Brake Pads

Ideally you should look to check your brake pads either every 6 months or every 15,000 miles, depending which one comes first. On most vehicles you can actually see your brake pad through the holes in your wheel. Whilst you may need to use a flashlight to get a good look, you should be able to get a good look at the pad to determine their thickness. 

If the pads look thin, such as if they are less than 4mm, then it’s time to get them replaced. Some brake pads also have a wear indicator down the side of the pad itself. If the tab is either almost touching the rotor it’s actually broken off, then it’s also time to replace. 

We can of course provide your vehicle with a health check or service too and our team of professionals will be able to indicate how long your brake pads have left until they need to be replaced.

While most drivers find their brake pads need replacing every 30,000 to 70,000 miles, this isn't a hard and fast rule. Because the lifespan of your brake pads all depends on a variety of factors, from the way you drive to the material they’re made out of. 

1. Brake Pad Material - First of all, the material your brake pads are made from has a big say on their lifespan. 
   
   1. Organic Brake Pads: Made from fibers, fillers and rubber bonded with heat-resistant resin. They’re the most affordable option, but often are less durable than the alternatives.
   2. Metallic Brake Pads: Offering excellent durability, heat displacement and performance, they tend to last longer than organic brake pads but are often harsher on your brake discs.
   3. Ceramic Brake Pads:  If it’s superior braking performance you’re after, then ceramic brake pads are the right choice for you. Whilst they’re often more expensive, their performance is unrivalled and are what you’ll find on sports cars.
2. The Type Of Journeys - It almost goes without saying that the more you drive your vehicle, the more likely it is that your brake pads will wear down. However, it’s not just the distance your vehicle travels, but also the type of journeys you often take. 
   
   If you do a lot of ‘city’ driving where you often start and stop, the likelihood of brake pad wear increases. Whilst brake pads on a vehicle that primarily spends its life on the motorway will more than likely last longer due to infrequent braking. 
3. Your Driving Style - The way you drive your car has a big say in the lifespan of your brake pads too. If you tend to be more heavy footed on the brakes when using them or brake suddenly more often, your brake pads are more likely to wear down quicker. By lifting your foot off the accelerator earlier and coasting to a stop you can extend brake pad replacement intervals much more. 
4. Your Car Type - If you own a high performance vehicle or one that often partakes in track days, your brake pads are of course more likely to degrade quicker. They usually last around 15,000 to 35,000 miles for ‘usual’ road use which can be reduced massively to just a few race days for cars used on the racetrack.
5. The Weight Of Your Vehicle - Larger SUV’s or cars that frequently carry more passengers are also more likely to experience brake pad degradation. Stopping the vehicle with a full load of passengers requires more ‘clamping force’ from the caliper to reach a standstill. This extra force creates higher temperatures which can often cause the brake pad material to break down more rapidly. 

There’s a wide range of factors that influence how long your brake pads will last. It’s important to look out for any tell-tale signs of brake pad failure such as reduced responsiveness and longer stopping distances as these could indicate the need to replace your brake pads. 

Your vehicle will fail an MOT when the thickness of its brake pads is down to 1.5mm. However we wouldn’t recommend you letting the brake pads get anywhere near that thickness. In vehicles that have brake pad sensors, you will likely be notified on your dashboard that the brake pads are worn once they reach 3mm. 

However, we’d recommend that once your brake pads reach below a 4mm thickness that you should be looking to get them replaced to both improve braking performance and ensure the safety of you and others both in your vehicle and on the road.