What brand brake pads are better than OEM?

Akebono Brake Pads front and rear, I just had the rotors turned (I had time and car wasn't needed quickly). make sure you lube up the pins well..

 

I was looking at Akebono's also-did you get the ceramic? Looking at these for less dust than OEM. Notice any difference?

 

$950 is way too much to pay for a brake job. This is really easy work. Parts are under $300 for four sets of good pads and rotors, and you can find cheaper than that at AutoZone.

 

sounds like caliper problems not pads

 

Prius brakes should be lasting along time, my vehicle has 109k and it's barely half worn down. I know the 2010 Prius has some brake recalls, I would definitely check if there's any recall on the brake boosters or brake system in general. Then if not, I would inspect why it's wearing out so quickly. It's not usual for the Prius brake pads to get worn down after only putting in 59k miles or 3 years 30k.

 

I was taking off the snow tires on ours a few days back, and noted the fronts were maybe around 6 mm. We're around 59,000 kilometers, roughly 5/8 of your mileage odometer. New front pad thickness is 10 mm, so I'd speculate by the time we get to 59,000 miles the pads will down to around 3 mm remaining, similar to your usage.

If your rotors look fine and you're not feeling any pulsing they are very likely fine. You might want to check thickness and runout, if you have any concerns:

Disc thickness: 25 mm new, 22 mm service limit
Disc runout: 0.05 mm (0.00197 inch) max

Regarding "I cant replace pads every 3 years": Toyota front pads and shims will cost around $100 through a dealership parts department. It's a relatively easy DIY to replace them yourself. I for sure would also lube the caliper pins while you're in there. I wouldn't bother with third party pads, no real advantages.

 

ProACT ceramic pads, just make sure too check and lube the pins really well. shims come with the pads and make sure your grease is compatible with rubber brake parts some aren't (Permatex). you will more than likely have to grease the pins again after 3 or 4 years. The pads will last for over 100,000 miles or more if you check and maintain the pins. Nice quiet braking is all i noticed.

 

We have 135k and the pads are not due for replacement until 150k (my guess) -- I purchased the OE pads from a dealer online. They are not overpriced of high quality and designed for the car .... why would you go shopping for something different?

 

i suggest to take it to another shop for a estimate, one cannot make a accurate estimate without a full proper inspection.

 

try Porterfield or Hawk

 

i guess you defined better by longer lasting. the only problem is the short lived OEM pads are not due to lack of quality but rather pads sticking due to lack of pin lubrication, or wrong installation, or rust buildup. however, there was a TSB on rear pads and they were revised, so maybe there was a room for improvement.

as for favorite brands, it's very subjective, just like oil brands. i personally had the longest lived pads from Autozone own brand, cheap Duralast. it was a different car though.

 

I've looked at images of both the original and revised rear pads, and as far as I can see the difference was the amount of bevel on the leading/trailing edges of the pad: it was increased on the revised pad.

I suspect the main issue with rear pads was improper installation; it is too easy to have the caliper piston cross spoke pattern riding up on the back of pad locking pin. Even if they're located properly at install, if they're not well seated before first application of parking brake, this can happen, and it messes everything up.

 

Yeah brake maintenance does not begin and end with pad replacement: periodic inspection is warranted, and specd in the maintenance schedule, regardless of remaining pad thickness. Caliper pin relube, pad/shim disassemble and relube, rotor inspection, all of these should be done periodically, both for longevity of the system, and safety.

 

Listen, forget all the tech talk: $950 for a brake job is WAY too expensive. A reputable independent garage will charge you half that. This is a very simple repair job; there's nothing Prius-special about it. A very junior mechanic can handle this. Don't pay $950.

 

I agree with rebound. You can do this yourself in your garage with the right tools. 950$ is way over price. Most you'll probably spend is around 100-150$ for the rear brake pads and rotors.

Also living near a beach or sandy area doesn't help your brake system. Keep all your brake hardware lube periodically like Mendel suggest. Good luck

 

I just replaced my rear brakes for no good reason. I have 112k+ miles and the left inside pad was 7.16mm and the outside 6.34mm and the right side was very similar 6.49mm and 6.11mm. Standard thickness is 9.5mm in rear pads. Rotors are 8.37mm left and 8.32mm right. Standard thickness is 9mm.

It took a little while because I didnt want to screw it up so I went slow. The only thing I had to do was depress the caliper piston really hard when turning. It would not go in on either side by just turning it. I had to apply force while turning. I didn't disconnect the battery. I just parked it and opened the hood and put the keys inside, then gathered up my tools and went to work. I had no problems and the brakes seem to work well with no codes.

Tomorrow I am going to change the front pads for no good reason also.

When I get some help and have time I will replace all the brake fluid. Probably next weekend.

I wouldn't pay $900 to anyone to do this. Rear brake pads could be done very quickly for someone that has done it before, with a lift and everything at hand, the rear can be done in 30-45 minutes easy. Another 15 minutes to replace the rotors. So one hour labor for a whole rear brake job should be the rate not including flushing and bleeding. Front should be similar and both front and rear could be done in less than two man hours. Not counting parts that should be about $200 at most. If nothing goes wrong or no problems are found.

 

The price from the dealer is full list on all new parts and full labor rate. I'm sure the labor is $300.00 at least with no flush included.

Another thing about dealers -- they will often recommend pad replacement when just below 1/2 remaining --- you have to ask if t's necessary or recommended! Many manufacturers no longer just replace pads. It's pads and rotors -- modern rotors are not designed to be cut like the old thick sold rotors of years ago. If the rotors have any lip they most likely have reached the limit and need to be replaced -- some only have 1mm .. not very much. Need to always check.

 

I like Hawk pads and use them on my other cars. The only issue with them is that they like to be heated up a lot before they work well. Because of this, I wouldn't use Hawk's on a Prius since the pads probably don't get hot enough due to regen doing most of the work.