I bought an 18 month old VW golf in July this year. In the last 5 months it has done 3000 miles. The car was at the garage for something and they have told me my brake pads need replacing as are 95% worn. They are telling me they may have been upto 70% worn when I bought it (they do not have a figure but say if they were worn more than this they would have changed them). So they are saying I have worn my brake pads (front and back) at least 25% in 3000 miles or 5 months. I find this hard to believe and think they were worn when I was sold the car-is there any guidance on how long pads should last and what can I do about this???!!!How quickly do brake pads wear? I think I am being conned!!!?Typically brake pads should not wear that quickly, unless you ride your brake! Request that you see the old brake pads after they are done changing them or get a second opinion elsewhere.How quickly do brake pads wear? I think I am being conned!!!?From my experiences with the cars I have owned unless you drive with your brakes on your brake pads should last say 50,000 to 100,000 km.How quickly do brake pads wear? I think I am being conned!!!?It depends on where you live and how you drive. Your brake pads should last at least 30,000 miles. But if you ride your brakes or live in a place with allot of hills, your brakes might wear out a little more quickly. You should get a second opinion from another mechanic, preferably one that only does brake work to see if you do need new ones.How quickly do brake pads wear? I think I am being conned!!!?r u a boy racer if not i think they r changing them for no reasonHow quickly do brake pads wear? I think I am being conned!!!?Like most answers here, the standards is 30K. But that's depending on the driver, if the driver previously likes to ride the brakes more often then, it wears off very quickly and vice versa. Also braking distribution is 60% front and 40% rear. So the wear is obviously less on the rear when the front is about ready to be swap with a new rotor. If you are mechanically inclined, check your manual for brake rotor thickness, if it is still good maybe you just need to resurface it.How quickly do brake pads wear? I think I am being conned!!!?Pads wear differently depending on what kind of driving you do.
City wears faster than highway.
Average is around 50,000 miles.
I do work for some taxi and delivery drivers, and they need brakes every 20,000 miles.
One note: brakes work fine until they wear all their lining off,
How soon you replace them before that often depends on how motivated you are to do the job.
Someone selling a car will %26quot;let it slide%26quot; as long as there is some lining left. Someone repairing a car will recommend brakes if the lining is getting the least bit thin: brakes are an easy, high profit repair!How quickly do brake pads wear? I think I am being conned!!!?As a former automotive service shop owner I performed hundreds of brake jobs. I think the key point of your question is that you must find a reliable shop that you trust. Get to know the owner/manager and have all your work done there. That relationship is invaluable. It does no good to second guess advice on repair needs for your car. Unfortunately, some shops will do unnecessary work. Back to brakes: Pad wear is a function of driving type, quality of materials used and workmanship. Also, for rear brakes (pads or shoes) the rule of thumb is that they are replaced once for every two sets on the front. This is because weight transfer to the front of the car when braking causes the front pads to wear more quickly. For newer cars, such as yours, the original pads are the highest quality and good for a long time. For an easy driver who does long distance highway commutes, 70K or 80K for front pads is not unusual. City commute driving could yield 40K to 50K (these are typical numbers). Also all pads have a wear specification. The shop must know and state this. I think VW uses 1 millimeter (mm) as the wear limit. The shop should measure and state the remaining pad thickness (note: pads typically do not wear completely even, the measurement is taken from the thinnest section). Even though your post does not state the car mileage when purchased (some folks wrote that it now has 30K, but they are not careful readers), it reads like under 20K miles. It is unlikely that the OEM front brake pads would be worn out in that time, however it is possible. But there is no way the rear are also worn, for reasons stated above. My guess is that this shop is not playing straight. As another poster stated, there is a wide range of brake pad quality. When required, spend the money for the best to insure long life and quiet braking. I guess that Golf front pads are about $60. There may also be brake hardware kit. Hope that helps, Marc.How quickly do brake pads wear? I think I am being conned!!!?The rate of wear depends on how much you ride the brake. Usually they should last a couple of years but if you overly use the brake and ride the pedal they could wear out sooner..How quickly do brake pads wear? I think I am being conned!!!?Hey sexy. I work at VW dealership and i've talked to my Servise guy and he said that your brakes should last till at least 40K fornt and 50K back.
I guess they are trying to screw you up!!
Get few quotes and dont make them screw you...well maybe the servise dude is cute and you want to :)
If you got any more questions just hit me up!
ChrisHow quickly do brake pads wear? I think I am being conned!!!?at only 3000 miles i would be a little conserend if they were nackerd!!!!!!!!!!!
normal pads about 25000 to may 30000
depends on your braking?How quickly do brake pads wear? I think I am being conned!!!?It's one of those things where garages can make pump you for cash.
No one wants to ever risk brakes problems or failing.. so are prepared to pay if the stealers (dealers) say they need changing. However I've known many instances where the stealers have been taking the p1ss, and brakes loads of life left.. sometimes as much as 90% life left in them.
Take you car to a specialist (I use Awesome GTi in Manchester).... they are cheaper, have professional time served mechanics working on your car (not a spotty trainee)... lower costs (lower overheads).
In the short term.... I'd get them double checked by another firm.
Also ask your garage to put their recommendations in writing before starting the work - if they are reluctant to do so it tells you something.... and if they do and prove to have not been honest in their assessment.. I'd inform local trading standards agency and tell them your taking it to the press.
Also join this forum: http://uk-mkivs.net/forums/default.aspx
16,000 VW Golf and VW other members... its saved me hundreds due to being able to have an archive and good knowledge from other VW owners..How quickly do brake pads wear? I think I am being conned!!!?PLEASE GET OTHER SHOP[ TO CHECK BRAKES. JOE BOCA AUTO SERVICEHow quickly do brake pads wear? I think I am being conned!!!?yes if you buy cheap break pads the best that you can hope for is 18 to 24 months depending on how much and how you drive if you by the lifetime breaks they are just that lifetime. If you think that you are being scammed take it to another auto mechanic and have them look at your breaks.How quickly do brake pads wear? I think I am being conned!!!?30K milesHow quickly do brake pads wear? I think I am being conned!!!?No set guide lines but from you are saying the pads should have been changed before you bought the car. How many miles did the car have on it when you bought it? How was it driven? city mostly or highway mostly?
How they wear depends on your driving conditions. A lot of stop and go in the city vs. highway miles. Also depends on the pads themselves! Hard pads vs soft pads. Soft pads wear faster.
I change my pads every six months. Once a year I change my disc. But I have really hard driving conditions. All lot of driving on sandy, gravel, iron ore gravel, roads when dry. When raining same roads will be flooded up to hubs a lot of times. That wears out brakes quick.
Also have to remove self adjusters due to freezing up because of oxidizing from running in muddy water for extended distances.How quickly do brake pads wear? I think I am being conned!!!?The brake shop would have little knowledge as to how much break pads existed when you purchased the car unless they looked at it. Brakes ware differently depending on weather, road conditions, use, and type of car. I have a large SUV that consumes front brake pads every 20,000 miles, while I have another car that can go 75,000 plus.
The best thing to do is check the pads for a small tab that indicates how much brake pad is left, and when they change the pads, as for the old ones so you can see how much pad is left. Any good shop would be willing to show you how to read a break pad. A bad shop that is going to rip you off will hid them.
If you hear a scraping sound when you drive, it may be an indication of a brake pad that has worn out.How quickly do brake pads wear? I think I am being conned!!!?If you are concerned, get a second opinion on the issue.
The most difficult thing to do is finding a reputable mechanic/garage.
Brakes are an easy and often targeted up-sell in a garage.
Brakes are considered a %26quot;consumable%26quot; so it's possible the materials originally used for the brake fabric were not meant to last much longer than the miles you currently have.
Or, the previous owner might have driven the car hard -- jack rabbit starts/stops.
Consumables are the replacement parts which are expected to be worn-out/replace by the user -- therefore not reflecting badly on the car manufacturer.
Your vehicle is near 2 years old, might now be a good opportunity to shop for price on a brake repair.
Find a good price, take it in, and ask if the brake pads require changing (your second opinion).
Your repair cost will be greater if the pads do wear out, and you get steel on steel wear -- rotor replacement will be required.How quickly do brake pads wear? I think I am being conned!!!?You do not say how many miles the car had done before you purchaced it! Brake pads can wear at differnt rates depending on if it is an automatic or manual, also type of driving ie town or motorway and also on the persons driving style. If it is the same garage who sold you the car is saying that within 3000 miles you have worn out the pads that is unfair and they should look at meeting some of the cost of new pads. Rule of thumb pads should last 15 to 20 k.How quickly do brake pads wear? I think I am being conned!!!?The amount of wear on brake pads depends on how often the car is used. If you drive long distance every day, they will wear quicker than someone who drives locally. Go to the garage and ask to see the worn brake pads. There is not a lot you can do about this though because you don't know how worn they were when you bought the car.How quickly do brake pads wear? I think I am being conned!!!?I have a 2005 Jetta GLi I bought new. I just had it in for a checkup, and they checked the brakes. The dealership reported the front had 90% life remaining after 15,000 miles and the rear were barely worn. I have heard anything from 30,000 miles for the front and 90,000 for the back to almost double that.
If the previous owner was really hard on the brakes or for some reason had poor quality pads installed, they will wear faster. If you have lost that much pad in 3000 miles, there is a serious problem with the brake system. If the brakes are worn almost out after less than 20,000 miles, I would make a warranty claim and get at least partial coverage.How quickly do brake pads wear? I think I am being conned!!!?It depends on how you drive and the type of pads that were last installed. I have gone through a set of pads in a matter of a few months simply because I was driving around with more people in my car and driving through the city. So the excess weight as well as the constant stopping has caused my brakes to wear much faster.
Secondly there is no telling how rough the previous owner was on the car and how much pad was left. Some people drive %26quot;two-footed%26quot; which causes the brakes to be slightly engaged even though the driver may not be aware that he has his foot on the brake and the gas at the same time.
Third, if the car was 18 months old when you bought it and then you drove it another 5 months, that's almost 2 years which is about average for needing a brake job. Unless the brakes were covered by a warranty you just have to bite the bullet and get the work done or roll up your sleeves and put on the pads yourself. They are relatively easy to do on a VW.How quickly do brake pads wear? I think I am being conned!!!?This scenario sounds totally possible. We're only talking about 25% since your purchase, and you have driven 5 months. It also sounds like the pads were never replaced by the original owner (since the vehicle is 18 months old and 70% wear- which sounds right).
The dealership should have replaced them before you bought the VW. I wouldn't buy a 70% used soda.....that means I only have 30% left for me!
If I were you, I would go back and talk to my salesman, and let him know what you've found. They should offer to replace them. I would start there first, because they knew they should have replaced them, but like all shady car sales people, they want to get the most money with the least amount of work.
Sounds like you may have been duped, but not by the repair shop. The dealership is the real culprit.How quickly do brake pads wear? I think I am being conned!!!?depends on the pads because cheep 5$ pads dont last at all i get the lifetime pads.How quickly do brake pads wear? I think I am being conned!!!?tell them to show you the pads. see for yourself the %26quot; 95% %26quot; wear. brakes wont last forever, but they should last at least a year. heavy braking or dirt on the rotors will make them go bad faster. if you can do it yourself, go to auto store and get the lifetime warranty brake pads. then you just buy one set and when they go out, you just bring the old pads back in and get a new set for freeHow quickly do brake pads wear? I think I am being conned!!!?Like Boxer said...30,000 miles is realistically the limit on pads.How quickly do brake pads wear? I think I am being conned!!!?Brake wear is entirely subjective. Driving habits; roads; temp. etc. However; when the brake pads are repl. It`s important to make sure the rear br. are working 100% . as appx. 70% of your braking comes fr. the fr. brs. you need ALL your brakes working efficiantly. Even bad shocks effects br. wear.How quickly do brake pads wear? I think I am being conned!!!?very well done to marccroft he has answerd your question spot on .i have been in the car repair buisness for 25 years and i hear questions like this day in day out but it all comes down to one thing....YOU. constant quetions asked and the anwser that applys to most is why my tyres,brakes do not last as long as when i had the car from new...anwser drive the car the same as when it was new and they will..simpleHow quickly do brake pads wear? I think I am being conned!!!?why don't you take it to a mechanic for a brake checkHow quickly do brake pads wear? I think I am being conned!!!?Brake pad wear factors are down to:
-Driver usage
-Quality of Brake Pads
One way to tell if your brake pads are worn is you hear that %26quot;screeching%26quot; noise everytime you brake. That is usually metal grinding on metal.
Of course, the only way to find out if you're being ripped off or not is to look at it yourself.
Jack your car up, use air-tools to take the wheel off, then examine your brakes, if you can't do that, then you should be able to see through the gaps of your rims and see the thickness left in them.
Brake pads last on average 6-12 months depending on quality and driver. I have ceramic brakes on my SUV and they're still good from last year.
The Garage was being nice checking your brakes for you. I don't think they're ripping you off. If it's due, then it's due a change.How quickly do brake pads wear? I think I am being conned!!!?this sounds like reasonable wear. wear depends on your driving and braking style, the quality of the pads, and the weight of your car. I would go through pads every 7000 miles in my Cadillac mostly because i used the cheap *** $20 pads and I drive the car fast (which means I brake hard). You did not own the car for 18 months of it's life, how do you know how it was driven? If I had a lease, I'd drive the sh*t out of the car since I didn't have to keep it.How quickly do brake pads wear? I think I am being conned!!!?It really depends on several things
1. The quality of the pads installed last time
2. The quality of the brake system in comparison to the weight of the car, and
3. Your driving habits.
My vehicle has a brake system designed for a car 300 lbs lighter, so the brake pads run out pretty often. But if I replace them with cheap pads from the local auto parts store, I barely get 6 months out of them.
