10lexISR6

iTrader: (1)

On a recent visit to our Lexus dealership, my service Has "advisor" advised that the cost of a brake pad change is going to be astronomical, that the rotors are a 2 piece design and will need replacing in 2 brake jobs? Lastly the brakes will last somewhere around 10,000 miles? What!?

GearHead69

I call BS on that. You don't have to replace the rotors every time you replace the pads. If the rotors are grooved for some reason or are out of round then they can cut the rotors and make them true again. The only time you replace the rotors is when they are below minimum specs for diameter, which should not be at 10K miles.

It is amazing how some dealers are giving out such bad advice in order for them to make money.

You can also do your own brake pad replacement if you are knowledgeable as it is not that hard. Yes the front rotors are a two piece design and I can't wait for the aftermarket to come out with replacements so we have some options like dimpled/slotted rotors, etc.

They already have replacements for the rears, but the fronts are "SPECIAL". LOL

Poqman

My dealer said the same about not being able to turn the rotors, but did not mention such a short lifespan.

GearHead69

Maybe they said that in order to get you to buy new ones. I can't see any reason why they couldn't turn the rotors. My 65 Mustang custom has 15" two piece rotors, and I've had them turned, by NAPA.

It's not like they are carbon fiber as in some Porsche, Ferrari or even the LFA.

This is from the Lexus sales brochure about the High friction brakes and the expected life of both the pads and rotors:

"High-friction brakes require periodic inspection and measurement as outlined in the Warranty and Services Guide. The pads and rotors are expected to experience greater wear than conventional brakes. Pad life may be less than 20,000 miles, and brake rotor life may be less than 50,000 miles depending on driving conditions. FSPORT models may feature Brembo® brakes. It is an inherent characteristic of materials and design of brake pads used in this high-performance brake system that brake noise/squeal may result."

Hope this helps. :-)

kymbakitty

I know I'm not driving my Toyota Solara anymore....but I just sold it with 110k miles on it with the original brakes. We just had oil changed at 110k and I still didn't need brakes yet (front or back).

I have a feeling the maintenance is going to be a completely different experience with the Lexus.

Oh well....at least it's a beauty.

GearHead69

Performance brake pads have a higher metallic filler than say Ceramic, and as such are harder on rotors. Basically our brake pads are the equivalent to race pads and therefore we get better braking, but at the same time we get more brake dust, possible squealing when coming to a stop, and a shorter lifespan. The price to pay for performance.

10lexISR6

iTrader: (1)

Interesting, thanks for all the feedback. Yeah... I can't believe the crap these guys try to pull these days. I do all my own work on my vars and when the RC is due, they for sure won't be robbing me. I hope someone comes out with a replacement front rotor design. As far as pads, I'm all for the performance but do I really need that much performance at the expense of dust, squeeling, excessive wear and faster diminishing rotors? As the guy with the supra said, I miss the days of a million mile brake job. Why you sell the supra!!! I still loathe in owning one, one day....

dchar

Unless you are constantly taking your RC to the track, the brakes should last way longer than 10K miles. He might be right about only being able to have it resurfaced twice, but I would be wary of this service advisor...seems to be trying to pad his pockets a bit.

I'm not sure how useful this info would be since I have a GS350 F-sport, but I needed to get front pads replaced around 30K miles. The dealer quoted me $416+tax for them to change them and resurface the rotors. I ended up ordering OEM F-sport pads myself and spent less than $200 to have everything done at a local mechanic.

Pearlrider

iTrader: (1)

I'm with you on that. I would also like to change out the pads for a better a set of Ceramic's with low dust properties combined with better braking. The dust with the stock pads is ridiculous! I can drive down the block and come back looking like I just tracked raced the car. Of course having fresh air routed to the brakes only helps spreading it evenly down the door panels. Lol

walkedu

The brake dust doesn't really bother me at all... I own a few high performance cars / super cars and always been a huge bmw owner which are notorious for really bad brake dust.

Only real thing that bothers me is brake squeal, esp. with ceramic brakes. Hate hearing the noise

GearHead69

Sometimes just "bedding" in the brakes properly will take care of the squeal. I used to have race pads on my 65 Mustang Fastback custom, and would hate going to car shows just to have the brakes squeal when stopping. Everyone would point and tell me get new brakes. Even after proper bedding in of the pads they would squeal, but they were race pads and not really street pads.

There are some Ceramic low dust brake pads that will not give off as much dust, but then you don't get the same stopping power. You have to decide if the trade off is worth it or not.

walkedu

Yup exactly! Some people that arent too knowledgeable about brakes usually will comment on squeal from the brakes esp. if its a high end car. Its just the trade off of having good stopping power.

Ive never really tried the low dust brake pads but never really crossed my mind.

Pearlrider

iTrader: (1)

You should try them some time. They've come along way. EBC's "Red Stuff Ceramic" would most definitely match the current pad Toyota has on our RC's. And most likely better the stopping difference we have now with half the dust. Like the rotors, I'm waiting for them to make a set for our RC.
Most do not realize either that those metallic particles will adhere to your paint if left untouched. Thus a good clay baring in order to remove them.

GearHead69

I'll have to look into them and see what they are about. Thanks for the reference.

BossHu

iTrader: (1)

When you get your car serviced, typically the dealer service tech would write on the report how many mm is left on your pads. You could guesstimate the wear to equiv mileage you've driven and roughly figure out how long the pads will last with your personal driving style. (+/-10%)

My 5k visit on my RCF, I've got 8mm left on the front and 9mm left on the back (out of 10mm total). So probably just under 20k miles for the front total miles before I need new set of pads.