Brake Pads and Rotors

I inspect my brakes regularly (every tire rotation) and only do what they actually need.

Most of the time they need nothing. Now and then I'll need to change a fitting kit (the springy clips that hold the ears of the pads, their Teflon-like factory coating wears off and they rust).

I replaced the rear pads and rotors a couple years ago. Plenty left on the pads but the rotors were getting rusty and gnarly.

Everything still beautiful on the fronts. Pads with 22% life remaining at 170,000 miles, looks like I'll be replacing them around 218,000 if nothing changes much.

I generally use Toyota parts when anything needs replacing, which is so seldom the price doesn't sting much. I made an exception for the rear rotors, where my local job shop had a pair in the Federated brand for a nice price, and they seemed round and flat enough to me.

(In fact, one of them had so little runout that when I set it on the hub in the least-runout position, as the manual suggests, it wouldn't even push the pads back when I wasn't braking. I put it back on in the next-to-least runout position.)

I have yet to relube my slide pins, or even take them out of their bores. At every inspection I move them in and out to wake the grease back up, and if they ever don't feel fine after that, I'll do more. Hasn't been needed so far.

 

You're in one of the 5 Germantown's Google Maps shows in the States? How's the road salt situation in your area, through winter?

Have you ever had the caliper's off? Toyota USA recommends a more in-depth inspection, tri-yearly or 30K miles, whichever comes first. They are vague as heck though, as to what the inspection entails.

Considering miles only, your rotors are likely fine for thickness and runout, but dependinig on aforementioned salt, "may" need replacing. Pad remaining thickness will likely be down to around 4 mm (new thickness is around 10 mm). Service limit is 1 mm, but I wouldn't go that low with out changing them out. Caliper slide pins may never have been relubed, worth doing.

Spec's and more info in attached.

 

The frequent inspection is part of that. Between inspections, there are always little things that can crop up (some rust on a fitting clip, a tear in a rubber boot letting water in) that can, if not caught soon, lead to wearing stuff out much faster. But take a quick look every tire rotation (6,000 miles, say) and take care of any little things right away, and the big things take care of themselves.

 

I go a little further with the brakes: flip up the calipers, write the pad and rotor thicknesses in the log, move all the slide pins in and out till easy and smooth (6k miles is enough for the grease to harden a little because the normal motion in braking is only .3 mm or so, but a little motion wakes it right back up), check all the rubber boots for any tears or splits, change the fitting-kit clips if the pads don't slide easily in them.

 

Instead of the brakes, I'd drain the engine coolant, clean the EGR and cooler, intake manifold, throttle body, refill the engine coolant, and possibly update the engine ecu instead.

 

For our newer cars, I prefer going to the Toyota Dealer for OEM rotors and pads. (My 2014 Tundra is almost due.)

But for our older ones, I've found the Bosch rotors and Import Direct ceramic pads at O'Reillys to be very good.

 

Shoot on most of the generation twos I'm seeing about 190 to 214 mileage wise on the front and they don't look like they've ever been replaced these are Southern cars down here so everything's real clean all the pink and blue marks on the parts that designate whatever all that designates are clear as a bell. And they are down to the where indicators at that point too. Just because of age I slide on some aftermarket coded rotors and use some of the latest grade ceramic whatever nonsense for the pads and let it rip lube the slide pins wake up degrees whatever you do they just need to move like butter if they don't fix that now

 

I went with Power Stop Evolution pads and rotors all around. I got the coated rotors and I'm glad I did because they still look good a year later. Everything's been solid so far.

My front brakes appear to have lasted 212,000 miles, they were around 1-2mm and the rotors were not even close to out of spec, but the vanes were thoroughly rusted.

I have had issues over the years with seizing slide pins in the rear. I got uneven wear and I actually had to drill one out at one point and have since got new calipers and I believe that's all behind me. Definitely follow Chapman's advice about getting regular slide pin movement, be prepared for a possible battle removing them if they've never never been serviced. It can be tough even just because of the rubber slide piece.

 

There are a few gotchas with the Prius brakes. A couple:

1. As long as the 12 volt battery is connected, there’s a chance the brake system may decide to pressurize, in particular if the drivers door is opened. You do NOT want this happening if a brake caliper is off a rotor; it can spit out its piston.

according, especially for DIY, it’s prudent to disconnect the 12 volt battery neg cable. Leave it thus till the brakes are completely reassembled. Then pump the brake pedal multiple times, to remove any excessive travel, that might otherwise throw a code. THEN reconnect the 12 volt neg cable.

2. The rear brake caliper piston needs to oriented a particular way, to avoid problems. There’s a link in my signature with more info. On a phone turn it landscape to see signature.

 

November 2022 I replaced the brake pads on the 2010 Prius @ 249K.
One pad had _just_ started to touch metal-to-metal.
I replaced with Toyota OEM pads.
Cleaned disks, calipers, & pins with wire wheel (rust).
Fresh lube on clean pins/boots.
Wiped down disk with alcohol.

I'm sure this was the first brake work as I purchased it Nov 2013 @ 100K.

 

The brakes on your Prius unless you really drive your car it doesn't drive you and you drive like Prius or most people that own Prius your brakes are generally never doing much of any work ever It's pretty much that simple That's why they last so long but just time can make the pads crack and things get ugly as far as looks and pieces falling off so about every 5 years especially in the south and the heat and in Texas and places like that is probably good to get the pads out of there because they're just getting old and they're not that costly so what the heck does it mean you have to change rotors and all the other stuff but you should at least slide in pads and the little stainless steel clips that the pads ride on on their ears for longer than generally most of y'all are going to keep the car.

 

Yes you really shouldn't have to do anything at this mileage and what it's being driven now certainly not they'll never wear out under that kind of use or non-use if you will right now you've got to be thinking about going forward with the engine Very good chance with this little use could be a real party.