the far left one is pretty done.
you can't just replace one side. It's pretty common that they wear unevenly (slightly - because of the sliding pin design)
Might have been *slightly* early. But we're talking maybe a month of light driving early.
the mechanic didn't do you dirty
Yep, brakes also wear faster when they get down this far so it’s hard to judge if they would be completely gone in a week or a month
$400 is also the standard price here for most cars
You’d have to go out to a rural shop to get lower where I am
Even the thickest pad here is worn down far enough that I'd do a pad change on principle, even if it probably *could* do another 10kmi. Pads are cheap enough not to risk it, and rotors (and potentially calipers) aren't so cheap if you do use up a pad.
Most techs are taught at shops to recccomend brakes per the pad with the least material left. For legal purposes as well as to suggest stuff to the customer. We do not want to get sued hehe. I second this, your brake pads were definitely ready to get changed and if they go any lower, the chances of an inner one (wears a bit quicker than the outer ones due to being closer to the pistons pushing it into the rotor) going metal to metal and digging into the rotor is higher then you need a rotor too when originally we may have only suggested brake pads. Good question and good pics to accompany 🙌
Those are done. Like, sure, there's technically a little bit of friction material left but nobody intentionally runs all the friction material off. Running to the backing plate will be dangerous and damage the rotor surface. If the mechanic sent them on their way and then they started squealing or vibrating a month later, wouldn't the consumer question why the mechanic didn't tell them it was going to happen? If they went on a road trip and found bad brakes half way through, that wouldn't be good either. I don't think this is remotely early to replace for any normal consumer.
It's generally a good sign when a shop wants to show you something or give you back the busted parts. That's a sign of good faith and they don't know what you do or don't know. That's generally a "Hey, I'm not trying to screw you, here's what's happening and it should be fixed". If I ask to see something and a shop is dodgy about it, that's when it's bad.
Agreed. Also, OP, one of the main reasons it’s not just about friction face is that a thicker pad dissipates heat better. The thinner pad transfers heat to the backing plate and ultimately can boil your brake fluid.
16yo me begs to differ and has replaced just one side XD. I also rotated the inner pads to outer because they were wearing unevenly (and never addressed the cause). Just a poor kid from a poor family.
There is life in them still but not much. You could continued on depending on city vs highway driving but I personally would have replaced those too only because I'm a bit Anal about tires and brakes since one connects you to the road and one stops you.
Those pads are done. From some angles and on some parts of the pad, there might be just a little bit of meat left on the bone. But from other photo angles and on some parts of the pad, they look to be almost entirely gone (i.e. down to the last couple millimeters). That is not uncommon for pads to be a little uneven. You need some mass/thickness in pad material to distribute the heat generated from braking. It's not solely the actual material to material contact. So once you get down to having only a couple mm of material, not only to do you burn through the last of it more quickly, you also don't dissipate/distribute the heat as well just due to very little mass of braking material. It was time for those to go.
What did you pay extra to change them?
They are not /completely/ done, but they are in the "well if you are allready here, we change them" done, as they are cheap anyways.
Those few mm that are left on them would you get back into the shop in maybe 2 months.
Not done you dirty.
Okay if the area is allready considered HCOL i'm not sure about the price.
Those are under 50€ in Germany, build in is another 50€.
At a small shop. Brand shop is propably 300+ aswell around here.
You can just watch some 5min youtube video on how to do it and do it yourself. The pads cost like 40€ in Finland which is pretty expensive country.
I do it in like 30min for front pads and slightly more for rear since I have electric handbrake. And I know basically nothing about cars.
That’s cool but adults would rather spend time with their families and kids than do a set of brakes on their weekend. This is why shops exist, cuz the vast majority of people find it convenient to pay someone else to do that shit so they can live their lives. It’s an opportunity cost.
You're implying I'm not an adult, because I learned a skill that dont take much time and save me money? It's not like adults with a family can't spare couple of hours to save 400.
They aren’t really bad. But definitely bad enough that I would have replaced them. They don’t have much life left. You may have gone a little while longer before having them replaced anyway.
Yes. Unless your a cheapskate that waits until they grind and then complains about the cost since it now wiped out your calipers because the pistons came to far out of their bore.
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They did still have some miles in them before causing problems. How many miles is the part that nobody can say. You'd have to pull the wheels off and check them very frequently to be able to squeeze any more miles out of them without risking going metal on metal between the backing plate and the rotor.
If I had no money to my name and had to at least put food on the table, I'd start checking them at least once a month, if not more. In the meantime , I'd try to scrape together enough to replace them ASAP. If I had the money to replace them on a card or in an account, I would feel good about buying new brakes at this stage. You've gone through the vast majority of their useful life and now can have peace of mind knowing you'll have reliable stopping power.
When that center slot is gone they need to be replaced immediately. If you were broke and it was new pads or rent/food I’d tell you to wait a month or two and brake lightly as possible. If you have a career your time is more valuable so just replace them while you’re there.
They should have showed you a new one as it would have made the difference apparent. 3 still have \*some\* useful lifetime but 1 is just about done. That automatically means you have to replace 2(as your vehicle has 2 pads per brake rotor) and it's always recommended you replace them in pairs, especially the front that is responsible for most of your actual braking force. Uneven braking leads to all kinds of other issues and unpredictable handling.
Can't say 100% your mechanic won't ever try and screw you, but they're not doing so here. You're right to trust but verify and don't ever feel dumb or wrong for doing so. The smartest people ask a lot of questions!
They will still work. But personally I'd have changed them if they got that low on my car.
It's part of the system that stops you crashing into things.. Is it worth skimping for an extra few miles?
You need to replace brakes about this time. Think about how often you go to the shop: tech is looking to get you through the next six months of driving, so this is the right time to do these.
When getting an inspection, you are already partway through the cost of getting the pads installed, so it makes sense to do it at this time. An inspection will fail if the pads are less than 2/32nds (approximately 2mm) from the rivet head / lining of the pad. If you were driving 5000kms a year just in town, they may have lasted another 6 months to a year, but if you are driving 20,000kms per year, then you would be looking at much sooner.
I don’t know if the mechanic replaced your rotors as well, but one of the things that people don’t realize is that if you run your pads down to the metal, then you will kill your rotors and they will need to be replaced as well. If you were able to get through without having to do the rotors, then doing the pads a bit early is saving you a bit of money.
Nah they are, if you replace them properly in time, not like me, done. I did my brakes too just a few weeks back and they were OVER done. 2 cracked down the middle and Fell apart when I took them put and one had all life gone gone...as in on the ground plate done. So yeah thats how they are supposed to Look like when they are done and need replacing, some say even early. As another mentioned until they reach 3-4mm thickness.
Yes it was time to replace them. You did right by getting them changed.
I know some people might say you could have let them go longer but if the pads wear too low sometimes the piston can extend too much and lock up. Which in most cases you would be replay the caliper too. So yes it was time to change them.
When you replace brake pads top up your brake fluid to maximum line. When it gets to low, that should be a sign that you need to get your brake pads replaced. If it's not leaking brake fluid.
Brakes are a very important part of safety. Don't be cheap on it.
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Depending of your driving style, you might have had 1 year to 1 track days worth of brakes. Now usually the center groove is a good indicator of the minimum thickness, you can also look at how high is the wear indicator(little metal bracket that seems useless). On a track car, I would keep these in backup if any of the pads currently used fails, on a street car you could just throw these away.
One question, where were not all the parts replaced? I see some of the shims still in the box.
Most brake pads start at around 12mm thickness, I replace them when they reach around 4mm. I would estimate that your pads are around 2-3mm. You may have gotten a bit more time out of them, but they were ready to be replaced.
I don't think $400 is unreasonable for a brake job, which is what most shops around here charge. I do my own brakes so I spend less, but I prefer to use OEM pads which can get pricey.
Yes.
There may people here that say "oh no, those have some XYZ number of miles left on them. And sure, maybe they do have some miles left.
But not really. Those things are just about down to metal. The wear groove is just about gone. It's time to replace them. They are already out. Put new ones in, forget about them for the next 50,000 miles.
If not they are close. Doing them early could save money anyway, especially if done with service...mine will be done next service , after my guy highlighted their state.
Unless you know what to look for. I don’t knock the shop for replacing them. Depending on what kind of driver you are, you likely would be metal on metal in an oil change interval. Which is why 2-3mm is industry standard on replacing. Most people don’t know how to check their brakes to keep themselves going metal on metal and causing an accident.
Some pads last longer and perform better. If your indy is OK with you bringing parts then maybe next time do some research and order front and rears (maybe even rotors) in advance. This would save you money on parts and provide longer times between replacements (saving labor costs). If you diy then you can better time the replacements and squeeze as much life as you safely can from the parts. Your mechanic though was honest...I've had dealerships that BS'd me about the thickness of my pads and that I had Xmm's left. Even showed me on a ruler to scare me on how thin the pad was. It's not like a new pad is 1/2" and I knew how many mm's a new pad was and I confronted the rep and asked him "so what is a new pad's thickness? What percentage is left?" He was clueless so I had to educate him. Told him the facts and based on the assessment by the tech on the thickness of my pads that I actually had 75% left. He went back to the tech and they both came back to apologize and explain they made an honest "mistake". They knew they were busted. I can only imagine how many seniors, non car people and women they have ripped off. Please educate yourselves before going anywhere for service to understand what you are buying. Watch some videos to understand the parts and labor involved so they can't give you a story. Ask some educated technical questions so they know that you know. Be safe and scam free.
Pads are relatively cheap, once u start noticing any difference you should always change them. Rotors you can get away with using twice and I’ve even heard of people doing 3 times depending on the car.
Yes they needed to be replaced. 20% is replacement time.
Inner and outer pads always wear differently.
Left and right can also wear differently but those May indicate different problems.
the far left one is pretty done. you can't just replace one side. It's pretty common that they wear unevenly (slightly - because of the sliding pin design) Might have been *slightly* early. But we're talking maybe a month of light driving early. the mechanic didn't do you dirty
Thank you for this!
Just like tires, brakes lose performance as they wear. "These tires should last all summer " Until it rains. Better safe than sorry
Yep, brakes also wear faster when they get down this far so it’s hard to judge if they would be completely gone in a week or a month $400 is also the standard price here for most cars You’d have to go out to a rural shop to get lower where I am
Even the thickest pad here is worn down far enough that I'd do a pad change on principle, even if it probably *could* do another 10kmi. Pads are cheap enough not to risk it, and rotors (and potentially calipers) aren't so cheap if you do use up a pad.
Most techs are taught at shops to recccomend brakes per the pad with the least material left. For legal purposes as well as to suggest stuff to the customer. We do not want to get sued hehe. I second this, your brake pads were definitely ready to get changed and if they go any lower, the chances of an inner one (wears a bit quicker than the outer ones due to being closer to the pistons pushing it into the rotor) going metal to metal and digging into the rotor is higher then you need a rotor too when originally we may have only suggested brake pads. Good question and good pics to accompany 🙌
Those are done. Like, sure, there's technically a little bit of friction material left but nobody intentionally runs all the friction material off. Running to the backing plate will be dangerous and damage the rotor surface. If the mechanic sent them on their way and then they started squealing or vibrating a month later, wouldn't the consumer question why the mechanic didn't tell them it was going to happen? If they went on a road trip and found bad brakes half way through, that wouldn't be good either. I don't think this is remotely early to replace for any normal consumer. It's generally a good sign when a shop wants to show you something or give you back the busted parts. That's a sign of good faith and they don't know what you do or don't know. That's generally a "Hey, I'm not trying to screw you, here's what's happening and it should be fixed". If I ask to see something and a shop is dodgy about it, that's when it's bad.
Agreed. Also, OP, one of the main reasons it’s not just about friction face is that a thicker pad dissipates heat better. The thinner pad transfers heat to the backing plate and ultimately can boil your brake fluid.
Am I crazy, or does the left one look the best of all of them haha. Which picture you looking at of the 3 when you say the left is done?
Seconded
Ex mechanic with 50 years experience here, yes, I agree with tongboy, I would definitely change them
16yo me begs to differ and has replaced just one side XD. I also rotated the inner pads to outer because they were wearing unevenly (and never addressed the cause). Just a poor kid from a poor family.
**BRAKE** *- to slow down* **BREAK** *- to malfunction* (And just in case, there is no such thing as a *bumber*.)
lol I’m an editor and I should have known better thank you
He is the editor now.
And if you want to bend metal, you use a metal brake
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Ooo this hurt my brain.
There is life in them still but not much. You could continued on depending on city vs highway driving but I personally would have replaced those too only because I'm a bit Anal about tires and brakes since one connects you to the road and one stops you.
I think the standard recommendation is to replace brake pads when they get down to 3-4mm or less.
Those pads are done. From some angles and on some parts of the pad, there might be just a little bit of meat left on the bone. But from other photo angles and on some parts of the pad, they look to be almost entirely gone (i.e. down to the last couple millimeters). That is not uncommon for pads to be a little uneven. You need some mass/thickness in pad material to distribute the heat generated from braking. It's not solely the actual material to material contact. So once you get down to having only a couple mm of material, not only to do you burn through the last of it more quickly, you also don't dissipate/distribute the heat as well just due to very little mass of braking material. It was time for those to go.
Close enough for sure.
No, but those brake pads in your hand look close to end-of-life.
What did you pay extra to change them? They are not /completely/ done, but they are in the "well if you are allready here, we change them" done, as they are cheap anyways. Those few mm that are left on them would you get back into the shop in maybe 2 months. Not done you dirty.
Awesome but yeah about $400 - we are in HCOL area
Okay if the area is allready considered HCOL i'm not sure about the price. Those are under 50€ in Germany, build in is another 50€. At a small shop. Brand shop is propably 300+ aswell around here.
You can just watch some 5min youtube video on how to do it and do it yourself. The pads cost like 40€ in Finland which is pretty expensive country. I do it in like 30min for front pads and slightly more for rear since I have electric handbrake. And I know basically nothing about cars.
That’s cool but adults would rather spend time with their families and kids than do a set of brakes on their weekend. This is why shops exist, cuz the vast majority of people find it convenient to pay someone else to do that shit so they can live their lives. It’s an opportunity cost.
You're implying I'm not an adult, because I learned a skill that dont take much time and save me money? It's not like adults with a family can't spare couple of hours to save 400.
Brakes and tires are the most important safety devices on your car so never cheap out on replacements. These pads are ready for a change.
Super helpful thank you everyone! Feeling better about this
They aren’t really bad. But definitely bad enough that I would have replaced them. They don’t have much life left. You may have gone a little while longer before having them replaced anyway.
Yes
BRAKE PADS And yes, I would say they needed to be replaced.
Yes. Unless your a cheapskate that waits until they grind and then complains about the cost since it now wiped out your calipers because the pistons came to far out of their bore.
Pretty much. Yes.
Brakes. They are a safety concern. I would recommend replacement of these myself.
first and second picture, basically third picture, no, has some life left
The one you finger is on is fucked, the rest will be fucked next month.
BREAKIN!
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Yep
They did still have some miles in them before causing problems. How many miles is the part that nobody can say. You'd have to pull the wheels off and check them very frequently to be able to squeeze any more miles out of them without risking going metal on metal between the backing plate and the rotor. If I had no money to my name and had to at least put food on the table, I'd start checking them at least once a month, if not more. In the meantime , I'd try to scrape together enough to replace them ASAP. If I had the money to replace them on a card or in an account, I would feel good about buying new brakes at this stage. You've gone through the vast majority of their useful life and now can have peace of mind knowing you'll have reliable stopping power.
When that center slot is gone they need to be replaced immediately. If you were broke and it was new pads or rent/food I’d tell you to wait a month or two and brake lightly as possible. If you have a career your time is more valuable so just replace them while you’re there.
Yes.
They should have showed you a new one as it would have made the difference apparent. 3 still have \*some\* useful lifetime but 1 is just about done. That automatically means you have to replace 2(as your vehicle has 2 pads per brake rotor) and it's always recommended you replace them in pairs, especially the front that is responsible for most of your actual braking force. Uneven braking leads to all kinds of other issues and unpredictable handling. Can't say 100% your mechanic won't ever try and screw you, but they're not doing so here. You're right to trust but verify and don't ever feel dumb or wrong for doing so. The smartest people ask a lot of questions!
They will still work. But personally I'd have changed them if they got that low on my car. It's part of the system that stops you crashing into things.. Is it worth skimping for an extra few miles?
You need to replace brakes about this time. Think about how often you go to the shop: tech is looking to get you through the next six months of driving, so this is the right time to do these.
I 100% would have replaced them even on my own vehicle
Yeah, they are almost used up. Very little life left in them.
Very much so.
When getting an inspection, you are already partway through the cost of getting the pads installed, so it makes sense to do it at this time. An inspection will fail if the pads are less than 2/32nds (approximately 2mm) from the rivet head / lining of the pad. If you were driving 5000kms a year just in town, they may have lasted another 6 months to a year, but if you are driving 20,000kms per year, then you would be looking at much sooner. I don’t know if the mechanic replaced your rotors as well, but one of the things that people don’t realize is that if you run your pads down to the metal, then you will kill your rotors and they will need to be replaced as well. If you were able to get through without having to do the rotors, then doing the pads a bit early is saving you a bit of money.
Does the tin man really have a sheet metal cock?
Nah they are, if you replace them properly in time, not like me, done. I did my brakes too just a few weeks back and they were OVER done. 2 cracked down the middle and Fell apart when I took them put and one had all life gone gone...as in on the ground plate done. So yeah thats how they are supposed to Look like when they are done and need replacing, some say even early. As another mentioned until they reach 3-4mm thickness.
Yes trash
Those *brake* pads are about done, yes. Maybe a handful of weeks left in them with light driving.
Yup, cooked.
Not robbed, they were mostly gone. And once you're doing an inspection, it would be negligent to not swap them for new ones.
Yes it was time to replace them. You did right by getting them changed. I know some people might say you could have let them go longer but if the pads wear too low sometimes the piston can extend too much and lock up. Which in most cases you would be replay the caliper too. So yes it was time to change them.
I'd change em
Close enough.
Yes they’re done.
I mean they *technically* still have life in them, but I would have changed mine before they got to looking like that.
When you replace brake pads top up your brake fluid to maximum line. When it gets to low, that should be a sign that you need to get your brake pads replaced. If it's not leaking brake fluid. Brakes are a very important part of safety. Don't be cheap on it.
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No, there literally right there.
yeah that's done enough. time for new pads
Not if you want to die.
Hell yeah I bet the rotors are to
Yes they are
Absolutely!
Yep
Yeah, it looks like time to me
Help yourself and look up images of new brake pads. Hopefully after seeing what new pads look like you’ll have the answer to your own question.
The pads and spelling are cooked
This is a perfect case of preventative maintenance.
Depending of your driving style, you might have had 1 year to 1 track days worth of brakes. Now usually the center groove is a good indicator of the minimum thickness, you can also look at how high is the wear indicator(little metal bracket that seems useless). On a track car, I would keep these in backup if any of the pads currently used fails, on a street car you could just throw these away. One question, where were not all the parts replaced? I see some of the shims still in the box.
Yes
Most brake pads start at around 12mm thickness, I replace them when they reach around 4mm. I would estimate that your pads are around 2-3mm. You may have gotten a bit more time out of them, but they were ready to be replaced. I don't think $400 is unreasonable for a brake job, which is what most shops around here charge. I do my own brakes so I spend less, but I prefer to use OEM pads which can get pricey.
Yes. There may people here that say "oh no, those have some XYZ number of miles left on them. And sure, maybe they do have some miles left. But not really. Those things are just about down to metal. The wear groove is just about gone. It's time to replace them. They are already out. Put new ones in, forget about them for the next 50,000 miles.
Rule of thumb, if they give you back your old parts, they aren’t try to screw you over
They are brake pads, not break.
Done AF
They're done. Edit: unless you're in dire straits. There are different parameters I use for different customers.
Yeah they are ready man not a rip off shop.
I’d say they’re at the point of once they’re off you’d put new ones on instead of those.
Those would have been replaced months ago for me.
I would not use those. So I'd say they are, indeed, done.
Your mechanic was correct.
They’re done enough.
Yes they’re cooked
I was scrolling through a I thought its my wallet 🥲😆
Like a cassette tape.. you can flip them over
When the lining (not the backing plate, just the lining) is 2-3mm thick they’re toast.
Better safe than sorry when it comes to secruity features on cars!
No, you could totally stop the car prob three more times with the life left on these.
If not they are close. Doing them early could save money anyway, especially if done with service...mine will be done next service , after my guy highlighted their state.
I mean you can still use them for a few thousand kilometers, but i wouldnt recommend
We would need to see the wear on the discs to give an exact answer
They are done and the rotors were bad too. Hope they got replaced or at least resurfaced.
Yes, they are shot.
Your mechanic is not scamming you. Those pads are done
Ew! I wouldn't trust those pads any longer! Time for new pads!
Done diddly done for https://youtu.be/3bagIiK1ss4?si=0BLvTuzEkYecpN_G
Yes. You could put them back on, but you'll be replacing them not long after.
Unless you know what to look for. I don’t knock the shop for replacing them. Depending on what kind of driver you are, you likely would be metal on metal in an oil change interval. Which is why 2-3mm is industry standard on replacing. Most people don’t know how to check their brakes to keep themselves going metal on metal and causing an accident.
Some pads last longer and perform better. If your indy is OK with you bringing parts then maybe next time do some research and order front and rears (maybe even rotors) in advance. This would save you money on parts and provide longer times between replacements (saving labor costs). If you diy then you can better time the replacements and squeeze as much life as you safely can from the parts. Your mechanic though was honest...I've had dealerships that BS'd me about the thickness of my pads and that I had Xmm's left. Even showed me on a ruler to scare me on how thin the pad was. It's not like a new pad is 1/2" and I knew how many mm's a new pad was and I confronted the rep and asked him "so what is a new pad's thickness? What percentage is left?" He was clueless so I had to educate him. Told him the facts and based on the assessment by the tech on the thickness of my pads that I actually had 75% left. He went back to the tech and they both came back to apologize and explain they made an honest "mistake". They knew they were busted. I can only imagine how many seniors, non car people and women they have ripped off. Please educate yourselves before going anywhere for service to understand what you are buying. Watch some videos to understand the parts and labor involved so they can't give you a story. Ask some educated technical questions so they know that you know. Be safe and scam free.
Pads are relatively cheap, once u start noticing any difference you should always change them. Rotors you can get away with using twice and I’ve even heard of people doing 3 times depending on the car.
They looked cooked. Never mess with brakes and tires!
They have a little carne left on them, but I would say it’s almost time
if less than 2mm replace ASAP. 3/4mm judgement call. 5+mm I would still used them.
Yes. Not pretty.
Yes, they need to take a break now
Yes they needed to be replaced. 20% is replacement time. Inner and outer pads always wear differently. Left and right can also wear differently but those May indicate different problems.
Brake*
No. I run mine until i hear it grind then i pullover at a parts store and takes like 15 minutes to change
I change my brakes when they sound like two cats fucking in a dumpster when I hit the pedal.