Fyrcat

So..I’m fairly pissed. I have a 2016 nx f sport...I bought it new, and have 12,200 miles on it. I don’t drive my car a lot, and I baby it. I had scraping noises coming from applying the brakes, so I took it to my local dealer today, where I purchased this to fix it. Putnam Lexus, in Redwood City, California. I was told I need new brake pads for the front(at 3mm) and new rotor.(799.95) The rears are at 4mm, and my rotor needs to be cut. (499.00)...what the serious f8&k? I had them pull up my last services there. At 4000 miles, in 2017, my fronts were at 9mm, as were the rears. In 2018 at right around 8000 miles, fronts at 8mm..didn’t get the rears. So in one year and 4000 miles with the exact same driving patterns I went thru 5mm in the front to 3mm? The service advisor told me these are performance brakes. I will need to replace the brakes far more often than the 1999 RX 300 I owned for 17 years that had 90,000 miles on it and NEVER replaced or cut rotors on it. I asked if I had the pads replaced every 8000 miles would that stop touching the rotors, he told me no. They would have to cut the rotors and we only get one cut before they need to be replaced. Can anyone tell me if this is true? Do you all only get 12000 miles on brakes and rotor with the nx f sports? He said the non f sports don’t have this problem...

no1SomeGuy

Sounds to me like a caliper must be sticking or something, there's no way you can wear through pads that quick unless you're resting your left foot on the brake pedal while driving.

Fyrcat

The service guy told me that it’s normal for these brakes to wear out this fast. I think I’m getting taken by this dealer..I’ve been going to them for 20 years...this has me really upset.

Lex2000TL

I second it.
Toyota/Lexus are known for sticky calipers. If you did not drive your NX often and car was exposed to high humidity (in CA, should not be the case, though) and excessive dust, it may have calipers hung and pads rubbing, causing wear. Did you notice MPG reduced lately?

no1SomeGuy

The only way you'd ever go through 5mm of pad material in 4000 miles like you said is if:

1) you ride the brakes with your left foot
2) the calipers are sticking
3) you drove on a track multiple times during those 4000 miles
4) you should be in jail from breaking so many traffic laws

The service guy is wrong, they definitely do not go through brakes that fast. I drive pretty aggressively, almost entirely city and wear about 2mm per 10000 miles.

Fyrcat

I will call the service advisor and ask about the calipers. Are they on both the front and rears?

no1SomeGuy

Yes, there's calipers front and rear. Although to be fair, it's rare that they all start sticking at the same time...usually it's just one.

I'd be asking to see the pads...below just some random pictures to get you oriented.

Fyrcat

Thank you..I will ask to see them

ukrkoz

Brakes are scraping = you have wear indicators down to the metal. That's bottom line.
Even better, you can't DIY rear ones due to EBrake motor mounted on them. So it has to be released with scanner to service pads.
If I were you, I'd take it to reputable indi mech or even find a friend with hands and tools and have front end done. No big deal really, basic skill and tools.
Rears though... unless you want to try the rigged way of DIY them posted somewhere here... I'd not. Base line - we are either at mercy of shop or playing Russian roulette on rears.

no1SomeGuy

The process to do the rears is not that bad and perfectly safe. Or there are reasonably affordable scan tools that let you do it (Autel makes a couple for around a few hundred dollars).

arf1410

From a Lexus warranty exclusion list:

"Normal maintenance services, such as engine tune-ups; replacement of fluids and filters; lubrication; cleaning and polishing; replacement of spark plugs and fuses; and replacement of worn wiper blades, brake pads/linings and clutch linings."

Warn brake pads in 12k miles is NOT "Normal maintenance services" - I would DEMAND warranty coverage, and if they refuse, contact the Lexus regional manager.

Fyrcat

According to their service dept. brakes are not included in their warranty..I am picking my vehicle up this morning. I spoke to my service advisor yesterday. He told me my calipers are good and were checked. He said the brake pads are “ performance” brake pads. That all f-sport Lexus vehicles come with these type pads, and they wear much faster than “normal pads”. I’m not sure I’ll go back to Putnam Lexus for my services anymore. And when these very expensive brake pads/rotors wear out I will go to another shop and look at different brake pads. I don’t recall when purchasing this vehicle brand new from Putnam, the salesman telling me about these brakes. Grrrrr....

arf1410

I would ask to see the exact warranty terms. I certainly agree that NORMAL wear and tear, such as brake pads, etc is typically excluded from a warranty, but I would still ask the question, not to the local Lexus dealer service department, but to the Lexus regional mgr, what he (or she) considers to be "normal" maintenance / wear and tear on the brake pads. Ask the question BEFORE you tell him the mileage yours needed to be replaced at. Depending on how that conversation goes, have your next replacement done at a major service chain (Goodyear, firestone, etc) that offers LIFETIME warranty on the brake pads...

no1SomeGuy

I have an F-Sport as well...there is no way you wear pads this quickly without other circumstances believe me. I'd suggest you escalate this to the service manager at the dealership. 12,000 miles is definitely too soon for the pads to be worn out. I would want to see the old pads and would want them to explain why they wore out 3-4 times faster than they should. As far as I know (and what the part catalogs show), the NX does not have different pads between the F-Sport and other trims, your SA is full of ****.

ross7777

I find it hard to believe the F-Sport has different brakes. It’s an appearance package, not a performance package. Sucks that some dealers lie about this stuff.