Brake Pads

[Jas2001]

Does anyone know the thickness of the brake pads from new? I was told my front brake pads are now down to 8 mm and the rear ones 6 mm, and so it was flagged as an amber issue requiring attention in the near future. The car has done 25000 miles and so I'm trying to estimate when they'll likely need replacing.

[oldcodger]

Don't know the exact specification for your model but most sites say pads are typically between 10 - 12mm thick when new and the minimum thickness when worn is 1mm though most would never suggest going that low.

Again generally the front pads work twice as hard as the rears so wear twice as fast,  so not sure why your rears are less than the fronts - possibly something to do with the regen hybrid braking or thye may simply be smaller pads to start with.

Just reading an article in this months Car Mechanics magazine (Dec edition, in most large supermarkets)  as it was just mentioning this main dealer braking scare tactics like you have been given.

If you do not accept their new pad renewal expect the second level tactic where they may say it could invalidate your warranty. 

Doubt few folk here would say there is anything wrong with your pad thickness as that level of wear 25k miles in 4 years is minimal, just check again in 12 month is what we would do. ( we have serviced our own brakes on various cars over the last 50 years)

If in doubt get a second opinion at another garage.

[TonyHSD]

Well said oldcodger 👍

Dealers seems to up selling like mad. This is insanely bad customer service to flag something as bad when actually is perfect, I mean it’s excellent. 
Front brake pads when new are 10mm , rear 8mm.
Toyota hybrids brakes will easily last well over 100000 miles and in some cases double that. In these cars and also many more made post 2001 the rear brake pads will need replacement first as these work more than fronts and more often even when you don’t press the brakes ( stability and traction control).
In Toyota hybrid cars with brake pedal press on the rear pads can engage earlier controlled electronically by a pump and provide more stopping power than the front since front axle can provide stopping power by the regenerative braking. 
The dealers these days in this country make themselves nothing but fools 🎪🤡😂

[Jas2001]

Thanks. If I enter my reg details at, for example, Autodoc, all the branded brake pads listed seem to have a thickness of around 15 - 19 mm. So does that mean Toyota brake pads are much more hard wearing since they have a thickness of only 10 mm from new?

[Niky]

Something is not quite right having only 6mm on a 25k miles car

I am not sure what the original thickness of the pads is, but I highly recommend to take down the wheels, clean the brakes and lubricate the pins. I was a bit sceptical on this, until I did it - well, paid a local garage £60 to do it for me 2 months ago

My brakes are much smoother and got a better feeling....if this makes sense.....,also no more grinding noise when breaks are applied gently with low speed

Mine is 22 reg with 53k miles on it, and have 9mm on all pads, according the latest 50k service report.

[southsider46]

From what I can see, your front pads are 18mm thick in total, including back plate.  Juratek JCP8534 were what I looked at.

Therefore, they probably have 12 or 13mm of lining.  If you have 8mm remaining on them, there is still lots of life left in them.

The rear pads are 15mm in total, Juratek JCP4038. 6mm on the rears is still lots.

You have nothing to worry about regarding the amount of wear or life left in your pads.

 

[southsider46]

1 hour ago, Jas2001 said:

So does that mean Toyota brake pads are much more hard wearing

No

[TonyHSD]

2 hours ago, Niky said:

Something is not quite right having only 6mm on a 25k miles car

I am not sure what the original thickness of the pads is, but I highly recommend to take down the wheels, clean the brakes and lubricate the pins. I was a bit sceptical on this, until I did it - well, paid a local garage £60 to do it for me 2 months ago

My brakes are much smoother and got a better feeling....if this makes sense.....,also no more grinding noise when breaks are applied gently with low speed

Mine is 22 reg with 53k miles on it, and have 9mm on all pads, according the latest 50k service report.

This is the most important part of hybrids brake service and should be done every two years. Dealers doesn’t do it and force people to change perfectly fine parts. 10-12mm most cars friction materials. 

[taxidriver50005]

I was originally quated similar on my first to me service 27000 miles.... Oddly after that at my present dealers my brake pad have grown in thickness after another 50,000 miles... I think a little up-selling is going on here. 

[Dylanfan]

Up selling is a major problem. At 2 years and 8k I was told I needed front tyres! I’ve also needed new discs and pads on a car where they had been done 2 years, 8k before. That wasn’t a Toyota, but the dealers think you know nothing and then when you say no, they put the onus on you and try to make you feel guilty.

[Red_Corolla]

New ones tend to have about 12mm IME. I strongly suspect they eyeball the measurement rather than actually break out the appropriate measuring tools and do any requisite dismantling, therefore your 8mm could be open to a bit of interpretation.

I would say 2mm for the service limit but, again, this is just my experience, not a hard-and-fast rule.

[southsider46]

Your pads have got squealers on them, so you'll soon know when they are getting low.

[tfc]

Just had a service and Front pads 10mm remaining, Rear 7mm  remaining , no idea how thick they are from new, car is Jan 2020 and done 30691 miles. and on the VSR it flagged Green OK.

[TonyHSD]

The measures they take is not accurate imo. 
When changing tyres at ATS the technicians run a car check on brakes and suspension and the report shows brake pads thickness in mm and I see them using a device like builders use with infrared to check levels. These might be precise but also easily misaligned and get wrong numbers. 
The only correct way to measure brake pads thickness is to take them off the callipers and measure physically with correct tools. 
I have my front brake pads with 10mm thickness even after over 80000miles. 
Here when newly fitted 14/02/20

and after on 24/09/22

 

not much difference in thickness.