# 25K And My Brakes Are Shot.



## YouEvenLyftBruh (Feb 10, 2018)

I started hearing the weird brake noise this afternoon. I had to apologize for the rest of the night and assure folks that everything was fine.

No warning, nothing. My car only has 25,000 miles!!!

Toyota is really going downhill with their quality. Yes, yes, I can already hear the responses about how it's my driving.

*BULLS**T! *

My last car, which I drove in LA didn't need brakes for like 50K, if not more!

Welp, there go my 'profits' for week... and I was so excited about how I was going to finally pay off my credit card. 

I don't know what any of this crap means either...

https://autoservicecosts.com/brake-pad-replacement-cost/
Do I have to replace the pads AND the rotors? On a year old car? I know they are going to try to up-sell me, and sadly I have no idea if it's a good idea or not.

Any advice appreciated.


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## Cableguynoe (Feb 14, 2017)

If you can do them yourself or find a cheap Craigslist mechanic to do them you’ll be alright.


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## YouEvenLyftBruh (Feb 10, 2018)

Cableguynoe said:


> If you can do them yourself or find a cheap Craigslist mechanic to do them you'll be alright.


did you miss the: _"I don't know what any of this crap means either... "_ part?

My main question is the rotors upsell. Should I just be firm and get the pads replaced?

Last time I used craigslist, I had Scientologists calling me for months afterwards.


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## steveK2016 (Jul 31, 2016)

YouEvenLyftBruh said:


> did you miss the: _"I don't know what any of this crap means either... "_ part?
> 
> My main question is the rotors upsell. Should I just be firm and get the pads replaced?
> 
> Last time I used craigslist, I had Scientologists calling me for months afterwards.


The longer you drive with the noise, the less options you have. From my limited understanding, usually rotors will last at least one pad replacement.


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## BigBadJohn (Aug 31, 2018)

If you hear noises coming from your car you don't like, just use the radio volume option. Works every time.


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## Irishjohn831 (Aug 11, 2017)

If your rotors are semi smooth, just pop the top bolt off the caliper, flip it up, pull the old pads out, have a c clamp and take cap off master cylinder, push the caliper into the open position (Wide enough so when you flip it back down over the rotor it fits right over. Put tire back on, turn on car, pump brakes while in park, compression good, good to go


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## YouEvenLyftBruh (Feb 10, 2018)

steveK2016 said:


> The longer you drive with the noise, the less options you have. From my limited understanding, usually rotors will last at least one pad replacement.


Absolutely. I know that much. I'm going in first thing tomorrow morning.

My old car made an annoying noise beforehand, but not this Toyota apparently.



steveK2016 said:


> From my limited understanding, usually rotors will last at least one pad replacement.


Ah! This is exactly what I wanted to hear! *Thank You! :smiles::inlove::laugh:?*


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## Bbonez (Aug 10, 2018)

If it's a year old car with 25k miles, they will be replaced for free under the manufacturer warranty.


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## YouEvenLyftBruh (Feb 10, 2018)

Bbonez said:


> If it's a year old car with 25k miles, they will be replaced for free under the manufacturer warranty.


Nope. The dirty bastards got me!!!

????????

it's just over 25K, like 25,400 or something...

:greedy::greedy::greedy::greedy::greedy::greedy:


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## Boca Ratman (Jun 6, 2018)

steveK2016 said:


> The longer you drive with the noise, the less options you have. From my limited understanding, usually rotors will last at least one pad replacement.


300k on my car. origanal rear rotors. fronts I replaced about 50k miles ago.


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## BigBadJohn (Aug 31, 2018)

Tell dealership you had 24999 miles @ 5:01pm on Saturday just as they closed. Technically you were under warrenty but it was after hours when you tried to schedule an appointment. Toyota should honor it.


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## Bbonez (Aug 10, 2018)

They should be covered for 36K miles, here is a quote from their warranty:

Coverage is for 36 months or 36,000 miles, whichever occurs first, with the exception of wheel alignment and wheel balancing, which are covered for 12 months or 12,000 miles, whichever occurs first.


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## YouEvenLyftBruh (Feb 10, 2018)

BigBadJohn said:


> Tell dealership you had 24999 miles @ 5:01pm on Saturday just as they closed. Technically you were under warrenty but it was after hours when you tried to schedule an appointment. Toyota should honor it.


Worth a shot, but i'm not holding my breath. I already did my 25K "free" service and they told me my brakes were fine for a little longer, so maybe I can get them on that.


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## Bbonez (Aug 10, 2018)

BigBadJohn said:


> Tell dealership you had 24999 miles @ 5:01pm on Saturday just as they closed. Technically you were under warrenty but it was after hours when you tried to schedule an appointment. Toyota should honor it


The warranty starts from the odometer reading when you purchased the car, not from 0. So if there were a few test drives or it was a dealer trade it may have had 500 when purchased.


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## YouEvenLyftBruh (Feb 10, 2018)

Boca Ratman said:


> 300k on my car. origanal rear rotors. fronts I replaced about 50k miles ago.


what kind of car?


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## Boca Ratman (Jun 6, 2018)

YouEvenLyftBruh said:


> what kind of car?


Nissan. your rotors should be good for 100k easy .


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## YouEvenLyftBruh (Feb 10, 2018)

Bbonez said:


> They should be covered for 36K miles, here is a quote from their warranty:
> 
> Coverage is for 36 months or 36,000 miles, whichever occurs first, with the exception of wheel alignment and wheel balancing, which are covered for 12 months or 12,000 miles, whichever occurs first.


Oh but you missed the fine print, under which the brake pads are not covered:

*"Basic Coverage 1: *36 months/36,000 miles_* (all components other than normal wear and maintenance items). "*

source: https://www.toyota.com/owners/resources/owners-manuals_

...or at least that is what they will claim. That my aggressive driving style caused the brakes to wear out or some similar BS.

this is the standard way a corporation, once known for reliability, starts squeezing out the profits, by installing cheaper brakes designed to wear out quicker. People will be recommending Toyota for 'reliability' for decades after they have long since stopped making quality cars.



Boca Ratman said:


> Nissan. your rotors should be good for 100k easy .


That was what my last car was! Brake pads lasted forever! Cheap Toyota POS.


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## Bbonez (Aug 10, 2018)

I guess it a good idea to have good relationships with the dealership, they have a lot of discretion. If they deny your warranty claim ask to speak to the GM of the dealership. Let them know you drive a lot and will be buying a new car every other year. Ask for some good faith and help you become a customer for life.


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## Ricardo Resolute (Feb 18, 2019)

YouEvenLyftBruh said:


> I started hearing the weird brake noise this afternoon. I had to apologize for the rest of the night and assure folks that everything was fine.
> 
> No warning, nothing. My car only has 25,000 miles!!!
> 
> ...


?I get 80k miles with ceramic pads on my Prius.? Mostly because I don't have a lead foot and don't speed to a red light, not to discount the advanced technology of ceramic pads.

Our profit margins are razor thin ?? Your driving style effects service maintenance intervals & severity.


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## Stevie The magic Unicorn (Apr 3, 2018)

25K miles is really low..

I would take it to a mechanic, i'm not saying there's something wrong, but i wouldn't be surprised if you were getting uneven wear.

Either way, no more ride-sharing until you get into the shop.

The more you drive the more damage you cause.

$100s tomorrow is $1,000s next week.

If the rotors aren't trashed you shouldn't need replacement rotors.

But don't be surprised if you go into the shop and 1 wheel is shot to heck and needs new pads/rotors and the rest are fine.


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## Eugene73 (Jun 29, 2017)

Just wait till your struts go, then you’ll really feel the pain (in your butt and in your wallet)


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## janewalch (Jan 8, 2016)

YouEvenLyftBruh said:


> I started hearing the weird brake noise this afternoon. I had to apologize for the rest of the night and assure folks that everything was fine.
> 
> No warning, nothing. My car only has 25,000 miles!!!
> 
> ...


You're in Los Angeles? I am as well. I have a mobile guy who does amazing work for cheap and comes to you. Let me know if you're interested and I'll give you his contact. He also won't upsell you - he's incredibly honest.


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## YouEvenLyftBruh (Feb 10, 2018)

janewalch said:


> You're in Los Angeles? I am as well. I have a mobile guy who does amazing work for cheap and comes to you. Let me know if you're interested and I'll give you his contact. He also won't upsell you - he's incredibly honest.


No, I'm in Atlanta now... : (

I was just saying how my Nissan back in LA didn't need brake pads for years. The idea being that LA driving is going to be harder on the car than Atlanta, and to deflect the inevitable "it's your fault" replies....


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## FinerThings (Aug 13, 2018)

I have a car 1.5 years into the 4 year warranty and I'm a very good driver and I don't want any crap about "you drive aggressively" from the dealership so I got an app that assesses and tracks my acceleration, braking and speed. It may help. Especially with my dealership. They hear crap from for every little thing from me. Now they seem to just want to pay me/do work whatever and get me to go away.


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## Immoralized (Nov 7, 2017)

Usually if the brake pads are so worn out and they start making horrible noises against the rotor it would of damaged the rotor already. Under commercial use and prolong use that isn't private use everything degrades twice as fast if not three times as fast. If you had changed the brake pads before they wore out so much you can essentially get 3-5 times change over on the rotors.

It always a good to see how much meat you got left on the pads and if it starts to get low change it to save the rotors because changing them out as you know now cost a lot of $$. The last thing you want is the rotor failing on you in the moment you need them most and that when the brakes usually do fail under extreme use like trying to stop quickly.

But to answer your question about is the wear & tear normal for Rideshare driving and that is yes. That and you are carrying a lot of extra weight 2-4 riders which really load up the brakes and wear them out quicker. They get hotter and stay hotter for longer so they degrade even faster. Only way around it is getting performance brake system installed which is about grand installed. "performance rotors and performance brake pads both set you back 70-100% more than regular but they last so much longer."

Which will give you better endurance ? You get what you pay for... General consumer goods are designed for general consumer and you are pushing the parts towards commercial standards so you got to get the goods that matches what you are doing or face replacing parts more regularly.






The sound you hearing is probably metal to metal contact destroying the rotors.


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## SatMan (Mar 20, 2017)

Just have the rotors turned....meaning they take a little off the rotors to rebalance them.


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## HotUberMess (Feb 25, 2018)

Jeeez what is this even..

Brakes are normal wear and tear. Get ceramic, they’ll last longer. You can’t compare one car to another; they don’t weigh the same, and you might have had ceramic pads on your other car, who knows?

Also; brakes are super easy to do yourself. Less messy than changing oil.


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## ColumbusRides (Nov 10, 2018)

I also have a Toyota and I know sooner or later I’ll need brakes... ugh


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## BikingBob (May 29, 2018)

General rule of thumb is your rotors get you 2 sets of pads. However, if you're burning pads at this rate you might have something else going on.


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## YouEvenLyftBruh (Feb 10, 2018)

HotUberMess said:


> Jeeez what is this even..
> 
> Brakes are normal wear and tear. Get ceramic, they'll last longer. You can't compare one car to another; they don't weigh the same, and you might have had ceramic pads on your other car, who knows?
> 
> Also; brakes are super easy to do yourself. Less messy than changing oil.


Do you know whether you have an m.2 port which will accept both an NVMe and PCIE SSD? It's simple. Just take apart the laptop and look at the port where the drive is connected. m.2 is just the form factor, and NVMe and PCIE is the communication standard the actual drive communicates with. It's very simple. A child can do it, just look for the port and then plug it in.

See? Not everyone can specialize in everything. Ask me to repair your laptop and I can help you out. Ask me anything beyond changing my tires and I'm lost.

Oh?! Why am I driving gryft instead of repairing computers. Ask your politicians why the market is flooded with shitty 3rd world H1B's VISA workers, while actual Americans can't find a job, even in this so called, great economy.


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## Juggalo9er (Dec 7, 2017)

Takes longer to take the tire off than to change pads..... What's the complaint?


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## Stevie The magic Unicorn (Apr 3, 2018)

YouEvenLyftBruh said:


> No, I'm in Atlanta now... : (
> 
> I was just saying how my Nissan back in LA didn't need brake pads for years. The idea being that LA driving is going to be harder on the car than Atlanta, and to deflect the inevitable "it's your fault" replies....


I for one am saying, it's not your fault...

But i suspect there might be some wonky and uneven brake wear on at least 1 wheel.

As in instead of evenly grinding off pad your grinding it at an angle, which means that one side of a pad is more worn than the other side.

I can change a brake pad, and i can diagnose this issue by looking at the pads...

But i have no clue how the heck to address the issue.

Stop driving it until you get the squeak addressed.


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## TomTheAnt (Jan 1, 2019)

YouEvenLyftBruh said:


> Not everyone can specialize in everything.


No, but learning how to do things helps. Especially car stuff if you are doing Uber/Lyft. Saves a boatload of money in the end.


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## kc ub'ing! (May 27, 2016)

Pads are designed to squeak when nearing change time.

If you can add memory to a PC you can change brake pads. Pull up a tutorial for your car on YouTube. It will blow you away how easy it is.

Run a fingernail over your rotors. Grooves like a record = replace. 

Good ceramic pads bout $60. Satisfaction you’ll get doing yourself priceless!


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## BlueNOX (Apr 3, 2016)

2017 Traverse. 156,000 miles. Have yet to replace the pads yet. It’s how you drive.


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## BigRedDriver (Nov 28, 2018)

Brakes and rotors are an easy DIY project with even minimal mechanical experience. 

Hardest part is removing the tire/rim. 

YouTube em


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## RideshareUSA (Feb 7, 2019)

YouEvenLyftBruh said:


> I started hearing the weird brake noise this afternoon. I had to apologize for the rest of the night and assure folks that everything was fine.
> 
> No warning, nothing. My car only has 25,000 miles!!!
> 
> ...


However you go about approaching the dealer, DO NOT mention anything about being a rideshare driver.


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## mikes424 (May 22, 2016)

Wearing out brakes in 25,000 miles, especially factory brakes, is unusual unless you are riding them.

That leads me to think something else, like a frozen caliper, could be causing the wear.


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## BigRedDriver (Nov 28, 2018)

mikes424 said:


> Wearing out brakes in 25,000 miles, especially factory brakes, is unusual unless you are riding them.
> 
> That leads me to think something else, like a frozen caliper, could be causing the wear.


Gas mileage would be a clue.


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## DevilShoez (May 5, 2018)

I have the same issue. 2016 Mazda, 50k miles. The rear brakes are down to maybe 10% while the front are practically 100%(round 80% Id say). My guys tell me its because of the rear's electronic calipers/electronic parking brake setup. Rears are grinding a bit until I get going. Still, cars these days....


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## Tdizzle22 (Sep 21, 2016)

i got a solid 110k on my ORIGINAL BRAKES AND ROTORS on my chevy cruze limited. quite impressed the cruze.


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## HotUberMess (Feb 25, 2018)

YouEvenLyftBruh said:


> Do you know whether you have an m.2 port which will accept both an NVMe and PCIE SSD? It's simple. Just take apart the laptop and look at the port where the drive is connected. m.2 is just the form factor, and NVMe and PCIE is the communication standard the actual drive communicates with. It's very simple. A child can do it, just look for the port and then plug it in.
> 
> See? Not everyone can specialize in everything. Ask me to repair your laptop and I can help you out. Ask me anything beyond changing my tires and I'm lost.
> 
> Oh?! Why am I driving gryft instead of repairing computers. Ask your politicians why the market is flooded with shitty 3rd world H1B's VISA workers, while actual Americans can't find a job, even in this so called, great economy.


Whenever I want to know what my laptop came with and I can't tell by looking, I google the model number and that brings up the whole spec list.

If you are smart enough to be able to figure out electronics you're at least 20 IQ points above what you need to be to figure out brakes.


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## Another Uber Driver (May 27, 2015)

YouEvenLyftBruh said:


> Toyota is really going downhill with their quality.
> 
> Do I have to replace the pads AND the rotors? On a year old car? I know they are going to try to up-sell me, and sadly I have no idea if it's a good idea or not.


The cab drivers here do complain about the Toyotas. One of the complaints is the short brake life.

If your rotors are badly scored, you will have to replace them. Usually machining them is sufficient. If they are badly scored, machining does no good; you must replace them. Many brake pads have something built in to make a funny noise to let you know that you must do something, soon.

If you go to an unscrupulous shop, they will tell you that your rotors are scored beyond machining. These are the same shops that have front end alignments "on sale" for $69,95, but the alignment will not take without fifteen hundred dollars worth of front end work. They also have these $19,95 oil changes plus thirty dollars for an eleven dollar air filter, fifty seven dollars parts and labour for a fuel filter that takes all of ten minutes to install and a $39,95 headlight adjustment (you also get that with a New York State inspection).



Immoralized said:


> Usually if the brake pads are so worn out and they start making horrible noises against the rotor it would of damaged the rotor already.
> 
> The sound you hearing is probably metal to metal contact destroying the rotors.


It could go either way. The manufacturers of some pads put something in there to make a funny noise to let you know that it is getting close. Your BRAKE light should come on, or flicker, as well.


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## Immoralized (Nov 7, 2017)

Another Uber Driver said:


> The cab drivers here do complain about the Toyotas. One of the complaints is the short brake life.
> 
> If your rotors are badly scored, you will have to replace them. Usually machining them is sufficient. If they are badly scored, machining does no good; you must replace them. Many brake pads have something built in to make a funny noise to let you know that you must do something, soon.
> 
> ...


Brake systems are fairly cheap in parts and a lot of the work is simple. It not like a turbo rebuild or engine rebuild or transmission rebuild... Let the mechanics that specialize in doing that do that unless it a passion.

Basic service things like air filters, oil filters, oil changes, fluid top ups and the tiny things that the driver can do and as much of it as possible and taking the time out to learn what the car needs to perform because as a driver it is the main asset generating that all important $$$ plus saving a whole bunch of $$$ by not giving that hard earn money to the mechanics for doing basic services and easy to replace parts.

The more well informed the driver is the less chance the mechanic if he or she is dodgy is going to rake you over the coals and drain you of all that $$ and pad up their bank account.


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## Immoralized (Nov 7, 2017)

One of my vehicles on it brakes even using premium brakes lasted probably 20 000 miles before it was bare metal and started tearing through the disc. Now I need to get even better pads because I don't want to be changing pads every 20 000 miles.

So I'm happy for the Op that got a bit more life out of the pads than I did :redface: Just all that extra weight and extra heat been generated & summer really chews out the braking system.


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## Juggalo9er (Dec 7, 2017)

Jack vehicle up so it's safe to work on
Take your tire off
Find brake pads
Find caliper pins... Google what they look like
Take them off
Push caliper back in... It's round..use old brake pads to do it evenly
Install new pads exactly as old ones
Put everything back together exactly how it was


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## Another Uber Driver (May 27, 2015)

Immoralized said:


> The more well informed the driver is the less chance the mechanic if he or she is dodgy is going to rake you over the coals and drain you of all that $$ and pad up their bank account.


I once took a very old Ford to the dealer because an exhaust manifold bolt head sheared off. Everyone told me that only the dealer could work on that problem. I knew everything that had been done to that car since it was driven out of the Ford in Virginia Beach so many years before that day. I tried to explain to the service writer what the problem was, but he did not want to hear it. He kept telling me that "they would look at it....." and a bunch more rubbish. I finally gave him the keys.

He calls me. He tells me what I tried to tell him: a bolt head had sheared off on the exhaust manifold. He tells me that they must take off the whole manifold. DUHHHHHHH. He tells me that they must drill out the bad bolt. DUHHHHHHHH. He tells me that more bolts might break. DUHHHHHH, yeaaaaaaahhhhhhh, if one broke, so might another.........................He tells me that they will need a new gasket. DUHHHHHHHHHHHH. When you take apart two parts between which there is a gasket, you must replace said gasket. Then he tries to tell me that the exhaust manifold is warped. WHOAAAAA, SPARKY! That car never overheated to that point. I tell him to start the work. Fortunately, I know somebody, who knows somebody, so I called him and got the Regional Manager for the Ford. I explained my problem, he told me that he would take care of it.

I get a call from the Service writer. Suddenly, the exhaust manifold is "totally unavailable". At the time, you could get parts for ANY Ford made since 1903, FROM FORD. The catches were that it had to be a regular production model and that there had to be documentation that there was at least one that ran somewhere in the world. I went to get the car. I demanded to talk to the mechanic and Service Manager. I got them, I heard their nonsense. As I knew the number of the Back Parts Warehouse that, at the time, was in New Jersey, I called, with the Service Manager's permission, and asked if they had an exhaust manifold for a low compression 390......yes, the same as the 359, 428, yes, the same one..,...........I looked at the Service Manager and told him "the guy says Thursday". I thanked the guy at the other end, hung up and let the mechanic and Service Manager have it. I told them that they should have taken a clue when I told the Service writer that I knew what the problem was. They should have taken a second clue when I understood everything that the Service writer told me.

Another time, I went to a front end shop for an alignment. I had a mechanic at the time, but he did not have a front end machine. I know that these front end shops like to sell you thousands of dollars worth of work that you do not need. My mechanic told me that the front end was allright.

I get to the shop, tell the guy that all that I want is an alignment. If he is planning to sell me all of this front end work, tell me now, and I will go somewhere else. If I really do need the work, he is not going to get it, my mechanic is. I tell him that the only difference between my mechanic and him is that he has the front end machine that my mechanic does not. Obviously, he did not listen. They call me and tell me that I need all of this front end work. I went and got the car, paid the bill for refusing the estimate,and went somewhere else. I told them the same thing, but, at least he was up front enough to refuse to take my car and look at it. I have no problem with that. I found a third shop that was willing to do what I wanted.

When Uber started to require the inspections, I let each shop know that the car was still under warranty, and yes, even if a lamp was bad, it was going back to the dealer for a free replacement. At least none of them tried to scam me.

It just gets me that when you tell them up front that you refuse to be scammed, they try to scam you ANYHOW.


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## getme2srq (Sep 21, 2015)

Hopefully you don't own 2009-2010 Camry.
Had to replace control arms on my 2009 Camry.
Cost was $2000.
Why so much you might ask...because you have to remove engine and transaxle to replace the control arms!


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## amazinghl (Oct 31, 2018)

getme2srq said:


> Hopefully you don't own 2009-2010 Camry.
> Had to replace control arms on my 2009 Camry.
> Cost was $2000.
> Why so much you might ask...because you have to remove engine and transaxle to replace the control arms!


Something else must be broken, because this guy remove his 2010 Camry control arm on the side of the road.


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## Syn (Jun 30, 2017)

2015 Toyota Yaris, 110,000 miles, still original pads. I left my car for maintenance back in August (at 95,000 miles) when I went to Europe. After I came back they told me that I don't need to replace pads since there is still 40% left on the original pads.


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## YouEvenLyftBruh (Feb 10, 2018)

FinerThings said:


> I have a car 1.5 years into the 4 year warranty and I'm a very good driver and I don't want any crap about "you drive aggressively" from the dealership so I got an app that assesses and tracks my acceleration, braking and speed. It may help. Especially with my dealership. They hear crap from for every little thing from me. Now they seem to just want to pay me/do work whatever and get me to go away.


What's the name of the app?



Another Uber Driver said:


> It could go either way. The manufacturers of some pads put something in there to make a funny noise to let you know that it is getting close. Your BRAKE light should come on, or flicker, as well.


Right. That's how I remember I needed to change the brake pads on my Nissan. It started making a high pitched whining noise, which makes sense.


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## Mista T (Aug 16, 2017)

Thank God my wife doesn't drive my car, she's a pedal stomper. Brakes would be worn out in weeks, gas mileage would be 10mpg lower than I get.



YouEvenLyftBruh said:


> Last time I used craigslist, I had Scientologists calling me for months afterwards.


Haaaaaaaaa, lol!!!



Bbonez said:


> If it's a year old car with 25k miles, they will be replaced for free under the manufacturer warranty.


Just don't mention that you drive Uber, that might void the warranty.



HotUberMess said:


> Brakes are normal wear and tear. Get ceramic, they'll last longer.


Agreed. Spend the extra $$ for ceramics.


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## Dammit Mazzacane (Dec 31, 2015)

YouEvenLyftBruh said:


> I started hearing the weird brake noise this afternoon. I had to apologize for the rest of the night and assure folks that everything was fine.
> 
> No warning, nothing. My car only has 25,000 miles!!!
> 
> ...


See if the rotors are toast.
This will be a first big decision point.

[QUOTE="YouEvenLyftBruh, post: 4769728, member: ]

Ah! This is exactly what I wanted to hear! *Thank You! :smiles::inlove::laugh:?*
[/QUOTE]
ID the situation yourself.


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## Juggalo9er (Dec 7, 2017)

getme2srq said:


> Hopefully you don't own 2009-2010 Camry.
> Had to replace control arms on my 2009 Camry.
> Cost was $2000.
> Why so much you might ask...because you have to remove engine and transaxle to replace the control arms!


This made me curious enough to Google it... You got ripped off by about $1500


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## LAuberX (Jun 3, 2014)

YouEvenLyftBruh said:


> Last time I used craigslist, I had Scientologists calling me for months afterwards.


Tell them you are an Uber driver, they will hang up. They need deeper pockets for their "training" lol


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## TBone (Jan 19, 2015)

Brake pads have a wear indicator on them that causes them to squeel and that may be what you are hearing. The rotors will be fine as long as there are no deep grooves in them but you should make sure they are "turned" or shaved smooth so the new pads have a smooth surface to bed into. 
If you choose aftermarket pads and/or rotors I would suggest Power Stop. My set are almost ready to be replaced after 90,000 miles.


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## mbd (Aug 27, 2018)

Rush hour traffic can deplete those pads, but 25 k is too early.


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## UberLaLa (Sep 6, 2015)

Totally your driving, especially if you are going after Quests. All those short trips with inner city stop n go pickups. People that get 100k to 200k are doing most of those miles on open roads where stop n go is far less. U/L incentives are simply subsidies to cover the extra wear and tare put on driver's car.


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## Immoralized (Nov 7, 2017)

Heavy duty brake pads exist for larger vehicles and or taxi vehicles. They cost twice as much as regular premium pads but they last a lot longer but even those won't last forever. Standard Rotors should be good for 2-3 pad changes after which it'll either start to warp or be barely any metal left on them.

If I get 20k-25k miles off regular premium brake pads that above and beyond. You can feel a significant braking performance difference between fresh brakes and brakes that screaming it **** off smashing the wear indicator into the disc. You got to push in an inch or two more into the brake pedal and it spongy like feel. Slap on the fresh pair of brake pads it light and day difference.

Mainly doing CBD and metro area so heavy braking myself in start/stop traffic taxes the braking system to the absolute limits. Get out in the country or do a lot of freeway driving with no riders and just relaxing drive I guess some can get 50k-70k miles without changing it but that just because the brakes are not been used.


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## Juggalo9er (Dec 7, 2017)

Immoralized said:


> Heavy duty brake pads exist for larger vehicles and or taxi vehicles. They cost twice as much as regular premium pads but they last a lot longer but even those won't last forever. Standard Rotors should be good for 2-3 pad changes after which it'll either start to warp or be barely any metal left on them.


Ceramic pads from AutoZone.. Lifetime warranty
Rotors are negligible cost


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## Immoralized (Nov 7, 2017)

Juggalo9er said:


> Ceramic pads from AutoZone.. Lifetime warranty
> Rotors are negligible cost


I get free brake pad changes if I supply my own with the mechanic I go to that looks after several of my vehicles. Rotors and Pads are pretty cheap if you buy in bulk and order online.


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## hanging in there (Oct 1, 2014)

YouEvenLyftBruh said:


> did you miss the: _"I don't know what any of this crap means either... "_ part?
> 
> My main question is the rotors upsell. Should I just be firm and get the pads replaced?
> 
> Last time I used craigslist, I had Scientologists calling me for months afterwards.


Most pads have an audible warning when they get low, so the squeal you heard most likely is not metal on metal. Have them show you the old pads BEFORE they remove them, but after the tires are off.

If there is still material left, and this is the first pad replacement on a new car, then you most certainly don't need new rotors unless they are defective, which is highly unlikely.



Juggalo9er said:


> Ceramic pads from AutoZone.. Lifetime warranty
> Rotors are negligible cost


Been there done that. I've gotten 12 or 13 free pad replacements so far on my Caravan. Unless you do the work yourself it is cheaper to go with OEM pads IMO, when labor is factored in. Assuming 60-70k mi life of OEM vs 15-20k life of AZ. Your experience may vary, apparently the OP's did.


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## Juggalo9er (Dec 7, 2017)

Immoralized said:


> I get free brake pad changes if I supply my own with the mechanic I go to that looks after several of my vehicles. Rotors and Pads are pretty cheap if you buy in bulk and order online.


They are even cheaper if you only buy them once and do them yourself


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## Immoralized (Nov 7, 2017)

Juggalo9er said:


> They are even cheaper if you only buy them once and do them yourself


Unfortunately no matter the brand parts wear and have to be replaced. I lease out vehicles and even premium brakes pads with premium rotor discs gets destroyed pretty quickly.

Since they all drive like race car drivers as it not their vehicle and that usually means pedal to the medal traffic light goes and last second braking when they need to stop. Rinse and repeat overtime and the results are pretty devastating on the whole braking system.

I get aftermarket parts that are better than OEM and exceeds OEM spec because I don't want to be fiddling around with vehicles more than I have to :smiles: Time is $$.


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## bpm45 (May 22, 2017)

Brakes are easy to do. Learn how. Save big money.


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## czervik7 (Oct 16, 2015)

After almost 4 years of rideshare, I’d tell you that brakes are a yearly thing. But. But. Try turning off cruise control when a slow curve is approaching. Stay 50 feet behind the car in front of you. Decelerate instead of brake. 

This isn’t a joke. I’ve learned to baby my van. I’ve put so much into it already. No jack-rabbit starts. No brake slamming. Just take it easy. You’ll be more calm and your vehicle will treat you better.


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## Steelersnut (Jan 29, 2018)

YouEvenLyftBruh said:


> I started hearing the weird brake noise this afternoon. I had to apologize for the rest of the night and assure folks that everything was fine.
> 
> No warning, nothing. My car only has 25,000 miles!!!
> 
> ...


It might not be breaks. If wheel hub assembly goes bad it will sound like brakes. Then your wheel falls off.


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## KenLV (Jun 23, 2017)

Irishjohn831 said:


> If your rotors are semi smooth, just pop the top bolt off the caliper, flip it up, pull the old pads out, have a c clamp and take cap off master cylinder, push the caliper into the open position (Wide enough so when you flip it back down over the rotor it fits right over. Put tire back on, turn on car, pump brakes while in park, compression good, good to go


You left the cap off the master. Now he has brake fluid all over his driveway.

Tsk tsk tsk.


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## Fuzzyelvis (Dec 7, 2014)

YouEvenLyftBruh said:


> I started hearing the weird brake noise this afternoon. I had to apologize for the rest of the night and assure folks that everything was fine.
> 
> No warning, nothing. My car only has 25,000 miles!!!
> 
> ...


Since money is tight, just change out the pads yourself. Even if the rotors "should" be turned (assuming they're not in really bad shape) the brakes will work just fine.

I just did the brakes on my car (at 65,000 miles--Kia soul). I'm gentle on brakes though.

You can YouTube how to do it. It's easy, and no, you don't need to bleed them.



Another Uber Driver said:


> I once took a very old Ford to the dealer because an exhaust manifold bolt head sheared off. Everyone told me that only the dealer could work on that problem. I knew everything that had been done to that car since it was driven out of the Ford in Virginia Beach so many years before that day. I tried to explain to the service writer what the problem was, but he did not want to hear it. He kept telling me that "they would look at it....." and a bunch more rubbish. I finally gave him the keys.
> 
> He calls me. He tells me what I tried to tell him: a bolt head had sheared off on the exhaust manifold. He tells me that they must take off the whole manifold. DUHHHHHHH. He tells me that they must drill out the bad bolt. DUHHHHHHHH. He tells me that more bolts might break. DUHHHHHH, yeaaaaaaahhhhhhh, if one broke, so might another.........................He tells me that they will need a new gasket. DUHHHHHHHHHHHH. When you take apart two parts between which there is a gasket, you must replace said gasket. Then he tries to tell me that the exhaust manifold is warped. WHOAAAAA, SPARKY! That car never overheated to that point. I tell him to start the work. Fortunately, I know somebody, who knows somebody, so I called him and got the Regional Manager for the Ford. I explained my problem, he told me that he would take care of it.
> 
> ...


I've had the same sort of issues. It's REALLY bad when you're female. I only do basic work on my car now (I'm older and there are honestly more things I could mess up, plus I make enough money that saving a little by working on a car in summer in Houston is honestly not worth it) but years ago I drove a 1969 Cadillac and did anything I could myself. I had the big Chiltons book with all the instructions, diagrams etc. I wish YouTube had existed then...

Anyway, you're correct. The favorite thing they like to tell you is how unsafe your car will be if you don't do everything they suggest. My favorite was when I had a small radiator leak and took it to have the leaky section sealed (do they even still do that?) They tried to first sell me a new radiator, then told me I needed a water pump.

"What, the one I replaced 3 months ago?"

I guess they didn't even look at it.


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## Another Uber Driver (May 27, 2015)

Fuzzyelvis said:


> years ago I drove a 1969 Cadillac and did anything I could myself. I had the big Chiltons book with all the instructions, diagrams etc. I wish YouTube had existed then...
> 
> My favorite was when I had a small radiator leak and took it to have the leaky section sealed (do they even still do that?)


I actually liked those Cadillacs that you mention. The 1969 had a 472 engine. I was not hard to work on it. I liked the 429 better (1964-1967), although most people who knew anything seemed to like the 472 better. Those things had that TH400 transmission, which was a tough and hardy unit. What was funny was that there was no band adjustment on that one. The TH400 was a mid-year introduction on the Cadillacs. The early 1964s had the "Skinny Minnie" that was also in the 1958 (mid year) to 1963.. Reverse was all the way at the right end. When GM put the TH400 into it ,Reverse went next to Park.

Those things ran on one hundred octane premium, which they no longer sell. You can set back the spark, but, on the 390, 429 and 472, it makes it run very hot, has no power and guzzles more gasolene than usual. If you set back the spark on any of the old high compression engines, that will happen, but those three Cadillac engines seemed to suffer worse than most, except, perhaps, for the Chrysler hemis.

Most radiators, these days, have plastic tanks, so they can not solder the leaks, any more. If the core leaks, you always had to replace it, as soldering just did not work. Oten, it was just too difficult to get to pinholes in the core and there was a possibility of either constricting the flow or reducing the efficiency of the radiator. Once the plastic on the tanks cracks, you can not seal it as the integrity is severely compromised. Patches do not hold for long. Leaks in the tanks these days are usually due to cracks rather than pinholes, although it does happen. It is funny, but re-cycled plastic loses much of its strength, resiliency and overall integrity when it is re-manufactured. It becomes brittle. Much of the re-cycled plastic is good only for containers.


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## Irishjohn831 (Aug 11, 2017)

KenLV said:


> You left the cap off the master. Now he has brake fluid all over his driveway.
> 
> Tsk tsk tsk.


That darn clicking sound from the aftermarket shims after pads wore a bit, where's my hammer


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## Las Vegas Dude (Sep 3, 2018)

Another Uber Driver said:


> The cab drivers here do complain about the Toyotas. One of the complaints is the short brake life.
> 
> If your rotors are badly scored, you will have to replace them. Usually machining them is sufficient. If they are badly scored, machining does no good; you must replace them. Many brake pads have something built in to make a funny noise to let you know that you must do something, soon.
> 
> ...


Your brake light should never come on or flicker. The brake light coming on means you have low brake pressure usually caused by fluid loss. If my brake light came on I would pull over and check the fluid. If the fluid is full then it would mean there may be something blocking one of the brake lines causing an issue. I wouldn't drive far with the brake light on or flickering.

As your brakes wear down the fluid goes down so you need to keep adding fluid.


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## FLKeys (Dec 27, 2018)

czervik7 said:


> After almost 4 years of rideshare, I'd tell you that brakes are a yearly thing. But. But. Try turning off cruise control when a slow curve is approaching. Stay 50 feet behind the car in front of you. Decelerate instead of brake.
> 
> This isn't a joke. I've learned to baby my van. I've put so much into it already. No jack-rabbit starts. No brake slamming. Just take it easy. You'll be more calm and your vehicle will treat you better.


...and you will see greatly improved fuel mileage. I stay off my breaks as much as possible by decelerating when ever I can.


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## NORMY (Jan 2, 2017)

YouEvenLyftBruh said:


> I started hearing the weird brake noise this afternoon. I had to apologize for the rest of the night and assure folks that everything was fine.
> 
> No warning, nothing. My car only has 25,000 miles!!!
> 
> ...


No , still a little meat on pads . Rotors should be good. If there were no meat lefted and steel was grinding the rotors you would have to replace both rotor and pads.. You look alright, and I agree Craigslist brake guys are cheap and fast


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## kcdrvr15 (Jan 10, 2017)

The rotors must be resurfaced when new pads are installed, if not you get excessive pad wear, and should be good throu 2 sets of pads before they get too worn and need to be replaced. Set of pads should have lasted at least 40K even in taxi service.


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## ANT 7 (Oct 14, 2018)

That's 40KM for my Canadian calculation. My Hyundai only made it 60KM before I had to do pads and rotors.


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## LAuberX (Jun 3, 2014)

Some good driving advice above to help with brake wear.
I saw a bumper sticker that read:
"Using your brakes is the fastest way to turn gasoline dollars into brake dust"


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## SCdave (Jun 27, 2014)

YouEvenLyftBruh said:


> Nope. The dirty bastards got me!!!
> 
> ????????
> 
> ...


Call/email Corporate and explain situation. Can't hurt.


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## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

YouEvenLyftBruh said:


> I started hearing the weird brake noise this afternoon. I had to apologize for the rest of the night and assure folks that everything was fine.
> 
> No warning, nothing. My car only has 25,000 miles!!!
> 
> ...


I got over 90,000 miles out of my front discs 
112,000 and still going on my back discs.

Driving Uber and Pizza.
Used to do 20-30 hour shifts !

ITS YOUR DRIVING !

Bet your gas mileage is Bad too.


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## Seahawk3 (Oct 5, 2016)

YouEvenLyftBruh said:


> I started hearing the weird brake noise this afternoon. I had to apologize for the rest of the night and assure folks that everything was fine.
> 
> No warning, nothing. My car only has 25,000 miles!!!
> 
> ...


Cost me 50 to replace brakes and in this industry most wearable items life span is half of normal

Also get full ceramic pads. Most new cars come with semi ceramics now which last half as long


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## Cdub2k (Nov 22, 2017)

YouEvenLyftBruh said:


> I started hearing the weird brake noise this afternoon. I had to apologize for the rest of the night and assure folks that everything was fine.
> 
> No warning, nothing. My car only has 25,000 miles!!!
> 
> ...


Did you purchase a maintenance plan when you bought your car?


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## Fuzzyelvis (Dec 7, 2014)

Another Uber Driver said:


> I actually liked those Cadillacs that you mention. The 1969 had a 472 engine. I was not hard to work on it. I liked the 429 better (1964-1967), although most people who knew anything seemed to like the 472 better. Those things had that TH400 transmission, which was a tough and hardy unit. What was funny was that there was no band adjustment on that one. The TH400 was a mid-year introduction on the Cadillacs. The early 1964s had the "Skinny Minnie" that was also in the 1958 (mid year) to 1963.. Reverse was all the way at the right end. When GM put the TH400 into it ,Reverse went next to Park.
> 
> Those things ran on one hundred octane premium, which they no longer sell. You can set back the spark, but, on the 390, 429 and 472, it makes it run very hot, has no power and guzzles more gasolene than usual. If you set back the spark on any of the old high compression engines, that will happen, but those three Cadillac engines seemed to suffer worse than most, except, perhaps, for the Chrysler hemis.
> 
> Most radiators, these days, have plastic tanks, so they can not solder the leaks, any more. If the core leaks, you always had to replace it, as soldering just did not work. Oten, it was just too difficult to get to pinholes in the core and there was a possibility of either constricting the flow or reducing the efficiency of the radiator. Once the plastic on the tanks cracks, you can not seal it as the integrity is severely compromised. Patches do not hold for long. Leaks in the tanks these days are usually due to cracks rather than pinholes, although it does happen. It is funny, but re-cycled plastic loses much of its strength, resiliency and overall integrity when it is re-manufactured. It becomes brittle. Much of the re-cycled plastic is good only for containers.


I love those old Cadillacs. I've owned a '69, '70, '72 and '76. The last 3 came with a 500. The '69 for some reason long before I owned it had the 472 replaced with a '70 500 from a limo, along with some other parts. It was a pain sometimes because some of the parts were different from what you'd expect. I had to replace the master cylinder and I ended up taking it out and taking it to HiLo because they sold me the wrong one which should have been correct. I had to walk in Houston in July so an extra trip was pretty sucky. Couldn't afford a cab and buses here were almost nonexistent. The '69 and '70 are almost identical except for the lights and the motor.

After '76 they just got smaller and smaller. Also, after 1970 they started putting rubber around the tail lights and it always broke and came off.

I had an idiot boyfriend who used to hit his truck door when he got mad. Did it to my car and broke his knuckles. Didn't even dent the car...but I dumped him anyway.


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## wicked (Sep 24, 2017)

You are driving like a taxi. Just remember it's not a race! Coast to a stop. As someone who does his own brakes I go easy on them.


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## uberdriverfornow (Jan 10, 2016)

The sight of those pads after only 25k on a new car means you are doing a lot of speeding and last minute stopping which is overheating your brakes. 

My advice is to stop driving like a maniac.


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## MadTownUberD (Mar 11, 2017)

LAuberX said:


> Some good driving advice above to help with brake wear.
> I saw a bumper sticker that read:
> "Using your brakes is the fastest way to turn gasoline dollars into brake dust"


Amen brother! In an ideal world, you would let off the gas pedal and pop the transmission out of gear at the exact moment that would allow you to coast to the next stop light Etc without having to touch the brakes. But close is better than nothing.


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## swathdiver (Apr 18, 2019)

Small cars have lower duty cycles as the parts are smaller for one thing.


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## Ubermcbc (Sep 25, 2016)

YouEvenLyftBruh said:


> I started hearing the weird brake noise this afternoon. I had to apologize for the rest of the night and assure folks that everything was fine.
> 
> No warning, nothing. My car only has 25,000 miles!!!
> 
> ...


I never have issue with Toyota in the last 20 years. You also have to factor the fact that you have been driving your car commercially, which means more quick milage, and probably dealing with nasty pot holes streets. Personal driving and commercial driving are two totally different things. If you buy full commercial insurance which typically runs $300-400 per month, you will come to know why it's so high.


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## OrlUberOffDriver (Oct 27, 2014)

steveK2016 said:


> ...., usually rotors will last at least one pad replacement.


But they need to be check for minimum thickness & warpage. Otherwise your next brake job will come at 15,000 miles


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## R3drang3r (Feb 16, 2019)

YouEvenLyftBruh said:


> I already did my 25K "free" service and they told me my brakes were fine for a little longer, so maybe I can get them on that.


You did your 25k service and your dealer told you your brakes were fine.

Then you say, "it's just over 25K, like 25,400 or something". And now your brakes are worn out and squealing??

Maybe your dealer never even inspected your brakes. I would throw the 25k service in their face and ask them how they missed such an obvious problem. You don't go from fine to squealing in 500 or even 1,000 miles.


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## kingcorey321 (May 20, 2018)

retired mechanic here . if there grinding you can not just put on the pads . it will tear those new pads up in a day or more depending how bad there grinding . also if you can afford to wait a few days to get parts check ebay they have great deals 100 bucks pads and 2 rotors
edit you can no longer resurface turn rots on these new cars . most rotors no longer give machine to specks only discard and they only give hundred thousands . i stopped turning rotors in about 2002 problem was even with machine to specks as soon as you hit the brakes hard it would worp the rots so you feel that pulsation wile hitting the brakes . if you insist on being a cheap a... so you know it will cost about 15 bucks to turn each rotors and 35 to 45 for pads spend 30 more order from ebay brand new free shipping


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## Uber's Guber (Oct 22, 2017)

YouEvenLyftBruh said:


> Toyota is really going downhill with their quality. Yes, yes, I can already hear the responses about how it's my driving.
> *BULLS**T! *
> My last car, which I drove in LA didn't need brakes for like 50K, if not more!


Most likely is your driving habits. Even at 50K, those are horrible replacement numbers. Sorry, not trying to be caustic, but every car I've driven (including Toyotas) still had 55-65% remaining life on the pads at 50K, and no issues with the rotors.
When I do replace, I go with ceramic pads like Ricardo suggested.


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## Uber_Yota_916 (May 1, 2017)

Buy better quality replacement parts. Or pay Midas and keep working them for their lifetime work. Keep your records.


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## Julescase2 (Apr 1, 2019)

Juggalo9er said:


> Jack vehicle up so it's safe to work on
> Take your tire off
> Find brake pads
> Find caliper pins... Google what they look like
> ...


I'd rather pay someone $5,000 than do what you listed above. Hell, make it $8,000...... Literally, just take my money and I'll be waiting in the lobby playing Words With Friends - please let me know when it's ready. ? thankssssss


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## UberBeemer (Oct 23, 2015)

YouEvenLyftBruh said:


> I started hearing the weird brake noise this afternoon. I had to apologize for the rest of the night and assure folks that everything was fine.
> 
> No warning, nothing. My car only has 25,000 miles!!!
> 
> ...


Some cars are designed to have the rotors and pads done each time. Its hard to say not knowing what you drive though.


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## Juggalo9er (Dec 7, 2017)

Julescase2 said:


> I'd rather pay someone $5,000 than do what you listed above. Hell, make it $8,000...... Literally, just take my money and I'll be waiting in the lobby playing Words With Friends - please let me know when it's ready. ? thankssssss


Literally takes under an hour


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