[michaelingp]

I just got new tires on my 2004 CR-V, and the mechanic said, "You really need new front brakes, like right now." That surprised me, because I check the lining thickness pretty regularly. When I got the car home, I checked again (very easy to do on the CR-V), and the thinnest lining was 3.3 mm. The manual says the service limit is 1.6 mm, so I figure I'm fine.

The only reason I post this is that I saw a tool on eBay for measuring the thickness, and the tool implies that 2mm and 3mm is worn out, and anything 6mm and under is "Dangerous".

Is there any reason I shouldn't wait until the lining is 2mm or so before changing them?

 

[tcturner]

Take it to another mechanic.I took my mothers Ford in for an oil change and the service advisor came out and told me the brakes were shot.I told them to forget it and when I got home I pulled the wheels and the brakes looked good to me.But to be on the safe side I took it to my mechanic who said they had 60% left and were just fine,she drove it another 40K before I had to have them done.

 

[Carbuff2]

Michael,

Honda front CRV pads are 11MM thick when new. Pad wear is not linear, however. When they get down to 5 - 6 MM thickness, you only have 1/3 life left.

Thin pads cannot absorb heat as thick pads can. So if you regularly brake hard (like from 60 MPH to zero at the end of a freeway ramp, for example) you may be in danger of warping rotors. The pads will wear out faster when thin.


In all honesty, I believe the tire guy was "fishing" for work. You could safely go longer, to 2mm or less. There are wear indicators ("squealer clips") on the factory pads.

Be aware that Honda rear pads are thinner and are designed to wear out at about the same time as the fronts. So when it's time, you are looking at a 4-wheel brake job.

 

[tcturner]

X2 for Carbuff2 he knows what he is talking about.

 

[Carbuff2]

X2 for Carbuff2 he knows what he is talking about.

Not if you ask my wife....
:hug :hehe

 

[michaelingp]

Thanks for the info, particularly the full thickness size and the non-linearity of the wear. If you're right, then I only have 6,000 miles left (assuming I still remember my high school algebra). Thinking the wear was linear made me think I had 10,000 left. What irks me about the garage was I specifically asked if I could go another 5 or 10 thousand miles, and they made it seem like it was dangerous to drive out of the garage, even though they admitted they "only looked at the outside pad on one wheel".

But I'm not going to be too harsh on them. Most people don't take their cars in for service that often, and don't check pad wear themselves, so for them, replacing the pads at 3.3 mm is probably reasonable advice.

I have rear drums, so no issue there.

 

[Carbuff2]

... they admitted they "only looked at the outside pad on one wheel".

++++++++++++

I have rear drums, so no issue there.

That's a mistake I have made, Murphy's Law states that the pads you cannot see will be the ones that wear out first!:hehe

PS: All 2004 CR-Vs in the USA have rear disc brakes (though the parking brakes are small drum brakes, inside the rear rotor hubs). Don't know about other countries....

 

[michaelingp]

Well, this is beyond embarrassing! In my defense, this is the first car I've ever owned with rear disk brakes, but still, it's going to take me a long time to recover my self-esteem. I cannot believe I was so blind!

Anyway, it looks like you can see the outside lining through the gaps in the wheel, and they look pretty thick, say 5mm (it's dark out right now), so I don't think it was the rears the guy was talking about. Are you sure they should wear about the same rate as the fronts?

 

[Carbuff2]

Are you sure they should wear about the same rate as the fronts?

Yes....unless you get a sticky slider pin or bound-up pads from road salt corrosion. Then one side or the other wears rapidly...and the new pads come in axle sets, so they would be replaced at the same time.


New rear pads are about 8 MM thick. (I have a set I bought on sale, ready to go in, so I'm not guessing.)