How many miles until new front brake pads are needed?

You sure? I thought 'k' was short for thousand and thus 87k is 87,000. Now that could be km or miles but either way it is a significant distance covered. Otherwise toyolover replaced their pads at 87 km, which is quite unrealistic.

 

They were double checked by a trusted garage first.

Getting 30k miles out of my front pads was good as another car I drove got about 22k miles on a set. Front tyres replaced at 16/17k miles and front pads at 22k. The Prius still got the same tyre wear but the brakes lasted longer.

 

^ Sorry Grumpy.
Like many Colonials, I tend to think that all roads are long, wide, and the only thing keeping one from getting 100,000 miles out of a set of brakes is the fact that we Americans aren't particularly talented drivers.
I understand that Priuses that are pulling Taxi duty over on the Continent might need brakes and tires (tyres) a little more often.
Forgive my shortsightedness, please.

 

Based on my recent experience disassembling, cleaning and lubricating both the front and rear brakes on my 2010 Prius, it would be a normal DIY operation to replace G3 Prius pads and rotors, as long as you first disconnect the 12V battery, wait thirty minutes and do not open the driver's door until after the job is finished. Replacement pads, rotors and calipers are now readily available at reasonable prices from Advance Auto and Rock Auto. For example, new pads and rotors from Advance Auto cost around $300.00 total for all four wheels. A special tool is needed to screw, rather than push, the piston back into the rear caliper, i.e. Lisle 28600, under $10.00, but that is not a problem. I will replace the pads and rotors myself when needed, but at 66,000 miles I don't think that will be anytime soon as the pads and rotors are only slightly worn. However, I do not consider flushing the brake fluid to be a DIY operation on the Prius and have the dealer do it due to the need for a Toyota scan tool to do it properly and not set DTCs.

It is essential in my opinion to periodically clean and lubricate the brake pins, especially on the rear, to prevent the pads wearing out prematurely and calipers seizing as has been reported on this forum. See my below thread.

Brake Caliper Slide Pin Cleaning and Lubrication | PriusChat

 

Have I done something to upset you of late?

 

Not at all!
We just seem to keep bumping into each other whilst running down the same hallways....

You keep driving on the left side, and I'll cover the right.

 

I would take Mendel's advice if you want to inspect the brake pads yourself. If they truly measure 4mm, you don't have much pad left. The brake pads should be replaced by 3mm, not the wafer thin 1.5-2mm that some people suggest. For comparison, both the US nickel and CA 50 cent piece are almost 2mm thick (1.95mm).

 

4.5mm left at 77k miles.

I did discover that the front slide pins were almost completely frozen in the bracket. I had to pull very hard for them to come out. Once removed, I lubed them with 3M silicone paste.

 

car is 6 years old
47,000 mi
4mm left
i should be able to make it to the next oil change at 60,000 mi.
i will probably replace the aux battery at that time also

 

At least.

Isn't the spec 1mm?

 

From the Gen III repair manual:

Front Discs
New - 10mm
Replace at 1mm

Rear Discs
New - 9.5mm
Replace at 1mm

 

Yes but: if I pull off a caliper and see brake pads with 2~3 mm remaining, I'm gonna change them.

 

Ours is at 122k and 5mm front -- rears 7mm