How long have your brake pads lasted?

18782 Views 37 Replies 23 Participants Last post by fyrftr422, Sep 3, 2017

fyrftr422

Discussion Starter · May 23, 2016

I wasn't able to find a previous thread about this. so here goes.

I've topped 200,000kms (125,000 miles) on my 2012 Cruze now and still have my original front brake pads and rotors. Unreal. In my 30 years of driving, I have never owned a car that came anywhere close that mileage mark and still have the same brake components. My rears would also be original if I didn't have a caliper seize under warranty and forced to have the rears replaced.

Is this common for the rest of you, are the Cruze factory items really that good?

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1 - 20 of 38 Posts

au201

· #2 · May 24, 2016

You must do a lot of highway driving. I think it's a combination of good OEM parts and the cruze's automatic transmission downshifting and creating quite a bit of engine braking which helps to save your brakes.

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Patman

· #3 · May 24, 2016

I didn't have such luck! My calipers were seized and it made it so my brakes were always on so my factory pads lasted @ 42000 miles. Needless to say that killed my MPG for an Eco. So 42K. for mine I guess you could say that is serious city driving!!!

jblackburn

· #4 · May 24, 2016

I threw away my factory pads and rotors at 30K. I was tired of their poor heat handling capacity that caused the material to easily bake to the rotors.

I've since changed for a better pad compound and rotor and have driven nearly 20K with no pulsation whatsoever (I'd seen it in 9K, then 12K with the old ones). Don't drive like an idiot; I just drive in traffic that sometimes likes to go 70-0 for no reason at all.

Alex V.

· #5 · May 24, 2016

Mine are at 68,500 mi. and counting. Front rotors have been turned once but I kept the pads, and I believe they still have at least 1/3 left - maybe more like half. Mine's an manual and I seldom clutch-brake in normal driving. I'm a little displeased at how quickly the Cruze's brakes get hot, but, for the same reason I make allowances in other lacking areas of the car, it isn't designed to be raced.

Merc6

· #6 · May 24, 2016

6

At 60k the dealer was so pressed for me to replace my pads and rotors. The car felt like it stopped fine to me but why not upgrade from the stock setup? Went ahead and got Centric Blanks and StopTech pads. Started tear down and this happens...

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anthonysmith93

· #7 · May 24, 2016

Merc6 said:
At 60k the dealer was so pressed for me to replace my pads and rotors. The car felt like it stopped fine to me but why not upgrade from the stock setup? Went ahead and got Centric Blanks and StopTech pads. Started tear down and this happens...

No wonder they wanted you to replace! haha

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zen_

· #8 · May 24, 2016

Not sure how many miles were on my pads when I took them off @ 125K, but my guess is the PO probably changed them once since the caliper bolts with thread lock were not insanely hard to get off. There was still like 50% pad left, but as others have said, the OEM pads / rotors were simply not cutting it for long periods of time in city driving. The Centric rotors + Raybestos EHT pads handle heat much better, seem to have a little more bite, and dust less, but the pads are a little noisy totally cold.

NickD

· #9 · May 24, 2016

Use to live in a country, (USA) where every town of reasonable size had an electroplater, until the EPA banned them all. Was watching that Chopper program on Discovery, said they had to ship parts down to Tennessee, did the EPA skip that one? Mexico is more like it.

Putting those steel clips on those cast iron pad brackets is okay, until they trap road salt, expands, and locks the pads. Really have to stay on top of this. Doesn't help to have a DOT that spreads tons of this salt on the roads, but think they are finally getting wise to this. Use to pour tons of salt with eight inches of snow on the roads, not a plow, just a salt truck.

Not only wrecking our vehicles, but the road as well. After a huge battle did manage to get my rear disc calipers replaced, they were never plated and refused to ratchet anymore. But they refused to replace those pad holders. So cleaned them myself and gave them a heavy coat of anti-seize, still tees me off. Want 61 bucks for that POS piece of cast iron. Even humidity will rust these things, but maybe not a problem in Arizona, sure is here.

Know people who are lucky to hit 4K miles for brakes, a green light means to floor the gas pedal, a red light means to slam on the brakes. Just way too many variables. Still lots of pad left at 45K miles, but really have to stay on top of these.

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fj5gtx

· #10 · May 24, 2016

My originals only lasted about 200 miles.... I bought my 14 eco on a Tuesday evening, and on the following Saturday - I replaced the front brake pads with aftermarket ceramic pads. I prefer brake pads that don't immediately turn my rims black! I also took the opportunity to remove the retaining screw from the rotors and the drums. I believe those are to retain the component placement while its on the assembly line - and look like they could be a royal PITA to remove once corroded.

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NickD

· #11 · May 24, 2016

What kind of caliper is this? Sure doesn't look OE, looks like a good one. Torx is a four letter word.

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Merc6

· #12 · May 24, 2016

fj5gtx said:
My originals only lasted about 200 miles.... I bought my 14 eco on a Tuesday evening, and on the following Saturday - I replaced the front brake pads with aftermarket ceramic pads. I prefer brake pads that don't immediately turn my rims black! I also took the opportunity to remove the retaining screw from the rotors and the drums. I believe those are to retain the component placement while its on the assembly line - and look like they could be a royal PITA to remove once corroded.

That's what they are for initially and this tool helps remove them. You hit with hammer and turn in the direction you wish it to go.

NickD said:
What kind of caliper is this? Sure doesn't look OE, looks like a good one. Torx is a four letter word.

OEM calipers with Centric Premium Rotors and Power Stop Evolution Plus Z17 pads

https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=4379013&cc=3000993&jsn=1

https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=4504491&cc=3000993&jsn=2

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obermd

· #13 · May 24, 2016

I had mine checked at 60K miles and was told that based on wear the fronts should last for 250K or so and the rears close to 300K.

cruze2011white

· #14 · May 24, 2016

If your brakes are that rusted you need to be cleaning your car during the winter months after a snow. My moms car was like that only because it was never driven much after snow. I have my original rear rotors and pads and I been through ohio winters with a lot of salt. Front were replaced at 90k. The first chance I get I the underbody sprayed on my car, **** I even do it by hand and bare the cold if I have too at a self service place.

jblackburn

· #15 · May 24, 2016

fj5gtx said:
My originals only lasted about 200 miles.... I bought my 14 eco on a Tuesday evening, and on the following Saturday - I replaced the front brake pads with aftermarket ceramic pads. I prefer brake pads that don't immediately turn my rims black! I also took the opportunity to remove the retaining screw from the rotors and the drums. I believe those are to retain the component placement while its on the assembly line - and look like they could be a royal PITA to remove once corroded.

OEMs are already ceramic

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Merc6

· #16 · May 24, 2016

cruze2011white said:
If your brakes are that rusted you need to be cleaning your car during the winter months after a snow. My moms car was like that only because it was never driven much after snow. I have my original rear rotors and pads and I been through ohio winters with a lot of salt. Front were replaced at 90k. The first chance I get I the underbody sprayed on my car, **** I even do it by hand and bare the cold if I have too at a self service place.

The Cruze gets washed about 2 times a week in the winter. Underground heated garage FTW but the amount of salt doesn't matter with frequency of washes. My other car sat and still rusts not touching salt.

NickD

· #17 · May 24, 2016

That's what they are for initially and this tool helps remove them. You hit with hammer and turn in the direction you wish it to go.

Have a couple of those, by also have a Made in the USA impact wrench with an adjustment on it, can turn it down to zero, pull the trigger and slowly increase the pressure while putting a ton of axially force on it. Ratchets very slowly with light impacts to break it free. If I hit it with full force, bit will round out the inside of those Torx.

Okay for the rotors, but a heck of a lot of these Torx things you don't have a straight shot, so tend to put another four letter word in front of that four letter Torx word.

Took the liberty of blowing up your photo and made it brighter.

View attachment 194970

Ha, now it looks like OE, see you have some plating left on your pad holders, like I been saying, buying a brand new vehicle is like buying a lottery ticket. Are you feeling lucky? Mine are very brown colored, think they call this ferrous oxide and came from the factory unplated.

Yates

· #18 · May 24, 2016

Can't speak for the Cruze yet...it only has 24000 miles on it. But I recently replaced my 04 GMC Canyon front brakes at 60000 and they still had a good 15000 left at mostly city driving. Changed them anyway since they were already up on the lift. It was fitted with the low dust type brake pads which seem to outlast the cheapos three times as long.

sparkman

· #19 · May 24, 2016

Mine are almost toast at 35k. Going to have them changed next oil change, there is some vibration under hard braking too.

Aussie

· #20 · May 24, 2016 (Edited)

I changed my front rotors and pads at 27,000km because of vibration and wear in the rotor. The new ones have been great and braking is much smoother. The rears pads were changed and discs machined at 43,000km. I now get very little dust on the wheels.

View attachment 194978

The rust on those brakes is worse than even old cars in Sydney, sure glad we never have to worry about salt on the road.

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