stas

Just dropped off my 04 SE with a dealer for an oil change. When I picked it up - the dude was saying I need my "front brakes replaced" for a low-low $199 + tax He said I only have "a couple of thousand miles left on them" before they become a safety hazard. Admittedly, I am a noob (but I looooves me 04 Maxima) - hence the need to turn to the experts - fellow Maxers. So what's the verdict - is this guy smoking crack - or is he for real? Also, if they did wear off that fast - could they be covered by warranty - outside the normal wear'n'tear provision? Waddaya guys think?

Monotaur

I'm not sure if you need to replace your pads (are you sure thats what he was asking about?), but several of us here have had our rotors turned after only a few thousand miles... (I had mine turned at 11.5K - and I think they are starting to warp again at 16K).

Unfortunately, pads and the like only carry a one year/12K mile wear'n'tear warranty.

msoemax

It really depends on the type of driving you do. The only real good way to know if you need pads is to take a front wheel off and take a look at how much pad remains. Anything over 1/8 of an inch should be good for ~5k-10k miles. If they are around 1/8th of an inch, or less, you may want to consider replacing them soon, next oil change.

I don't know how thick new pads are, but I would expect you to have ~1/4 inch left on the pads. Under easy driving conditions you should be able to get around 25k-30k miles on the pads. If you do a lot of stop and go driving you can expect closer to 20k out of them. So the dealer may not be full of it. Do you know any mechanics? If so seek their help. I hope this helps a little.

Souljourner

16k miles? No way. Not unless you ride the brake constantly and love to slam on the brakes all the time. I'm kinda rough on brakes, and I have 20k on my Max with no problems.

Yeah, the pads only have a 12k warranty, but that's because they're *made* to wear out.

The best idea is to take a look yourself, as others have mentioned. The guy can probably tell you're a newbie, and is try to take you for a ride. If you look at the brake pads and there's plenty of pad left, I'd think about finding a new place to get your work done.

-Nate

Mike_TX

I see you live in Brooklyn, so if you do a lot of driving in the City, you're on and off the brakes a lot. Nevertheless, I'd be amazed if you need pads already. I usually get 50-60,000 miles out of brake pads, but I try not to use them anymore than I have to.

Mike

Viper1

There are two way of knowing if your brake pads are worn out without a visual inspection.

Our brake pads have a audible replacement indicator on them. They should start to squeak (all the time) when it is time to replace them. Also look at the brake fluid reservior, if it is low your dealer may be right.

BTW, you should never refill your brake fluid when it is low. Have your brakes inspected first.

Viper1

VTmaximaVT

if you learn how to replace the brake pad, you can replace all 4 of them for
less than $100. and it will only take you about two hours even if it's your first
time.

msoemax

99% sure that he'll only need to do the fronts if they truely are bad. The rear takes only ~10% of the load when braking so those can last ~60k

I still have my doubts. Like someone said above when pads need replacing you will hear a squeek. That tells us that it's time for new ones. There also is a TSB out there for cars built before 3/18/04. The pads were defective. They would squeek when warm.

Monotaur

Can you point me to this TSB? I brought my car in to the dealership SO many times for obnoxiously loud brake pad squeel (9/03 build), but they kept telling me it was normal (or that they couldn't duplicate it...). Since the squeel has largely subsided, I doubt that they would do this now (especially since I have over 16K on the car), but I'd still like to see it...

Thanks

msoemax

http://www.infinitihelp.com/Ownershi.../NTB04-075.htm