replace rear brake pads at 4 mm thickness, only 59k miles

My Nissan Leaf Forum

Help Support My Nissan Leaf Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

rawlins02

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 29, 2017
Messages
99
Location
southern Delaware
Courtesy inspection of my 2014 S at dealer reports 4 mm thickness on rear pads and suggested replacing them and rotors. Car has just 59 k miles, I bought it from them four years ago at 35 k miles, and it has lost just one bar of battery capacity. Braking feels fine. I drive in Eco mode. Based on posts here, I assume this is an uncommon amount of wear. I understand that pads should be replaced when they're around 3-4 mm thickness. I'm light on the brakes and only drive it around 6-7 k miles a year. I have an appointment tomorrow that I think I'll cancel. Perhaps check thickness myself to confirm or bring somewhere else to check, hoping they are a bit more than 4 mm. Is it reasonable to expect more life left on these pads given their thickness, battery regen capability, and my driving habits? Or replace pads but not rotors?
 
Unless the rotors are damaged or seriously warped (and that would be detectable by you) you can have just the pads replaced. The issue may be surface rust on the rotors building up often, and being scrubbed off when the car is then driven, taking a tiny bit of pad with it. I would also check the dealer's reputation, as unfortunately many dealerships will "fib" about things like this. Still, 59,000 miles is a lot of miles for a normal car's brakes, and not unreasonable wear for an EV.
 
LeftieBiker said:
Unless the rotors are damaged or seriously warped (and that would be detectable by you) you can have just the pads replaced. The issue may be surface rust on the rotors building up often, and being scrubbed off when the car is then driven, taking a tiny bit of pad with it. I would also check the dealer's reputation, as unfortunately many dealerships will "fib" about things like this. Still, 59,000 miles is a lot of miles for a normal car's brakes, and not unreasonable wear for an EV.

This is the local Nissan dealer, I've been pretty happy with the service I've received, and reviews are good. I'm inclined to ask why they always suggest replacing rotors when replacing pads and pass on that option. 59,000 miles does seem reasonable for this amount of wear, though the posts I've seen here seem to suggest that some owners see pads last well into a time when battery capacity degrades. Maybe the previous owner of this car was heavy on the breaks.
 
They want to replace the rotors--it is a transfer device, to transfer funds out of your wallet to theirs.

Unless you are seeing a bunch of rust it is not likely they are worn out yet and need to be changed (pads or rotors), and with your annual mileage it can wait to get inspected again next year.

The front brakes do the most braking and those are the ones to check, usually replace the front pads twice for every one time of the rear.
 
Nubo said:
My copy of the service manual shows the wear limit for LEAF pads to be 2mm.

Thanks. Good to know. I also saw guidance that suggested to consider replacing at between 3 and 4 mm, and go no lower than 2 mm. At 4 mm now, I'm going to wait a while longer.
 
nlspace said:
They want to replace the rotors--it is a transfer device, to transfer funds out of your wallet to theirs.

Unless you are seeing a bunch of rust it is not likely they are worn out yet and need to be changed (pads or rotors), and with your annual mileage it can wait to get inspected again next year.

The front brakes do the most braking and those are the ones to check, usually replace the front pads twice for every one time of the rear.

Interesting that both front pads are at 6 mm. Since I got the car at 35,000 miles, I doubt the fronts have been replaced, and thus wear on the rear pads would be greater than the fronts.
 
rawlins02 said:
Nubo said:
My copy of the service manual shows the wear limit for LEAF pads to be 2mm.

Thanks. Good to know. I also saw guidance that suggested to consider replacing at between 3 and 4 mm, and go no lower than 2 mm. At 4 mm now, I'm going to wait a while longer.

I don't know where you're at with DIY but I find the recommended tire rotation intervals are a good opportunity for inspecting the brakes.
 
I am surprised at the brake wear (if the dealer is being honest) because LEAF's have ceramic pads. My experience with ceramic pads on several vehicles is that they last a long time, but wear the rotors more so that rotors are about down to minimum thickness by the time the pads are truly worn out. My 2011 had original pads in good condition when it was totaled at 50k miles; my 2015 had original pads in good condition when I traded it at 82k miles; and I expect to get well over 80k miles from the original brakes on my 2019, but rust is not a problem in my climate.
 
You may see a higher than normal rear brake wear if you have Active Trace Control turned on.
 
Nubo said:
rawlins02 said:
Nubo said:
My copy of the service manual shows the wear limit for LEAF pads to be 2mm.

Thanks. Good to know. I also saw guidance that suggested to consider replacing at between 3 and 4 mm, and go no lower than 2 mm. At 4 mm now, I'm going to wait a while longer.

I don't know where you're at with DIY but I find the recommended tire rotation intervals are a good opportunity for inspecting the brakes.

Great suggestion. But I don't have jack stands, so no DIY on tire rotations.
 
GerryAZ said:
I am surprised at the brake wear (if the dealer is being honest) because LEAF's have ceramic pads. My experience with ceramic pads on several vehicles is that they last a long time, but wear the rotors more so that rotors are about down to minimum thickness by the time the pads are truly worn out. My 2011 had original pads in good condition when it was totaled at 50k miles; my 2015 had original pads in good condition when I traded it at 82k miles; and I expect to get well over 80k miles from the original brakes on my 2019, but rust is not a problem in my climate.

Looks like you had good performance, as have several others who've posted results and perceptions of how the ceramic pads wear on their Leaf. I'm in a wet climate, so rust could play some role in wear.
 
Back
Top