A quarter-inch is sufficient pad remaining for proper operation, but I would verify that you indeed have that much pad left on ALL of the pads.

 

Also, do you use the parking brake? In my 2nd gen, I froze the parking brake during one of the cold snaps and the rear pads and rotors had to be replaced as I kept driving the car while waiting for the appointment at the dealer. It was almost time to replace it anyways at that time.:-)

 

Did the 40,000-mile service on my wife's 2015 RX350 last Thursday. All rotors remain in good shape and all brake pads have at least a quarter-inch of material remaining. I have all service records for this vehicle so I know the brake components are factory originals. It will be interesting to see when the OEM pads begin to chirp (indicating that they need to be replaced). I presume they indeed chirp rather than squeal as they approach their end-of-life. Anyone know for sure?

 

Dont rely on the scrapers. Inspect when ever maintenance requires rotation of the wheels.
The noise making thing is not on all the pads and with so much isolation inside the cabin, you will most likely not hear it.

Salim

 

Thanks for the suggestion. Next tire rotation is at 45,000 miles. I check the brake components at every tire rotation I do (5,000-mile intervals).

 

does anyone have a pic of what the pad thickness look like when observed with wheels on? for the life of me I can't tell how much I have left.

 

You can try sticking in a mirror to see the leading edge [as the wheel spins into the brake pad]. OEM pads have a scalloped front end. In a new pad the leading edge is roughly 1" behind the base. As the pad wears down the scallop gets reduced and when the leading edge matches the base, it os time to replace. The recommended rotation is 5k miles and surely the pads can be examined at that time.

Salim

 

Regardless of the vehicle, it is always much better to remove the wheel in order to get a decent look at the remaining brake pad thickness.