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So, I just wanted to post this up here. Maybe it’ll be useful for someone one day. As reference, my car is a 2015 IS350 F-Sport and my lease is ending in August 2019.
In August 2017, my brake maintenance was due (according to the maintenance schedule) and instead of bringing it to the dealership (or stealership), I decided to do it myself. I cleaned the brakes and lubed everything back up. I was at ~32,000km (~20,000mi). The rear brakes, at that time, were still okay-ish… the rotors were slightly grooved but the pads were still thick enough that I thought it could last until the end of my lease. For the front, I realized at that point that the pads were really worn out but the rotors were still fine. I ended up purchasing Akebono front pads (from Amazon – 85$CAD) and put them on the OEM rotors soon after (simple swap). And 8,000km later (or 5,000mi), everything is still perfect!
Two weeks ago, while switching back to my summer tires, I saw that my rear pads were getting really thin compared to last August (I didn’t measure thickness though). I’m now at ~39,500km (~24,500mi) and I definitely won’t be able to last very long with those so I decided to buy new Akebono rear pads (from Amazon – 100$CAD). I was really hesitant about the rotors since my lease is ending "soon" and I didn't want to spend too much on it. I was asking myself : should I simply switch the pads like I did for the front or should I switch rotors too? I ended up buying new rotors (Bremsen from local store – 57$CAD each) and it was the best decision ever! While taking the old rotors out, I saw how rusted they were. I don’t even think they were helping much. Attached are pictures of the rear brake job:
Anyone has any idea why they rusted so bad?
It’s my daily driver and I even use it on the weekend to drive my wife around shopping
For reference, last summer, I asked Lexus about the brakes and they wanted to charge me about 1,200$CAD + tax (total of ~1,400$CAD) to change all 4x rotors and brake pads (OEM parts + labor included). I did it myself and spent about 300$CAD but I haven't changed my front rotors though! So I roughly saved 1,000$CAD!
How often do you wash the car (rinse out wheel wells with fresh water)?
I'm guilty! By living in a condo, I don't have easy access to water in the underground parking. So the answer would be: not too often! I try to wash the car a few times during winter, but it gets dirty so quickly that I gave up LOL. Anyways, planning to move to a house soon where I'll have my own garage!
Did you do any servicing on the rear shoes there??
I only readjusted the star-wheel so my e-brake pedal becomes tighter. I read somewhere that when pressing the e-brake pedal, it should take about 7-9 clicks for it to become tight. I could reach 12-14 clicks on mine... so since I was there and since I had new rotors, I took the opportunity to readjust it at the same time.
Those rotors seem to indicate seized sliding pins on your rear calipers. I had similar issues in my 2IS, replaced under warranty.
They didn't seem seized when I took them out, that was the first thing I checked. Also, I lubed them up last August while doing my brake maintenance. I'll see how it goes with the new parts in!
I am also from Montreal, what's the part number for the Akebono pads and Bremsen rotors? from which store you got your rotors from?
Hello there, Montrealer!
I had to wait until I get home to reply because I didn't have the pictures with me. Here's what I used for my front pads, rear pads and rear rotors. Hope this helps! Also, I get most of my parts at Bernie Auto in Ville St-Laurent. I also got some parts from "Pièces d'auto Dorval". The Bremsen rotors were from Bernie. Pads were from Amazon. But lately, I was referred by a coworker to buy on rockauto.com instead. Next time, I'll try ordering from there. It's just the waiting time that bugs me. Most of the times, Bernie gets my parts for the same day if I call early enough (worst case, it's the next day).
Hello there, Montrealer!
I had to wait until I get home to reply because I didn't have the pictures with me. Here's what I used for my front pads, rear pads and rear rotors. Hope this helps! Also, I get most of my parts at Bernie Auto in Ville St-Laurent. I also got some parts from "Pièces d'auto Dorval". The Bremsen rotors were from Bernie. Pads were from Amazon. But lately, I was referred by a coworker to buy on rockauto.com instead. Next time, I'll try ordering from there. It's just the waiting time that bugs me. Most of the times, Bernie gets my parts for the same day if I call early enough (worst case, it's the next day).
Very nice! Thanks alot for the photos.
I live st-laurent so Bernie auto is 5 mins drive haha
I leased with Lexus Laval. I shopped around and they were the ones giving me the best discounts. I went to Lexus Spinelli in Pointe-Claire and Lexus Gabriel in St-Laurent.
I leased with Lexus Laval. I shopped around and they were the ones giving me the best discounts. I went to Lexus Spinelli in Pointe-Claire and Lexus Gabriel in St-Laurent.
Good choice haha since I work in Lexus Laval in Sales
Great post! How do like the Akebono pads compared to OEM? Can you describe any differences in braking feel, power or noise?
Also, bit premature to change back to the summer set in Montreal this year? Didn't you guys just have a snow storm a couple days ago?
Honestly, I don't really feel the difference between the Akebono and OEM. I have a slight feeling that the Akebono has less power than the OEM, but maybe I was influenced by what I've read online LOL. About the noise, I've always had quiet brakes and these ones aren't exceptions. There's another thread going on right now about noisy brakes and apparently, it is "normal"... it would drive me crazy to have the brake scream every time I brake. I haven't driven with the Akebono long enough (in a clean weather) to noticed the dust difference. Since I installed the front Akebono pads last September, it was pretty much dirty weather up until now. Can't wait to start washing the car and shining the wheels when summer arrives for real! Then, I'll be able to see the dust difference.
As for the summer tires, I have the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ and they're all-season tires. So I'm not too worried with the tiny bit of snow we've got here lately hahaha. I might not drive it in 40cm of snow, but our March/April "snow storm" are not very big. I've been told a few times by friends and coworkers, that it's too early. But back in the days, my dad used to drive on all-season tires all year long. Up here in Quebec, we are obliged to have winter tires from December 15th to March 15th (the law came out only a few years ago). So technically, I could put back my summer tires on March 16th, but I still waited a bit... until March 23rd
04-03-18, 10:19 AM
Rusted rear brakes IS350
