Brake Pads? - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

usfwrestler · 06-22-2007, 06:02 PM

I recently need a new brake job. at 35k miles, which personally, I think is extremely low. I thought I would get alot more miles out of these "OEM Toyota" Brake Pads. I went to a autoparts store and bought some ceramic pads with shims, and when I went to the dealership to get them put on, the guy was almost begging me to buy the OEM brake pads because he said "If you don't use our OEM pads, they are going to squeak all the time, and you're going to regret it."

My main question is if this guy was pulling my chain or is this actually true? I have stock rotors, I dont care about racing performance, all I want is a great set of pads that will last a long time and work properly.

I have a 2006 Toyota Camry SE I4 with 35k miles on it. I bought regular Bendix premium ceramic Brake Pads. Money isn't a issue, I just don't want them to run out in 35,000 miles. I dont have a heavy foot, I honestly think a dealership messed with them, but Im not certain.

Any advice would be great.

Peter

Chunger · 06-22-2007, 06:09 PM

35K is not TOO unreasonable. Brake wear will depend on usage mostly and not necessarily mileage.

In general I don't like OE pads. I usually will go with semi-metallic or some ceramic aftermarket brand. I usually notice an improvement in braking performance. It is possible that you may get more brake squealing at times. Semi-metallic are more prone to it but ceramic ones tend to be more quiet. Be aware that aftermarket may dust more but that is a small price to pay for better performing brakes. Don't go too overboard and get "racetrack" brake pads as they require extensive "warm up" before reaching their operating temperature. I doubt that the pads you bought fall into that category.

secrecyguy · 06-22-2007, 06:25 PM

Just don't go for those "lifetime" brake pads. Those don't last as long. I think it was invented by auto mechanics and companies that make rotors.

rawknmxpx · 06-22-2007, 06:41 PM

Aftermarket brake pads do have a reputation of squeaking. But I work for a Toyota parts department so I guess I have the same bias. 35k isn't terrible for a set of pads... I would stick with OE so if you do have squeaking or premature wear issues you can make a parts warranty claim and the dealer will replace them free of charge.

Chunger · 06-22-2007, 07:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rawknmxpx

Aftermarket brake pads do have a reputation of squeaking. But I work for a Toyota parts department so I guess I have the same bias. 35k isn't terrible for a set of pads... I would stick with OE so if you do have squeaking or premature wear issues you can make a parts warranty claim and the dealer will replace them free of charge.

Good luck getting a dealer to cover the "normal" wear of the brake system (pads) or some occasional squeal under warranty...

That's funny!

mr.pringles · 06-22-2007, 08:14 PM

OEM pads are low noise but you wont get a good stopping power as much as aftermarket. Theres nothing wrong with using aftermarket pads...think about it, if they only let you use OEM pads then why were aftermarkets pads ever invented? In order to have good stopping power you need to sacrifice noise, or versa. Personally i think ceramic pads last longer than OEM because OEM pads are organic compound.

TRD VVTi · 06-22-2007, 10:55 PM

Factory/OEM pads are made to satisfy nearly everybody. Reasonable wear, dusting, low noise, and stopping power etc.

Aftermarket pads will usually focus on one or two things, and fall short with the remaining.

I recommend OEM pads for most people.

Pad wear is an indicator of a persons driving habits. 35,000 is very reasonable.

Toysrme · 06-22-2007, 11:11 PM

Hawk HPS, everything else second rate.

35,000 miles for a set of pads, and rotors is perfectly normal on a daily driven car. The driver is responcible for pad-wear.

mr.pringles · 06-23-2007, 12:29 AM

^any squeeking for the first 100miles from using hawk hps? im planning to get some hawks hps or brembos but not sure if brembo is the racing compound that requres the pads to be warmed up

rawknmxpx · 06-23-2007, 01:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chunger

Good luck getting a dealer to cover the "normal" wear of the brake system (pads) or some occasional squeal under warranty...

That's funny!

.

if they're gone in 1,000 miles or they squeak like crazy it's covered... now the definition of "gone" and "squeaks like crazy" is probably wildly different from the common toyotanation member and reality.

I still maintain that you can get just about anything done for a reasonable cost (or even free) if you maintain your cool, develop a good working relationship with an service writer, and take the actions necessary to allow the service writer to help you should things go wrong...

short version: don't be an ass, have a laugh, and buy OE pads.

gdanaher · 06-23-2007, 06:02 AM

What's with needing the dealer to replace pads anyway? This has got to be one of the easiest repair jobs there can be, especially on a Toyota. One wrench or socket, one big screw driver, one c-clamp, one jack, and about 30 minutes of your precious time. Y'all are big boys now. Let the dealer rebuild the engine but surely you can fix your own brakes?

shofast · 06-27-2007, 09:11 AM

I'm not pleased with the performance of the factory Toyota pads either, no problems that would warrant a warranty replacement, just they could be better.

2nd on the good luck getting a dealer to replace pads, totally worn out in 1000 miles I'm sure they would, but that would also indicate a serious problem. Excess squeeking and they will try to "lube" the pads to get it quiet, you would need to really make a scene to get a replacement after 6 months.

I replaced Stock pads and rotors at 35000 with EBC greenstuff on brembo blanks
Replaced the EBC greens at around 70000 with PBR ultimates (ceramics) 2 years ago.

The EBC greens stopped better than OE pads but also dusted more, they developed an odd feel too, that is why I replaced them, I would not recommend them.
The PBR Ultimates stop as well or maybe a little better than the Greens but I have noticed they clank a bit in the calipers, ie, the pads are made with too much manufacturing tolerance. They dust more than OE but less than the greens. I'm still looking for the sweet spot for gen 5 brake pads.

All I am interested in is quality and stopping, dust doesn't bother me, that is what lead me to these choices.

If anyone else has reviews of brake pads on the camry post them up!

TRD VVTi · 06-27-2007, 09:17 AM

The OE pads work fine for braking performance. If they didn't, the Camry wouldn't need anti lock brakes. They also dust less and don't make noise.

If you use the Camry in a matter that overheats the factory pads and gives you brake fade. You should get a different car, not a different set of pads.

shofast · 06-27-2007, 09:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TRD VVTi

The OE pads work fine for braking performance. If they didn't, the Camry wouldn't need anti lock brakes. They also dust less and don't make noise.

If you use the Camry in a matter that overheats the factory pads and gives you brake fade. You should get a different car, not a different set of pads.

I guess that is why Toyota has a TSB for front brake issues on the Camry right? I'm pretty sure they are not advising the customers to just buy a different car, but are suggesting updated front brake components.

I agree that the brakes are fine, but they are poorer than most of the competition, some better brake pads can bring the performance up to better levels. Not needing ABS is a pretty uninformed statement, I guess poor weather braking isn't an issue in your mind.

TRD VVTi · 06-27-2007, 09:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shofast

I guess that is why Toyota has a TSB for front brake issues on the Camry right? I'm pretty sure they are not advising the customers to just buy a different car, but are suggesting updated front brake components.

I agree that the brakes are fine, but they are poorer than most of the competition, some better brake pads can bring the performance up to better levels. Not needing ABS is a pretty uninformed statement, I guess poor weather braking isn't an issue in your mind.

I get it. You're one of those guys that takes things out of context to make a point because you don't actually have any facts.

Your colors will show through when you post more.

Don't you think the manufacturers test brakes as part of engineering and design? Do you actually believe that the brakes aren't adequate on the car and they released it for people to drive around?

Do you KNOW what a TSB is? Do you know the difference between a TSB and a Safety Campaign/Recall? A TSB (Technical Service Bulletin) is information posted to help technicians diagnose problems. There are TSB's for neary every part of the car. Saying there is a TSB for a particular system doesn't mean jack shit. Unless it says jack did shit, in the TSB.

I was simply stating my OPINION. You should think about what that means.

I believe that the Camry OE brake pads are great/one of the best compromises when you consider all the factors.

If someone is actually overheating the pads to the point that their car will not brake properly, I'd say that they bought the wrong car. The Camry is not engineered for that application/type of driving.

Believe me, you're the one that's uninformed.