Aron9000

Dude 33k miles for front brake pads is not uncommon, especially if the car was driven hard or was all stop/go driving. Just as an example my mom bought a new 2012 Camry and has a 40 mile one way commute with ONE stop light. All interstate. If we had an autobahn here, her commute would've been 10 minutes since the route is so sparsely traveled and all interstate. Anyways, front brakes on that car lasted to almost 100k miles because she used them like 3 times on that 80 mile commute.

EDIT: Also try making your topic on the thread more descriptive. AKA, "Replacing brakes at 33k miles on a CPO RX350, is this normal???"

Blaze876

iTrader: (1)

Brake pads are a wear and tear item just like your tires or fluids. I'm sure you dont consider tires a major repair right? Replacing brake pads is a simple job and it is normal to use 4mm in 8 months depending on driving style. Especially if you live in an area with slopes and end to 'ride' the brakes down slopes.

​​​

gengar

This thread serves as good example why it's important to get all the information you need when buying a used car - and negotiate over what's important to you. Lots of things can be worked into the sale price when the salesperson has the incentive to close the deal.

Needless to say, a used car is a used car; there are going to be lots of things that aren't new, and concerns over brakes/tires would go at the top of my list. At least in the case of the OP, front brake replacement isn't too costly, and don't need to pay stealership prices to get a job done right.

geko29

Lighten up, Francis.

Brake pads are about as far from a major repair as you can get, unless the scale starts at "washer fluid refill=minor repair". As mentioned above, they're a maintenance item, not a repair. Front pads for your car with a lifetime warranty start at $30 for organics, and you can get ceramics with a lifetime warranty for as little as $55. Yes, that means the next time they wear out, the replacements are free. Replacing them takes a few tools and about 20-30 minutes of your time. I did the front pads and rotors on my wife's 2007 RX about six weeks ago in 15 minutes. This was second or third time I'd done them, so the pads cost nothing.

MattyG

Hmm... I don't know if you think you're being too rough on the RX, but old habits die hard. I've never associated the ES as a sporty driver and certainly the RX is anything but a corner carving machine. Are you sure you are not perceiving your driving habits with rose colored glasses? That seems to be a lot of brake pad wear over 10K. You have to remember that the RX is just like the ES in that it uses its front brakes to do most of its braking. Now you add the extra weight of a CUV and you can see the results.

Toys4RJill

Well said. This wear looks like it because of hard use.

mmarshall

The AWD RX, though (not the FWD RX), unlike the ES, is slightly better-balanced front-to-rear, because the added major driveline components in the center and rear of the vehicle balance the center of gravity a little more, allowing the rear brakes to do a little more of their share. The ES (and FWD RX) have a higher-percentage of their weight up front, where it throws more of a load, proportionally, on the front brakes.

ssmoked

Since we are on the subject of brakes, I'm going to go off topic for a sec and have a question

my last car, Nissan 370Z RWD, the rear brake pads went out around 50k miles while the front still had about 60%. How in the world is that possible? I owned it since new and drive like I stole it daily btw, mostly city. Anyone have possible explaination?

geko29

The difference is marginal at best. The heaviest component of the AWD system is the transfer case, which is bolted directly to the transaxle and sits mostly in front of the driver. The prop shaft, rear differential and axle shafts are all relatively lightweight by comparison. Apparently nobody actually publishes weight distribution for the RX, but I expect it's the same on a % basis between the FWD and AWD. Combine that with the overall higher weight and the fact that weight transfers forward under braking, and I'd expect the AWD RX to be slightly harder on front brakes than the FWD RX, and dramatically harder on them than the ES. This has been my experience as well. The rear brakes on my wife's RX have been replaced once in 140k miles. The fronts, three times.

This is very common on newer performance cars, particularly RWD ones. The brakes are used extensively in the traction and stability control systems--this is true for all cars, but more relevant here. So while most of your front brake wear comes while your foot is on the brake pedal, most of your rear brake wear comes when your foot is on the accelerator. They also have less pad material, which exaggerates the wear. The rear brakes on both of my 3-series have worn out significantly faster than the fronts.