how quickly do brake pads wear? I think I am being conned!!!?

Question

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???!!!

Answer 1

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.

Answer 2

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 "two-footed" 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.

Answer 3

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.

Answer 4

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.

Answer 5

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.

Answer 6

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 "consumable" 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.

Answer 7

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.

Answer 8

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.

Answer 9

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.

Answer 10

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 "screeching" 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.

Answer 11

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.