How Often Should Brake Pads Be Replaced for Safety?
2 Answers
Most car owners replace their brake pads after driving 40,000 to 50,000 kilometers. When brake pads wear down to a certain extent, the vehicle's braking force decreases, which can seriously affect daily driving safety. Methods to determine whether brake pads need replacement are as follows: 1. Judging by sound: If you hear a sharp metal scraping sound when braking, it indicates that the brake pads need to be replaced. 2. Judging by thickness: You can regularly check the thickness of the brake pads. If the thickness is less than 3mm, it means the brake pads need replacement. 3. Alarm system reminder: When a brake pad warning message appears on the dashboard, it indicates that the brake pads need to be replaced immediately.
As someone who often helps friends with car repairs, I've noticed that brake pad replacement doesn't have a fixed schedule—it mainly depends on actual wear. Typically, front brake pads need inspection every 30,000-50,000 km, while rear ones last longer. Here's a simple method: check the brake pad thickness through the wheel hub gap—replace when it's down to about 3mm. Mountain driving causes faster wear; after my Sichuan-Tibet road trip, I found nearly half the pads were worn. Remember to check brake discs during pad replacement—deep grooves mean they need replacing too. Recently, I detected uneven wear on my cousin's left front brake pad, caused by a seized caliper slide rail.
