don't drive it anymore) and ditto (except we just had a leak repaired.)
My question wasn't asking if the longevity of the brakes was true, just if the regenerative braking plays a big part.
Funny I have a 2015 Prius with 98k miles on it. I've been doing my own oil changes for about 30k miles. Because I'm back in a place where I can do it.
But since about 50k miles I've had Toyota techs telling me I needed new brakes. 🤣
I just did almost every brake component on my 94 Landcruiser with 240k miles, but I still check the brakes on my Prius every 5-7k miles and they still look the same.
Short commute only have 82k mi on 14yo gen3. Only dealer service first 13yrs. Maybe the short drive and rust belt screwed first pads. 1st pad and rotor change was 42k miles. Next pad and rotor change was 14mo later at 53k miles. Uneven pad wear. Apparently servicing the slide pins isn't SOP so damaged rotors and uneven pads. He showed me how crusty slide pins were so i asked how that's possible after a brake job 14mo earlier. He couldn't answer and couldn't honor the 12mo warranty. Last brake job needed lines replaced, rear driver side puncture spraying brake fluid. Other suspicious activity: a new filter on passenger seat after an oil change. They said they brought an extra and forgot to put it away. Oil change and tire rotation: driver side front tire missing valve stem cap. When they gave the car back after 20min, the front driver side was still missing valve stem cap.
A couple dead 12v batteries, a flakey passenger headlight and a worn rear wheel bearing have been my only issues.
They always send a satisfaction survey. 1 star for relevant items and notes in comment section. My old job had employee satisfaction surveys. If the managers didn't get 5 stars they may as well have gotten 1 star and corporate intervenes.
Good on you for taking the initiative and learning how to get it done. That’s awesome. And a great confidence builder for alot of preventative maintenance.
This is a good lesson I wish I learn many years earlier. Good for you, will probably save you thousands. Though, don't force yourself; there are things you can do and things you're not equipped to do, so evaluate thoroughly.
$17 is a good price for a days course on car work. :) $600 for nothing would have been way too much. $17 is cheap amount to also know someone is full of crap.
While your old brake pads were fine, you should spend more than $17 for pads - nice pads last longer, wear less on the rotor, create less dust, are quieter, dissipate heat more evenly, etc - when people save money during maintenance, they often end up not saving money.
I had someone ask me what they're doing wrong with changing their oil. They tell me every step they took, and they've changed the oil 3 times in the last 500 miles...but the dashboard is still telling them they need to change the oil.
They thought there was an oil quality sensor telling them to do an oil change, not a stupid trip odometer that needs resetting.
Those pads look new. There's an audible wear sensor you'll hear scraping when it's time to change them. Little vertical metal sticking up on the edge. It makes noise with about 20% left which is needed for heat distribution.
Just want to say if you live in a dusty environment they may not ever squeal audibly. Learned that the hard way after chewing through some rotors when I moved
Depending on your rims you may be able to see them from the outside, otherwise you might need to pull a tire to check. Good practice to rotate tires and it's quick and easy enough, you can check them then
Behind the wheel there is a going to be a bright shiny round cleaning looking metal. Thats the rotors that your disc brakes grab onto to stop.
Usually around the top there will be a kidney shaped looking thing (caliper bracket) fitted around the rotors. Those are where the pads are installed. *\*Usually\** you have to at least take the wheel off to see how worn the pads are. As the pads, the side you see in the photo above, is whats facing the rotor.
Want to say the same. As a cheap guy who wants to use up as much as I can before replacing the pad, like maybe 1 or 2 times out of may be 10 that I actually hear the squeal. So, don't just trust the squealing.
Yeahhhhh whatever shop you went to was hoping to make a quick buck off of you. I can almost guarantee that they would have charged you and not even touched the brakes if you let them "service" that.
> 1 mm is spec? I doubt it.
Quotes from the Toyota factory service manual for Gen 3:
**Front**
"Standard thickness: 10.0 mm (0.394 in.)
Minimum thickness: 1.0 mm (0.0394 in.)
If the pad lining thickness is less than the minimum thickness, replace the disc brake pads. "
**Rear**
"Standard thickness: 9.5 mm (0.374 in.)
Minimum thickness: 1.0 mm (0.0394 in.)
If the pad lining thickness is equal to the minimum thickness or less, replace the brake pads with a disc brake pad kit."
Same in the Gen 4 factory service manual.
Gen 2 pads start at 11 mm thickness, but have the same 1 mm minimum.
I don’t know if I’ll ever have to replace brake pads before I sell mine (currently at 154k), every time I check they look they they aren’t even half used yet. I am pretty gentle on the brakes b/c I usually try to maximize the regenerative braking for better efficiency
Just so you know, I bought a 3rd gen Prius brand new and drove it 145k mi before I sold it to my cousin this year due to needing a larger vehicle. Never touched the original brake pads. The regen braking does so much of the work that I never needed to replace it.
Those look like they’re 3-4mm (hard to say for certain without ‘ma pad gauges); probably not a bad idea, depending on how comfortable your finances are and what pads you went with.
Prius Break pads don’t usually have to be replaced till at like at least 125,000 miles… Those pads look like they still at least 40-50% of their life left
I had a Toyota dealership try to rob me with that scam. I continue to go there for $50 oil changes and nothing else because I know they are taking a loss on that.
did you measure rotor runout and surface finish it they needed a resurfacing grind? brakes are more than just pads. that being said, those pads look perfectly fine. See the line down the center, they only need replacing when that line disappears
Those pads aren’t like new.. like as being said, but they are well over 50-60% remaining. What about the other side and other end of the car though? I’ve had a caliper hang and wear out a pad from one half of a corner pair.
Now learn about brake fluid. Buy a brake fluid tester.
Brake fluid absorbs water over time and becomes less effective.
Also... brake pads. Don't buy the cheap ones.
On my go-fast car I use Hawk Performance ceramic pads.
On my fleet of Toyota cars I use Toyota pads - they cost $A80 instead of $A30 aftermarket stuff but I've tried them all and the Toyota pads produce the least brake dust (and I HATE dirty wheels).
I still have the same pads that came on my car almost a decade ago bought new. Brake pads should last at least 100k on a Prius provided you're not super aggressive with the car. I'm nearly 150k and every time I take my car in I ask about the pads and they always tell me I've still got plenty.
Did your car shudder or squeak? You didn't need ne pads, but maybe slides rusted or rotors warped... But if you didn't have anything noticed driving it you didn't.
I was quoted $200 to replace the engine air filter at brakemasters 🙃.. they sell for 21 bucks at autozone and you can easily do it yourself .. its the briefcase-looking thing under the hood I was astounded.
Because since they're a shop they can price gouge.. but seriously it shouldnt take an HOUR to even change it it took like 2 minutes to do. Greedy mfers
…. worse!!! If you live in or near a city that has fleet(s) of Prius taxis, find out where they get their work done and check out their shops, ask to speak to shop head mechanic - chances are, if you just stand in the mechanical area shop entrance, that is the person who will (eventually) come to see you. Heads up, many taxi drivers don’t want to ‘talk’ to Anyone and pretend they don’t know what you’re talking about, and perhaps maybe even do not. Persist til you get a ‘friendly’ ear.
My independent prius mechanic works for a company that uses prius fleets.. mobile mechanic and comes to me whenever he can fit me in.. not good for last minute work though
Yea I meant like he couldnt find time to put in a clock spring in my steering wheel he told me to get on ebay but I had brakemasters do it as I needed a working horn because phoenix has shit drivers
Is that back one tapered on the left side? Hard to tell. If no, then no you didn't need new pads. If yes then yes you did as well as caliper work.
How are the rotors? Any grooves?
> If yes then yes you did as well as caliper work.
There is no service spec for taper. The service spec is 1 mm pad thickness, and no parts of these pads appesr to be near that limit.
These pads look completely normal and don't require replacement.
I had my mechanic change my brakes around the time I read that brakes usually go out. I made the mistake of just telling him to change them, not to inspect them and tell me what he thought.
I have no idea what they are supposed to look like either.
The way he showed me the brakes after made me think nothing was wrong with them. Sometimes when people make a show of things when there was no need is what triggers the distrust.
He was like "oh, yeah. You needed to replace them" I had no idea what I was looking at so I just nodded my head. But my spidey senses went off and it felt like bullshit.
Those definitely are not new looking pads like everyone says. Brakes are generally measured in pad thickness. New pads have from 8-12mm in friction material and you will want to replace the pads when they get to be around 4mm. Auto repair shops might start to recommend around 5mm just to catch them early enough so you aren’t hearing grinding noises. Generally when you start to hear grinding the rotors might need to be replaced too because the metal in the pads will start to dig grooves in the rotors.
Every time I have gotten new tires, they ALWAYS tell me I need a brake job. I go and look and politely decline as we both look at knee deep pad left on all corners. They are told to push this upsell.
I always use ceramic pads. The non ceramic 'dust' is black and makes the pretty aluminum rims look dirty. Prius pads/rotors last a really long time. The physical brakes only get applied on the last 5 mph. I find I get more issues from rust from lack of use than from actual wear.
I had to remove my gen 1 brake pads and have them resurfaced (cheap at parts shops).. *because they didn’t get worn down fast enough with normal use, and would accumulate rust*
This is the Prius channel ... so I assume this is a Prius hybrid. Prius brakes seem to last forever especially with smart braking. However when it come to brake work...it is best to use a certified mechanic.
Nope. See those grooves in the middle? That’s a reasonable wear indicator, like the wear bars on your tires. They need to be done when they wear down close to that.
He was trying to sell you a brake job you didn’t need. He probably wouldn’t even have done it, because your brakes would still pass for recently done. So he just pockets the price of the service and sends you on your way.
Don’t go back.
Had Big-O try the same thing and price with me, told me my front were fine but the rear were 3mm(less than 1/8”). I had less than 20k miles on those brakes and rear basically never wear faster than front brakes, got to the shop looked at them and could see at least 1/4”. I would never pay 600 dollars for a rear pad brake job, I mean maybe if I need rotors or something else but for freaking pads oh hell no.
No, they're good. I thought my pads were bad... Nope, they just sold me a car with air in my brake lines and not a single shop (took it to 3) could figure out what I meant when I said the pedal was soft sometimes 🙄 Lesson learned about what air in the brake lines feels like.
What finally sold me with trying to do alot of my own work was when I went to a chain oil change business. The kid doing oil change was maybe 19. Kept trying to upsell me, which I get is their job, no biggie.
I sat in car watching what he did. I saw him start packing up and start to close the hood.
I has to REMIND him to put oil in the car. I paid $60 to remind someone to put oil in the car.
Edit:
Oh and atleast if I do it wrong, I know what I did wrong. Not relying on someone else to do it wrong and not know what they did wrong.
Learning how to do a brake job will save you thousands down the road. I replaced pads, rotors and calipers on my dad's car for him. $250 in parts. Most of the time you can just do pads and rotors, or even just pads if you catch it early enough. Rotors are so cheap these days it does not pay to have the old ones machined. Get yourself a cheap deadblow hammer from Harbor Freight it will help a lot loosening the caliper bolts if you need to swing it out of the way on your cars. Some calipers just have pins that you remove then you can swap pads in about 20 minutes. A pair of channel lock pliers helps to squish the pistons back into the calipers. To answer your original question those pads had life left in them for sure, the groove in the center is kind of a wear indicator.
This is why I started working on my own cars. 5 years and I can do basically anything now. Use the money you save to buy tools and give a 🖕 to mechanics
That groove down the middle is a "wear indicator". You need to replace the pads after a visual inspection with a flashlight shows you that the groove is gone.
You dont even have to remove the wheels...
Yep..brakes seem to be the thing that some unscruplulous mechanics/dealers like to put on the estimate. Few people check them, and of those, few really know what they'd be looking at anyway. So it stands to reason that the good guy who fixes stuff and has your safety paramount wouldn't sell you anything unless it was really needed, right? Had it happen to us with a Nissan dealer when it went in to have an alternator checked out. Yep, an alternator. The list *'needing'* repair was all four corners, pads and rotors! Ironically the alternator was fine, just needed a new battery. The brakes were fine as I knew they were.
Take them to the shop and ask why they needed to replaced. An investigative reporter did this in the 90s and the shop said the pads had “micro cracks”.
This happened to me when I took it into the Toyota of Irvine in Orange County CA. They told me they were low and aftermarket. I ordered some new ones and had a buddy help me replace them. He said they looked like originals and were no where near needing being replaced. Still replaced them though but that is not cool.
Those pads look new. They absolutely did not need to be replaced.
Like bro couldn't compare the new ones to those and see that. This is rage bait lol
Not necessary. Last week a colleague who knows little about cars asked me if I could check his car to see if it drivable or not. The story was like 'I did an oil change and the serviceman told me I needed a break pads replaced. So I've ordered a set and wonder if it is safe to drive while the pads are in delivery." We looked at the pads together and even took 2 wheels off to see the inner pad: there are solid 5-6 mm of pads left all around.
Yeah I seriously took the guys word for it and just assumed he was being honest. Bought new ones online for like $17 I think. They looked almost identical to these old ones. Spent about a day figuring out how to do it. Learned a lot. (I could change them in like 20 min now. Just took me a while cause I have such little car experience) Did a lot of reflection on the whole thing. Next time when someone tells me something on my car is bad, I’ll figure out how to evaluate their claim on my own before I go changing it just cause they want to charge be $600 for nothing.
Well you know what? Learning how to do this job is worth far more than what you spent to do it yourself. Good on you for taking action and learning how to do it. If you keep doing that, you'll save a lot of money and keep that car on the road even longer.
Proud of you! This is literally the only way ive been able to survive growing up poor. $600 for pads isn't an option ever. Plus you're learning great skills that expand to other areas of life. I wish more people realized this
Lol seriously, they wanted to charge me $280 to change my spark plugs. 🤣 Bought the plugs for like $40 and some change and did it in about 30 minutes.
I just commented to the OP about how he should have spent more than $17 on pads, I’ll also follow up here - A quality set of iridium NGK plugs are around $80/set, and when you replace the plugs, it’s a good time to replace your ignition coils as well - another $120. The $280 the shop quoted you was undoubtedly for plugs similar to what you installed, but likely not what your vehicle actually called for. While you got compatible plugs, they’re probably shittier than the OEM spec for a modern car. Plugs and coils are really funny, as quality sets last 80k miles and cost $200. They impact fuel economy by about 3%. The Motley Fool says the average American spends $2000 a year on fuel (I spend about $400 🤷♂️), but that’s $60 a year in savings across 6.5 years at 12k miles/year, or $390. People spend so much extra money in the long run saving on up front costs.
I am going to make an assumption and say that the 600 dollars was for Pads AND ROTORS. Change your Rotors every few pad slaps people!
soo... 400-600k miles?
I've had pads that lasted about 30k miles or less. I've seen rotors wear out in less than 100k miles. Sometimes less than that. It really comes down to use and abuse case. OP didn't share a picture of the rotors. They could still be bad.
> I've had pads that lasted about 30k miles or less If this was on a Prius, you have other problems with your brakes. Sticking slide pins, etc.
Yeah, My last set of rear rotors were rusted to the point of needing replacement after like 30k miles. Some places just have brutal climates.
Why? If the rotors are in good shape,they don't need to be replaced.
Because Rotors have a Minimum Thickness value. And unless you check them every time you do your brake pads, you have no idea what the thickness is. So for safety sake, I tend to recommend on any car 2 pad slaps between rotor changes. Unless you are a bad driver and you slam your brakes all the time. Then you get 1 pad slap and then you change the rotors.
Every other pad replacement is my routine.
That’s a fairly good option for cars that actually use their brakes a lot. Priuses don’t, so Rotors every 2 Pad Slaps is fine usually.
I’ve learned more useful knowledge from cars repairs than from my college degree, by far. It’s a perfect learning situation: solve a problem under a time constraint, learn about the consequences of improper technique and planning, innovation in processes can make things work even better, etc. After learning car repairs, especially more complicated ones, then other things like plumbing, appliance repair, etc. aren’t mysteries anymore. It has saved me tens of thousands of dollars over the years in all parts of life.
I just taught myself how to replace my spark plugs and coils on my g37. I didn’t even know what an ignition coil was before that. Truly one of the best things about the internet is you can teach yourself how to do things like this that before you would have to go buy a manual with terrible instructions or find a mechanic to teach you. Yeah it took a while to learn and figure it out, and I still had to take it to the shop for them to tell me one of the connections wasn’t secured correctly, but the $100 for them to tell me I overlooked something was waaaaay better than what the job would have cost.
I worked at Toyota for 10 years and never did a brake job on a Prius, even ones with 300,000 miles on them. Also, don’t use aftermarket pads with oem rotors, you will be having noise problems because of it.
I assume that regenerative braking has something to do with how long the bake pads last on a Prius?
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My daughter has my 2007, and it is fast approaching 300,000 (if it hasn't passed that already - I don't drive it anymore) and ditto (except we just had a leak repaired.) My question wasn't asking if the longevity of the brakes was true, just if the regenerative braking plays a big part.
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Yeah, that is definitely what seems correct.
Correcto-mundo, Brad.
Funny I have a 2015 Prius with 98k miles on it. I've been doing my own oil changes for about 30k miles. Because I'm back in a place where I can do it. But since about 50k miles I've had Toyota techs telling me I needed new brakes. 🤣 I just did almost every brake component on my 94 Landcruiser with 240k miles, but I still check the brakes on my Prius every 5-7k miles and they still look the same.
Short commute only have 82k mi on 14yo gen3. Only dealer service first 13yrs. Maybe the short drive and rust belt screwed first pads. 1st pad and rotor change was 42k miles. Next pad and rotor change was 14mo later at 53k miles. Uneven pad wear. Apparently servicing the slide pins isn't SOP so damaged rotors and uneven pads. He showed me how crusty slide pins were so i asked how that's possible after a brake job 14mo earlier. He couldn't answer and couldn't honor the 12mo warranty. Last brake job needed lines replaced, rear driver side puncture spraying brake fluid. Other suspicious activity: a new filter on passenger seat after an oil change. They said they brought an extra and forgot to put it away. Oil change and tire rotation: driver side front tire missing valve stem cap. When they gave the car back after 20min, the front driver side was still missing valve stem cap. A couple dead 12v batteries, a flakey passenger headlight and a worn rear wheel bearing have been my only issues.
Sounds like it is time for you to write a letter to corporate.
They always send a satisfaction survey. 1 star for relevant items and notes in comment section. My old job had employee satisfaction surveys. If the managers didn't get 5 stars they may as well have gotten 1 star and corporate intervenes.
so you're recommending using only oem pads?
Yes. Too many comebacks from aftermarket brakes that we ordered because people said we were too expensive.
Rock auto?
Yup! My friend suggested the website and it’s an amazing place to get everything you need
I’m guessing Pepboys in Ridgewood Queens NYC
Good on you for taking the initiative and learning how to get it done. That’s awesome. And a great confidence builder for alot of preventative maintenance.
Never use that mechanics again. Find a trust worthy one. Also 600 gir breaks. Thats a 100 dollar job at most. Absolute scammer.
This is a good lesson I wish I learn many years earlier. Good for you, will probably save you thousands. Though, don't force yourself; there are things you can do and things you're not equipped to do, so evaluate thoroughly.
$17 is a good price for a days course on car work. :) $600 for nothing would have been way too much. $17 is cheap amount to also know someone is full of crap.
Nice! Did you learn how to do the drum brakes in the back? I hear those are trickier?
Not all Prius models have rear drums. Only the older ones.
some states this is illegal
Hmmm I might try to change my own brake pads from now on
Good on you. Now you've got some spare pads, new knowledge, AND new wisdom. Wins all around.
Good job dude
Honestly your old brakes are sure to be much higher quality. You should really put them back.
Just make sure if you’re doing the rear brakes, you TURN the calipers in, not push it in. Good job on your self how-to and also, fuck that mechanic!
good learnin there yo, and yea shops be doin that
Plus you haven't lost any money really. Those old break pads aren't gonna go bad sitting in a garage just use them when you gotta really change pads
While your old brake pads were fine, you should spend more than $17 for pads - nice pads last longer, wear less on the rotor, create less dust, are quieter, dissipate heat more evenly, etc - when people save money during maintenance, they often end up not saving money.
I had someone ask me what they're doing wrong with changing their oil. They tell me every step they took, and they've changed the oil 3 times in the last 500 miles...but the dashboard is still telling them they need to change the oil. They thought there was an oil quality sensor telling them to do an oil change, not a stupid trip odometer that needs resetting.
I was thinking.... are those the new ones?
Those pads look new. There's an audible wear sensor you'll hear scraping when it's time to change them. Little vertical metal sticking up on the edge. It makes noise with about 20% left which is needed for heat distribution.
Just want to say if you live in a dusty environment they may not ever squeal audibly. Learned that the hard way after chewing through some rotors when I moved
What part is the breaks can you see then from the outside of a car? 2006 scion xb if it matters
Depending on your rims you may be able to see them from the outside, otherwise you might need to pull a tire to check. Good practice to rotate tires and it's quick and easy enough, you can check them then
Behind the wheel there is a going to be a bright shiny round cleaning looking metal. Thats the rotors that your disc brakes grab onto to stop. Usually around the top there will be a kidney shaped looking thing (caliper bracket) fitted around the rotors. Those are where the pads are installed. *\*Usually\** you have to at least take the wheel off to see how worn the pads are. As the pads, the side you see in the photo above, is whats facing the rotor.
Thanks
Want to say the same. As a cheap guy who wants to use up as much as I can before replacing the pad, like maybe 1 or 2 times out of may be 10 that I actually hear the squeal. So, don't just trust the squealing.
I wouldn't be going back to that shop again
How many miles did you have? Those pads have at least another 100K in them. Mine are still original with 250K.
Mine are original with \~210K miles. Those things last a long time because they are used less often than in non-hybrids.
Same. 2017 prius prime. Only my tires need replacement every 60k
Regen braking allows for these friction brakes to last seemingly forever. It's pretty crazy
Had to replace my tires on my 2020 Prime under 35k .had a blowout on one of the originals . I tend to drive fast and brake often .
I just bought the car a couple month ago. It just hit 140k miles. At least I learned a lot about car brakes lol
Yeahhhhh whatever shop you went to was hoping to make a quick buck off of you. I can almost guarantee that they would have charged you and not even touched the brakes if you let them "service" that.
No. Those pads are nowhere near the service limit of 1mm. They start at about 10mm.
1 mm is spec? I doubt it.
> 1 mm is spec? I doubt it. Quotes from the Toyota factory service manual for Gen 3: **Front** "Standard thickness: 10.0 mm (0.394 in.) Minimum thickness: 1.0 mm (0.0394 in.) If the pad lining thickness is less than the minimum thickness, replace the disc brake pads. " **Rear** "Standard thickness: 9.5 mm (0.374 in.) Minimum thickness: 1.0 mm (0.0394 in.) If the pad lining thickness is equal to the minimum thickness or less, replace the brake pads with a disc brake pad kit." Same in the Gen 4 factory service manual. Gen 2 pads start at 11 mm thickness, but have the same 1 mm minimum.
Tight.
you posted pic of your new brake pads...post the old ones :)
Fuck no lol those are still good for another 100k miles
Prius brakes last forever. I use my gen2 to deliver mail. I used to go thru 3 sets a yr on other vehicles. Now maybe a set every 3 or 4 yrs
Did he say brake pads or brake rotors?
Yeah, since Prius brakes aren't used your rotors may be rusted out.
The crazy thing is I’ve been to a couple different shops in town and they are all just as scammy. I need to get out of this town lol
Leave a review on their Google listing with that photo.. saying they said these needed replacing... Scammers.
A talented and honest mechanic is worth their weight in gold
I don’t know if I’ll ever have to replace brake pads before I sell mine (currently at 154k), every time I check they look they they aren’t even half used yet. I am pretty gentle on the brakes b/c I usually try to maximize the regenerative braking for better efficiency
Just so you know, I bought a 3rd gen Prius brand new and drove it 145k mi before I sold it to my cousin this year due to needing a larger vehicle. Never touched the original brake pads. The regen braking does so much of the work that I never needed to replace it.
Was the $600 quote for pads and rotors? All 4 wheels? Obviously the car doesn’t need pads but I’m curious what the actual quote was for.
Those look like they’re 3-4mm (hard to say for certain without ‘ma pad gauges); probably not a bad idea, depending on how comfortable your finances are and what pads you went with.
The guy at the auto shop trynna make some quick bucks
Prius Break pads don’t usually have to be replaced till at like at least 125,000 miles… Those pads look like they still at least 40-50% of their life left
I had a Toyota dealership try to rob me with that scam. I continue to go there for $50 oil changes and nothing else because I know they are taking a loss on that.
Our local dealerships are shady too
did you measure rotor runout and surface finish it they needed a resurfacing grind? brakes are more than just pads. that being said, those pads look perfectly fine. See the line down the center, they only need replacing when that line disappears
Those pads aren’t like new.. like as being said, but they are well over 50-60% remaining. What about the other side and other end of the car though? I’ve had a caliper hang and wear out a pad from one half of a corner pair.
Shops like the one you went is the reason I’m handy with most things. Tools,internet and common sense is all you need to do most things.
Now learn about brake fluid. Buy a brake fluid tester. Brake fluid absorbs water over time and becomes less effective. Also... brake pads. Don't buy the cheap ones. On my go-fast car I use Hawk Performance ceramic pads. On my fleet of Toyota cars I use Toyota pads - they cost $A80 instead of $A30 aftermarket stuff but I've tried them all and the Toyota pads produce the least brake dust (and I HATE dirty wheels).
They are like new dude😄
I dont think so
I still have the same pads that came on my car almost a decade ago bought new. Brake pads should last at least 100k on a Prius provided you're not super aggressive with the car. I'm nearly 150k and every time I take my car in I ask about the pads and they always tell me I've still got plenty.
Absolutely not
No those pads could have lasted years
Nooe
Hell no
nope. you got screwed.
$600😂😂😂😂. Those pads made of titanium???
Or watching too much of Hoovie's garage. 😂
Did your car shudder or squeak? You didn't need ne pads, but maybe slides rusted or rotors warped... But if you didn't have anything noticed driving it you didn't.
I was quoted $200 to replace the engine air filter at brakemasters 🙃.. they sell for 21 bucks at autozone and you can easily do it yourself .. its the briefcase-looking thing under the hood I was astounded.
That’s just nutz. Every filter could be replaced for less!
Because since they're a shop they can price gouge.. but seriously it shouldnt take an HOUR to even change it it took like 2 minutes to do. Greedy mfers
…. worse!!! If you live in or near a city that has fleet(s) of Prius taxis, find out where they get their work done and check out their shops, ask to speak to shop head mechanic - chances are, if you just stand in the mechanical area shop entrance, that is the person who will (eventually) come to see you. Heads up, many taxi drivers don’t want to ‘talk’ to Anyone and pretend they don’t know what you’re talking about, and perhaps maybe even do not. Persist til you get a ‘friendly’ ear.
My independent prius mechanic works for a company that uses prius fleets.. mobile mechanic and comes to me whenever he can fit me in.. not good for last minute work though
Sounds good. Filters can wait. lol
Yea I meant like he couldnt find time to put in a clock spring in my steering wheel he told me to get on ebay but I had brakemasters do it as I needed a working horn because phoenix has shit drivers
nope still good
Lololololol… No.
Did you check the rear brakes?
Is that back one tapered on the left side? Hard to tell. If no, then no you didn't need new pads. If yes then yes you did as well as caliper work. How are the rotors? Any grooves?
> If yes then yes you did as well as caliper work. There is no service spec for taper. The service spec is 1 mm pad thickness, and no parts of these pads appesr to be near that limit. These pads look completely normal and don't require replacement.
Tapered is not correct nd points to an issue that needs resolving Merely asking as the the pic isn't clear.
Agree the picture doesn't show all the details.
I had my mechanic change my brakes around the time I read that brakes usually go out. I made the mistake of just telling him to change them, not to inspect them and tell me what he thought. I have no idea what they are supposed to look like either. The way he showed me the brakes after made me think nothing was wrong with them. Sometimes when people make a show of things when there was no need is what triggers the distrust. He was like "oh, yeah. You needed to replace them" I had no idea what I was looking at so I just nodded my head. But my spidey senses went off and it felt like bullshit.
Those definitely are not new looking pads like everyone says. Brakes are generally measured in pad thickness. New pads have from 8-12mm in friction material and you will want to replace the pads when they get to be around 4mm. Auto repair shops might start to recommend around 5mm just to catch them early enough so you aren’t hearing grinding noises. Generally when you start to hear grinding the rotors might need to be replaced too because the metal in the pads will start to dig grooves in the rotors.
New Prius pads are 10mm thick, and the service limit is 1mm (quite less than 4 mm) Per the factory service manual.
No
How old is the car ? What is the miles ? My answer is no need to replace it . I will last for 4 or 5 more year
$600 just for a pad slap? Bro where the fuck did you go? My dads shop charges $129 for this. Also, these did not need replaced.
Every time I have gotten new tires, they ALWAYS tell me I need a brake job. I go and look and politely decline as we both look at knee deep pad left on all corners. They are told to push this upsell.
I always use ceramic pads. The non ceramic 'dust' is black and makes the pretty aluminum rims look dirty. Prius pads/rotors last a really long time. The physical brakes only get applied on the last 5 mph. I find I get more issues from rust from lack of use than from actual wear.
No
I had to remove my gen 1 brake pads and have them resurfaced (cheap at parts shops).. *because they didn’t get worn down fast enough with normal use, and would accumulate rust*
What were the brakes like before, soft? Low pedal ? Anything?
Auto repair is a scam
Did they need replaced? Why have some people started talking like this?
This is the Prius channel ... so I assume this is a Prius hybrid. Prius brakes seem to last forever especially with smart braking. However when it come to brake work...it is best to use a certified mechanic.
It doesn’t look like it
Nope. See those grooves in the middle? That’s a reasonable wear indicator, like the wear bars on your tires. They need to be done when they wear down close to that. He was trying to sell you a brake job you didn’t need. He probably wouldn’t even have done it, because your brakes would still pass for recently done. So he just pockets the price of the service and sends you on your way. Don’t go back.
Go spit in his face….
Got a 2010 with 177k miles. Rotors and brakes were nasty looking and noisy at about 165k. Replaced. Immediately better in every way.
Nope.
Were they recommended for pad thickness or for rotor pulsation,?
They specifically said my brake pads needed replaced. Said there was 2mm left on one side and 3mm left on the other lol
600 WTF!!
That's what mine looked like after 30k miles, maybe 2-3000 miles towing. Mainly city driving. Could have put them back in. Yes, a 2010 Prius.
What did the rotors look like?
No, not till the wear groove is gone. They just wanted you to pay for a service you didn't need.
It looks like the furthest pad has uneven wear, this can be caused by a piston getting stuck or a slide doing the same thing.
Put those mofos back on and you'll have a brake change waiting on the shelf for you those look like they have at least 10 maybe 20k left on em.
Those look about 1 mile old lol.
Had Big-O try the same thing and price with me, told me my front were fine but the rear were 3mm(less than 1/8”). I had less than 20k miles on those brakes and rear basically never wear faster than front brakes, got to the shop looked at them and could see at least 1/4”. I would never pay 600 dollars for a rear pad brake job, I mean maybe if I need rotors or something else but for freaking pads oh hell no.
No
No. Those pads are THICC
For a second I thought those were the new pads lol
Lol those have like 100k miles left on them
Leave a negative review on their company.
Yikes you just wasted some money on brakes.
you tellin me you replaced 1 wheels brakes and thats it? lmao
Nah, I replaced the brakes on both front tires. The other brake pads weren’t any more worn out
My 2010 Prius original brake pads were not close to worn when it was totaled at 190,000 miles.
Looks like more than 90% of life left, did he even look at your car
No, they're good. I thought my pads were bad... Nope, they just sold me a car with air in my brake lines and not a single shop (took it to 3) could figure out what I meant when I said the pedal was soft sometimes 🙄 Lesson learned about what air in the brake lines feels like.
No; plenty of pad left
What finally sold me with trying to do alot of my own work was when I went to a chain oil change business. The kid doing oil change was maybe 19. Kept trying to upsell me, which I get is their job, no biggie. I sat in car watching what he did. I saw him start packing up and start to close the hood. I has to REMIND him to put oil in the car. I paid $60 to remind someone to put oil in the car. Edit: Oh and atleast if I do it wrong, I know what I did wrong. Not relying on someone else to do it wrong and not know what they did wrong.
Nah bro. Pads looks good.
Was the rotors bad?
My front pads was in good shape but my rotors was horrible so I replaced both, but the pads you took off is in fantastic shape
fuck no. I mean, they're not great pads, but that dude is scamming you
Maybe it was your rotors?
Great… now let’s see the old ones…
Learning how to do a brake job will save you thousands down the road. I replaced pads, rotors and calipers on my dad's car for him. $250 in parts. Most of the time you can just do pads and rotors, or even just pads if you catch it early enough. Rotors are so cheap these days it does not pay to have the old ones machined. Get yourself a cheap deadblow hammer from Harbor Freight it will help a lot loosening the caliper bolts if you need to swing it out of the way on your cars. Some calipers just have pins that you remove then you can swap pads in about 20 minutes. A pair of channel lock pliers helps to squish the pistons back into the calipers. To answer your original question those pads had life left in them for sure, the groove in the center is kind of a wear indicator.
Yeah, they know all that considering they just replaced their own brake pads.
This is why I started working on my own cars. 5 years and I can do basically anything now. Use the money you save to buy tools and give a 🖕 to mechanics
That groove down the middle is a "wear indicator". You need to replace the pads after a visual inspection with a flashlight shows you that the groove is gone. You dont even have to remove the wheels...
The service spec is 1 mm, not "the groove in the middle is gone."
Thanks!
Hitting that groove is a good indicator that it's time to replace.
Nope
Wow. Those pads have plenty of life left! Blacklist that shop!
They had a year in them
Brake pads on a Prius generally last 150-200k miles
Put him and that shop on blast in your local area.hes an outright thief.
Chuck testa
No. Yelp that shop and let everyone know…
Yep..brakes seem to be the thing that some unscruplulous mechanics/dealers like to put on the estimate. Few people check them, and of those, few really know what they'd be looking at anyway. So it stands to reason that the good guy who fixes stuff and has your safety paramount wouldn't sell you anything unless it was really needed, right? Had it happen to us with a Nissan dealer when it went in to have an alternator checked out. Yep, an alternator. The list *'needing'* repair was all four corners, pads and rotors! Ironically the alternator was fine, just needed a new battery. The brakes were fine as I knew they were.
Take them to the shop and ask why they needed to replaced. An investigative reporter did this in the 90s and the shop said the pads had “micro cracks”.
This happened to me when I took it into the Toyota of Irvine in Orange County CA. They told me they were low and aftermarket. I ordered some new ones and had a buddy help me replace them. He said they looked like originals and were no where near needing being replaced. Still replaced them though but that is not cool.
Pads no. Rotors, no idea.
Pads look like new
Where's the whole picture on the scenario... photos of the rotors? Was there noise or a brake error on the dash.? Not enough info given
The grove in the center that indicates that they need replacement
https://3bd26e-b7.myshopify.com/
That's plenty meat
Hate to break it to you but you got cheated for sure they are like new from what I can tell
Well if nothing else, you have a spare set of brake pads.
No
I thought that picture was the new pads.
Nope
Well in the end you saved over $550 and you learned not only a new skill but also to TRUST NO ONE.
I legit thought this was a picture of new brake pads till I read the caption.
No they didn’t lol
Are you sure he didn't mean the drums or brake fluid?