How many miles are you getting on brakes and rotars

jettapenguin

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Mar 31, 2009
Location
NH
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2009 JSW - Blue
My lil' polluter does 75% city, 25% highway and is driven by this mad man everyday of its life. Rear pads replaced at ~90K miles. Front pads currently have about 30% left at 108K miles.
168k and still on the original fronts. Rears replaced around 120k

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GetMore

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Apr 10, 2003
Location
Patterson, New York
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1997 Passat TDI, 2010 Jetta Sportwagen
I have now replaced the front brakes, at 117,xxx miles. The right inner pad wore more than the rest, and that's the one with the sensor.
Strangely, the pads are only about half gone. Seems kind of early to replace them to me. But, since the brake light in the dash stays on there would be no warning if there was some other problem, so I had no choice.
 

turbobrick240

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maine
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2011 vw golf tdi(gone to greener pastures), 2001 ford f250 powerstroke
It's the left (driver side) inboard front pad that has the sensor.
 
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turbobrick240

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maine
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2011 vw golf tdi(gone to greener pastures), 2001 ford f250 powerstroke
^Damn! I bet your car doesn't see too many track days.
 

crashtested

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Nelson, BC
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2016 Q5 TDI Technik, 2014 GSW CL 6MT (RIP), 2004 Jetta GLS 5MT (sold), 2010 GSW HL 6MT (buy back)
157k km and the warning light came on. Going in for all 4 corners on Friday. $700 at my local shop.
 

arto_wa

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Oct 30, 2013
Location
S.W. Washington State
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2010 Jetta Sportwagen TDI, 6 sp manual
157k km and the warning light came on. Going in for all 4 corners on Friday. $700 at my local shop.

Yeah, the shops always insist on re-machining all four rotors for liability etc. bs.


What if all it really needs is new pads?

Measure the rotor thickness and compare to VW minimum spec. to see if still reusable?
If there is no noticeable run-out they should fine.

If you do it that way, just take it easy when using brakes for the first few days.

That is how I have always done with my cars and trucks and when the rotors are finally worn close to minimum thickness, I replace rotors and pads.

I realize it's not so convenient this time of the year, unless you have access to a garage and few tools etc.

:cool:
 

b1jackson

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Dec 3, 2005
Location
Prince Edward Island, Canada
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2012 Golf - Gone in BUYBACK. Replaced with 2015 Golf
Damn. I read this thread yesterday and it jinxed me! Big orange warning indicator came on this AM. Appointment made for next week. 134,000 kms on the originals. Not sure if its all 4 or just the front I'll need.

Also going to get a brake fluid flush at the same time as our old MK4 seemed to have a stuck caliper on every second oil change and likely had moisture in the system.
 

turbobrick240

Top Post Dawg
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maine
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2011 vw golf tdi(gone to greener pastures), 2001 ford f250 powerstroke
Yeah, the shops always insist on re-machining all four rotors for liability etc. bs.


What if all it really needs is new pads?

Measure the rotor thickness and compare to VW minimum spec. to see if still reusable?
If there is no noticeable run-out they should fine.

If you do it that way, just take it easy when using brakes for the first few days.

That is how I have always done with my cars and trucks and when the rotors are finally worn close to minimum thickness, I replace rotors and pads.

I realize it's not so convenient this time of the year, unless you have access to a garage and few tools etc.

:cool:
That's what I do too. My rotors were in fantastic shape when I changed my pads, so I just left them alone. I got an AutoZone free rental tool and did all four corners for around $90.
 

crashtested

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2016 Q5 TDI Technik, 2014 GSW CL 6MT (RIP), 2004 Jetta GLS 5MT (sold), 2010 GSW HL 6MT (buy back)
IMHO new & new is the way to go. If I was pinching pennies maybe I'd worry but piece of mind is worth more then the few extra dollars for new rotors.
 

arto_wa

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Location
S.W. Washington State
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2010 Jetta Sportwagen TDI, 6 sp manual
IMHO new & new is the way to go. If I was pinching pennies maybe I'd worry but piece of mind is worth more then the few extra dollars for new rotors.

Well, that changes everything - anyone willing to spend $700 for set of new brake pads should just go right ahead!

To get new rotors at every pad change is the way to go for some, but not for me!

:eek:
 

ksing44

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Feb 13, 2010
Location
Southeast PA
TDI
2010 Golf TDI
^^But if you only have to do it at 150K miles or more, it's really not a big deal. I think it's amazing how long the brakes last on these cars! I'm at 124K at the moment, still original pads.
 

ATR

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Location
Baltimore
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2011 Golf TDI 6MT
Well, that changes everything - anyone willing to spend $700 for set of new brake pads should just go right ahead!

To get new rotors at every pad change is the way to go for some, but not for me!

:eek:
I personally worked at a BMW dealer for a year and I quickly learned that pads and rotors were replaced at the same time. This was done because the pads had worn the rotors down to a point where it was unsafe to turn or reuse the rotors. This was done to avoid this from happening.



More info here:
FAQ: Why do I need new brake rotors/discs?

Needless to say brakes are one of the areas where you should never cheap out on.
 

turbobrick240

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Nov 18, 2014
Location
maine
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2011 vw golf tdi(gone to greener pastures), 2001 ford f250 powerstroke
That rotor has seen better days. I have actually seen even worse than that. I inspect the rotors for thickness and grooves before I decide to replace or not. Usually has a lot to with if the pads were changed out before metal on metal contact. Typically works out to two sets of pads per rotor.
 

Mr.Staplehead

Member
Joined
Sep 28, 2015
Location
Moscow, PA
TDI
2011 Jetta Sportwagen TDI
107,000 Miles. Only needed front pads. Got drilled and slotted Rotors and pads all around from Thebrakeguys.com ~$350. Stops on a dime.
 

ATR

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jun 18, 2005
Location
Baltimore
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2011 Golf TDI 6MT
107,000 Miles. Only needed front pads. Got drilled and slotted Rotors and pads all around from Thebrakeguys.com ~$350. Stops on a dime.
Be sure to keep an eye on the holes around the drilled parts of the rotors:


If you see cracks like that forming the rotors should be replaced. One of the down sides of drilled rotors is that they are very susceptible to cracking even under street use.

More detailed explanation here:

Rotors: Blank vs Cross Drilled vs Slotted and Warping

There is more misinformation about cross drilled rotors than anything else I can think of on a car. The general consensus seems to be that drilled and slotted rotors offer better performance than “blank” rotors. This is simply not the case.

At one point in time, race cars did have cross drilled rotors. This is probably where the idea that they offer increased performance came from. But if you look at any serious professional race car today, I would be shocked if you found any cross-drilling.

Like everything else, there are advantages and disadvantages to drilling and slotting a rotor. Fortunately, technology has progressed so that there is no longer a need to cross dill rotors and therefore, we don’t have to deal with its disadvantages.

The reason why rotors were drilled in the first place was to relieve the gas that was created when the pad material started to breakdown (burn). Since modern pads don’t gas off any significant amount, this is simply not a concern.

Many people and advertisements claim that cross drilling helps the rotor cool. I’m sure those little holes do help the rotor cool in some regard (possibly not measurable), but the effect in reality is completely insignificant. Furthermore, any benefit of extra cooling is most likely off set by the reduction of the rotors mass due to the drilling – which lowers the overall heat capacity of the rotor.

So now that you know that there is no benefit to running a cross drilled rotor, we are left with a major disadvantage. What all of those little holes do is create stress risers and a surface that’s unevenly heated and cooled. The result of this is that the rotor becomes very easy to crack and makes a catastrophic failure much more likely. The worst situation is when a crack forms and connects between multiple holes – much like a connect-the-dot puzzle. This can lead to a large piece of the rotor breaking free which I can assure you is not good at all.

So why do all those high dollar cars like Ferrari, Lamborghini and Porsche have drilled rotors? Well, because people think it looks cool. The rotors on those cars fail when pushed hard as well, and the professional race teams that run these cars replace them with non-drilled rotors. In my experience, cross-drilled rotors just don’t last as long as a blank rotor. If you ever go to the track and find someone pushing a car hard that has cross-drilled rotors, put your ear near one of his wheels and listen carefully when he gets back to the paddock. You will hear small metallic pings and pops as the rotor cools unevenly. What you will be hearing is the sound of the cracks forming….

So what about slotting?

Slotting serves the same purpose as drilling but doesn’t weaken the rotor as much. Slotting is also advertised to “wipe” the surface of the pad preventing glazing. I don’t know how much of this is true or how much of an effect this has, but the real world result of this is that your pads don’t last as long. Typically, if you glaze your pads, you have already surpassed the heat range of the material and the pad will most likely have “melted” onto the rotor surface creating an uneven transfer layer. I don’t see how slotting is going to prevent this.
 

Mr.Staplehead

Member
Joined
Sep 28, 2015
Location
Moscow, PA
TDI
2011 Jetta Sportwagen TDI
~13000 miles and they still look good. I appreciate the heads up! I'll definately keep an eye on them now and on my wife's grand cherokee also. They will probably be more susceptible to cracking because of the weight of that monster. (And her New Jersey drive it like you stole it style.)

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ATR

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jun 18, 2005
Location
Baltimore
TDI
2011 Golf TDI 6MT
~13000 miles and they still look good. I appreciate the heads up! I'll definately keep an eye on them now and on my wife's grand cherokee also. They will probably be more susceptible to cracking because of the weight of that monster. (And her New Jersey drive it like you stole it style.)

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No problem :cool:

I normally just recommend plain faced rotors since they are the most reliable and longest lasting.

If insisted that a bit more bite is required slotted rotors offer that. Just be sure to get ones where the slots do NOT go to the edge of the rotor. If they do they give a easy place for thermal expansion, and most notably cracking, to take place.

This is the style of slotted to get if you want:
 

79jasper

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Joined
Feb 27, 2014
Location
Skiatook, Oklahoma
TDI
2010 jetta
Being that the pads last so long, kinda points to the disc as being the main wear item.
At a minimum, I would have the rotors turned by a reputable shop. (Of course change the pads, because now the wear patterns will be different)
We're coming up on 80k miles with original parts. But I'll probably be changing them before I go to Kuwait. The brakes have never really felt quite right imo. I feel like I could stop my F350 faster. And I'll be doing the brake flush.
Rather just do it myself then have to have the wife take the car in while I'm gone.
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turbobrick240

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maine
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2011 vw golf tdi(gone to greener pastures), 2001 ford f250 powerstroke
The pads can easily outlast the rotors on a vehicle that sits a lot and developes rusty rotors. But the vast majority of the time, the rotors will outlast the pads by a factor of 2.
 

ATR

Top Post Dawg
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Location
Baltimore
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2011 Golf TDI 6MT
Being that the pads last so long, kinda points to the disc as being the main wear item.
At a minimum, I would have the rotors turned by a reputable shop. (Of course change the pads, because now the wear patterns will be different)
We're coming up on 80k miles with original parts. But I'll probably be changing them before I go to Kuwait. The brakes have never really felt quite right imo. I feel like I could stop my F350 faster. And I'll be doing the brake flush.
Rather just do it myself then have to have the wife take the car in while I'm gone.
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I too always found the brakes to be a bit squishy. Tyrolsport makes a kit to replace the rubber caliper bushings with brass & stainless steel bushings:
http://www.tyrolsport.com/brakes/tyrolsport-brake-caliper-stiffening-kit-for-vw/audi/

That helped brake feel immensely!
Now all I need to do is breathe on the brake pedal to get them working.
 

skinnyb

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Sep 19, 2009
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Western, NC
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2013 JSW TDI
Looked at mine during my 80k service and they still had lots and lots of life left. I bet I will be able to get at least 150k at this rate
 

740GLE

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NH
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2015 Passat SEL, 2017 Alltrack SE; BB 2010 Sedan Man; 2012 Passat,
Still on originals at 121K. I regrettably picked up rotors and pads last march for fear I needed to replace them to pass inspection, no note of needing replacement at the TB job in Dec.
 

Brian's96TDIPASSAT

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Now THAT is IMPRESSIVE!!
ez sends................
I've always been very easy on clutch and brakes and for that matter tires as well. I drive fast but a lot of highway and don't tailgate etc. Now my wife more than makes up for it. Uses gas/brake as a switch:eek:
 

MaverickH1

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Jul 12, 2011
Location
Roanoke, VA
TDI
2002 Jetta TDI
I had to replace both my rear pads and rotors at about 50,000 miles. They were galled like CRAZY. Plenty of pad left, just galled for some reason. I have no idea why.

I meant to take pictures and post them because it looked horrible and I couldn't believe how bad it was. My guess is that I brake lightly almost all the time... and someone posted once that these cars only use the rear brakes for light braking... so maybe the rear brakes were over used as a result.
 
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