When to change brake pads?
 

I think my brake pads are almost gone. How do I tell when to change them? There're ~12k km on them, and they are still the original pads from the stealershit.
Today the brakes felt pretty weak, and I had to press pretty hard on the pedal to stop, but there were still power.

Which RS sponser has the cheapest pricing for pad changes?

"press hard on the pedal to stop" would suggest something other than brake pad. Since your car is an 08, I would take it to the dealership to get it looked at.

Strange that they felt "weak." Perhaps you should bleed them when you change your pads. Pads are cheap - labor is expensive. Pad swaps and bleeding is easy but shops charge a lot to do it. Bring it in if you don't feel comfortable doing it though as it is critical. Being on 08 doesn't really say much about pad wear. Some cars like the older G35 sedan rip through pads and rotors like there's no tomorrow. Your driving habits also play in it a lot.

But back to pad wear. Many calipers have a "window" that allows you to see how thick your pads are. 2mm to 3mm is getting pretty thin so I'd think about replacing if it's down to this. Most pads also have a "wear" indicator that looks like an angled cut on the edge of your pad. Wearing down to this level usually results in squeaky brakes. Another sign to change. Hope this helps.

hm.. i think i should clarrify that a bit

"press hard on the pedal to stop" means i have to press down a lot more than what i did before, and even when pressed down all the way the brakes don't seem like they are stopping the car as hard as before.


car is 08, but i got it in 07.... so it's quite old and perhaps time for a pad change??

I dont have a ramp for my car so I don't know how I can check the wear indicator.. In saying this, it also means I won't be able to do the pad change myseself, and not to mention I am a total noob..

any cheap/reasonable RS sponsor?

It's probably not the pads. Most cars I know last easily 50000km per set.

Weak braking sounds more like contaminated fluid.

most new cars' front brakes will last at least 20,000.

Again depends on how you drive, what compounds you use, etc. Lots of factors here. A buddy of mine goes through pads about 13K miles. He does a lot of spirited drives and his car is known to be hard on brakes. Brake pad wear / how long they last isn't something you can generalize.

Go to those brake places like Speedy for free brake inspection if you don't want to take it to the stealership.

hm.. maybe.. how do i check?

ya.. i'll probably have to do that.. but i want to have an idea of what might be wrong before i go to those places..

oh.. and when i meant the car doesn't brake brake as hard as before, it means even when i floor the brake pedal, ABS doesn't come on.

I'm already noticing a longer braking distance.

Well if you can't activate the ABS then there is definitely a problem, particularly with the longer braking distance. Bring it to a shop ASAP.

ya.. i was thinking of the same thing, hence i posted this thread..

but seriously.. i don't think those fast brake-change places would be able to diagnose the problem and they probably just a bunch of high school kids..
so i was wondering if any of RS's sponsors would be able to do the job cheaply. the job of finding out if there's anything wrong with my brakes and fixing them if there is

On Acura website they say your car is covered for 5years or 100k km.. unless you are over just take it to the dealership.

Why not use things that you had paid for already?

i was thinking of it, but what if it was just the brake pads wearing down..
then wouldn't i have to pay them for the time they spend diagnosing the brakes just to find out that it is the brakes? But on the other hand, if there was an actual problem with the brakes, then it would be a good idea.

BTW, can i bring in my car to any acura dealership? or does it have to be from the one i bought it from?

You can bring your car to any acura dealership.. the only thing you have to check is if you car is imported from the States... then read the warranty agreement.

If the brake pad is gone and needs changing, it would have tripped on a brake pad change light on the dash (usually).. refer to your manual.

my brakes are squeeking alot..but the pads dont look liek they are worn.. maybe the fluid needs changing too

Wasn't aware there were any "fast brake change places." Shops like Speedy and Budget are perfectly fine to go to. They have licenced technicians doing their work, unless it's an apprentice... which, frankly, is the exact same as a dealership.

hm.. so let me get this straight..
the cheapest route for me is to bring my car into an acura dealershit to find out what's wrong with the brakes. Then I should drive my car to speedy, budget, or etc. to change the brake pads if that is the problem.

is this correct?

my brakes squeek for a bit too when i just start my car from a cold start

You don't need a ramp.
Loosen the nuts on the wheel.
Jack up the car using any jack or the one in the tool kit
Take off the wheel to expose the brake/caliper assembly.
Locate the Caliper (the metal clamp that sits over the brake rotor.
Look at the top of the Caliper, and there should be a hollow window that allows you to see the edge of the Rotor and the brake pads.
That should give you an idea!

Just take your car to Garage 5 in Richmond. They will be able to sort it out for you. And their labor rates are reasonable.

Like what Lomac and I have said, just take it in and see. Free is good, no?

Do you want to wait and see before you kill yourself our somebody else? :eek:

we can help with deals on brake pads and also better quality ones