Are you sure about that? My BMWs have had the mechanical alarm. Do you know what it looks like? It's just a metal clip that eventually touches the rotor and makes a squeal. Every pad set I've seen has had them.
They are generally considered a disposable, single use item and are inexpensive. Why waste time screwing around?
There is no rule of thumb for brake wear because it depends more on the driver, vehicle location and the pad materials than anything else.
Drive out in the plains where the only hills are long and low and the brake wear is going to be much different than if you live in the rockies. Same with driving in New York City versus San Fransisco.
Another factor is the vehicle itself and how it is set up. Some will chew through brakes fast while others barely nibble. Some will go through brakes in 40K or less while others might make it to the junkyard on the OEM rears pads.
The Journey we have had all the brakes done by the dealer with OEM parts prior to our purchase, They have about 55K on them and the fronts are worn maybe 1/2 way. The rears however were just replaced, but not for wear, the rotors rusted into junk and damaged the pads. So it got new NAPA coated rotors and premium ceramics to see how they work on it, have had very good service from them on many other vehicles.
Another factor is riveted vs. bonded linings, you can run a bonded lining a lot thinner than a riveted one. 5mm might be thiiiiiis close to grinding the rivet heads.
nate
That's a good point I hadn't remembered as I haven't seen riveted pads for a long time, although I do remember them from the past.
They would groove a rotor in no time.
What I'm seeking is how long do YOU get on a set of front pads?
That's like saying there's no average lifespan for a person or vehicle. o It's a copout (in my humble opinion).
Yes, there _is_ a rule of thumb. o For example, no front disc pads last the life of the vehicle.
And as another example, no pads likely last only 10,000 miles either.
There's an AVERAGE. o That's what I seek.
I have traded-in my cars at 60,000 for the last 30 years. Never had a brake job.
Not a cop out just a fact. I know of people who do burn through front pads in under 10K and I know of others with 60K on fronts. They drive differently and use different parts. The only time you can make a guess is on your own vehicle, because you know how you drive.
There really is no average when it comes to brakes unless you know how that person drives, where they drive and the parts they used. I never gave a guess on pad life, I would however measure the pads and tell them what was left. If it was a new car then you have a mileage to use, but even that wouldn't matter much if the car had been setting for a while and now it's driven 6-800 miles a day.
I've gone through pads in 10,000 miles. The rule of thumb you seek depends on driving conditions.
When you first brought this up I mentioned my experience from city living to rural living the the difference is huge. AVERAGE is meaningless unless you know where you stand on the parameters. .
From that, I can conclude you don't use you car as a taxi in NYC or Chicago.
You still haven't put the twit in the bit bucket?????
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