JC07ES350

I use my ESE350 daily and recently notice my brakes becoming more softer as I press on it. (I hope that make sense)

Does it make that I would need to replace my brakes and rotors soon?
I check with the shop I normal go to and they told me that I have some brake pad left.

It was much more harder when I purchase the car last year.
Is there something that I should worry about or does anyone else have this problem?

Thanks

garsarno

I did not realize my brakes were softer until I had new front pads and rotors installed last week. My problem was major vibration when brakes applied (rotors out). They feel stiffer upon application and now no vibration or roughness. Mileage is 38,000 miles / 90% city & suburb driving.

MadMax96

The pedal will get softer as the brakes wear since the pad is thinner - but you might be able to firm things up by getting the brakes bled.

Unless it was a real safety concern and you found yourself worried about not being able to stop in time, I'd just leave them until new pads are needed. The softness most likely is very gradual as the pads wear so you don't notice how soft the pedal is until you put in new pads.

I do my own brakes so I'd just slap in pads and call it a day if they were truely that mushy and I knew there wasn't much life left. I always seem to get stuck doing brakes in the dead of winter.

YotaCarFan

The rotors on my 07 ES350 are quite warped at 50K miles. IIRC, there's a service bulletin for replacing the pads with ones having a different composition to reduce likelihood of front rotors warping. If you're within the 50K bumper to bumper warranty, it would pay to inquire about what brake work might be covered.

Question: Is there any harm in not getting warped rotors fixed? Will the repeated sideways motion harm or loosen the calipers or wear out the pads prematurely? I don't mind the vibration when stopping if it means I can avoid spending hundreds of dollars to have the rotors turned.

MadMax96

The vibrations will get worse and worse - soon it will be pulsing pretty bad if you let it go. I doubt the service tech would throw pads on w/o turning the rotors. Personally - spending hundreds of dollars and not getting new rotors is kind of silly. For the dealer to charge that much, it's a total scam.

The local dealer wanted $1200 for all new brakes on my '99 LS. I was able to do it for under 1/3 of that price.

If you do it yourself, your local auto parts store will turn rotors for about $15/ea. It takes a couple of hours usually but since rotors aren't that expensive I'll just replace them instead of bothering to get them turned.

Even going through Park Place Lexus ordering parts, brand new OEM Toyota rotors are $90 ea. and pads are $45 for the front axle (for 07 ES350). If you can turn a wrench you're looking at completely new brakes about $225 with genuine parts. Dirty hands and some busted knuckles is worth it.

SickES350

iTrader: (-1)

i change my own stuff out. its cheaper... Posi Quiet ( basically OEM quality ) pads... cheaper too... and i got R1 concept premium rotors... they work just fine. im about to upgrade my brake pads to something more high performance to get some better braking out of it. it'll cost me around $70 for better brake pads.

if you're want better braking, there's a number of low cost upgrades you can do for it.

stainless steel brake lines ( brake pedal feels more responsive)
better rotors ( handle hard braking better, deals with heat a lot better too, get blanks so you can get them machined when you swap your pads)
better pads ( grips the rotors better for improved braking )
better braking fluid ( handles heat from braking much better )

or... break the wallet and get a brake kit which pretty much does all of the above, and upgrades to a stronger caliper. but you'll be paying a premium for components though..

garsarno

Use the money paid for turning rotors towards new ones. The vibration will return soon and you'll wish you got them anyway. Paid $360 for Toyota front rotors / pads / labor / tax at my local garage. You will also need the optional pad shim kit that it not included in the pad set. Using the shims off the old pads only invites brake noise down the road, so to speak.

MadMax96

I agree with getting better rotors, especially if the stockers warp so easily. The rotors on my '02 Maxima were warped at 24k miles...pathetic. For the LS and Highlander that I own, I've found the OEM rotors work the best. Even the Brembo rotors I got from Tire Rack on my LS were only ok (kept glazing up and squeeling using Satisfied Ceramic pads as well as other pads).

High performance brake kits are kinda nice, but huge $$. They also are all about performance and sometime you'll pay for it because they aren't all super quiet. Another thing is that when you need pads for an upgraded brake system, you'll have a tougher time getting them and they'll be expensive. Then again if you coughed up $2k for a brake kit this should be chump change.

The SS lines are nice to have too, but just keep in mind they won't help or hurt the vibration problem. That's something I'd do only if new brakes were being installed.

I agree with garsarno too. Local garage is a great alternative. There's nothing special about the brakes on this car just because it's a Lexus - very simple job for any competent mechanic if you can't do them yourself.

Hopefully you guys aren't thinking "Get this LS owner outta here!" I'm to be the proud owner of a 07 ES350 as of Monday.

JC07ES350

Thanks for all the responses

My car currently has almost 38k on it.
Should I just replace the brake pads or rotors well?

Do anyone know what part # for camry that I can use on my es350?
I can't seem to find any s/s brake lines.

SickES350

iTrader: (-1)

its a good temp fix if you got warped rotors and you have to wait on new rotors to come in. i had to do that once. my stocks were barely warped (no vibration) when i took them to get it machined when i was changing out my pads($10 a pop) they service guy told me and showed me that my rotors were warped. i immediately bought new ones from a friend who deals with brake parts, but i had to wait for them to arrive. i drove with my machined rotors for a little bit. in the long run, they'll get really bad, but short term should be fine.

SickES350

iTrader: (-1)

take off the wheel, take a glance at your brake pad, and see how much is left.. if it looks low, go and buy new pads and be prepared to get them changed whenever.. if you're a DIY guy... other wise just take it to a shop and they'll do it all the work for you

when you change your pads, you should also remove the rotors and take it to a local shop and ask them to machine it for you. if you have the rotors off the car ready to go for them, it should be around $5 -$10 a pop....

MD350

There is a TSIB on the pads/rotors. Something about the pad/rotor combination causes the warping prematurely. Have your dealer check to see if you have the effected ones on your car. If you do, they will replace them for free. New pads included. I had a full front break job done, on the house, at 49K miles. If you get push back from the service adviser, see the manager. Good Luck

jagtoes

Not true. You may install your own brake pads but you need to read up on how the brake system works.