Front brake pads replacement Haynes Shows You How

Every modern car has disc brakes on the front axle, and in this setup the disc part is actually quite hardy and can last a long time – 160,000km on small, light cars.

The pads, however, are less hardy and generally last only a fraction of the time. There is no hard and fast number though, so instead read the following examples and see which best represents you.

The small car

If you drive a small car, a Ford Fiesta, Mini or similar, the pads are going to last longer. The reason is simple – they’re controlling less weight. If you own a small car and rarely carry passengers, you could easily expect to get 80,000km from a set of pads, as long as they’re good quality. That said, 80k is the best-case scenario – the reality will be somewhere around 50,000km.

The medium family car

More metal, more weight, more load in the boot, more work for the pads. For average-sized family cars such as a Ford Focus or Holden Astra, doing the average 20,000km per year, you can expect to get 32,000 to 40,000km out of a set of pads.

The executive car

Bigger car, more mass and almost certainly greater than average annual mileage mean you might only get 18 months out of a set of pads, or about 30,000km with an Audi A8 or Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

The commercial vehicle

Vans and utes tend to be driven harder and with more weight on board, which means the brakes have to do a lot more work. As such, it’s not uncommon to go through a set of pads once a year, or every 15,000-25,000km.

These are just guides, of course. There are things you can do to prolong the life of your pads. Look at your driving – are you braking too early or perhaps dabbing them when you don’t need to? Are you driving around with a load of stuff in the boot? Travel light and change your driving habits and the pads will last longer.

“Take a look at the brake fluid level in the reservoir, which drops as the pads wear”

It’s important that your front brake pads are examined whenever the car is serviced and replaced when necessary. Your pads may have a sensor that activates a dashboard warning light when the pad has worn down, but not all models have sensors, so take a look at the brake fluid level in the reservoir, which drops as the pads wear. Or jack up the car, remove a front wheel and examine the pads directly.

Always check the rest of the brake system when replacing the pads – if the discs/rotors are in a poor condition consider replacing them. All cars are slightly different, so if it is time to change your front brake pads, use our before-you-begin checklist, and find your car for specific instructions.