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I took my '02 Highlander to a full Auto X day with Akebono ProACT pads and that was a year ago, they still have lots of meat on them and still feel and look great. They're about half worn from when I put them back on in 2020 (lots of hard driving since 2020 too).
Did you have the normal,premium, or super premium Centric pads? Reading a bit about them, it seems there's a good bit of difference between them.
I have significantly misspoken and I apologize.
I dug through my ancient emails and what I actually bought were the cheapest R1 Concepts ceramic pads that were available about 10 years ago.
I'm glad you pressed me to dig further. I'm not sure why I was so convinced they were Centric... Maybe they actually shipped me that, but I can't remember so it's not fair for me to slam them, here.
Guys, I'm a bit surprised by the akebono pads that just showed up.
Rear - ACT1391A. They appear to be smaller than the OEM. I don't have the wheels off at the moment but these pads are certainly smaller than the fronts. I thought the front and back were the same size?
Front - ACT1324A. These appear to be the same size as OEM.
Neither set has the full size metal clips, instead there's a bunch of small metal fittings. Unsure if these will work with our vehicles.
Rear brake pads are indeed smaller than front brake pads on most passenger vehicles with 4-wheel disk brakes. That makes sense because the front pads do most of the braking.
I replaced the brake pads on my wife's 2015 RX350 FWD in June 2021 and I remember the rear pads being smaller than the front pads.
Makes sense. For some reason I was under the assumption that all 4 sets of pads were the same size on my 2012, or at least close. Certainly never noticed the stark difference in size that I'm seeing with these akebono's side by side.
My odo is coming up to 70,000 kms (abt. 44,000 miles), so I wandered into my dealership to inquire about a 4-corner service. I was weighing this against doing the work myself. I have done many of my own cars in the past, both drums and disk, but did not have the need to do so in the last ten years due to frequent car changes. Since I've been so pleased with this RX, I decided to let the kms accumulate, to the point where I've decided to keep it much longer.
My local Canadian dealer's service dept. quoted me $800 + tax to do everything, which would top out at $1K. I stood there dumbfounded wanting to reach over and ask him to repeat what I had just heard. Instead, I asked him how long brake pads lasted, and he told me they recommend a full service at 25-30,000 kms (15-18,000 miles). I said, "What? My odo has 65,000+ kms on it." He just looked at me and said, "You better get it in here, you've been lucky" (more FAIL).
I then asked for a quote for front & rear pads, and he said, $115 per axle. Still in a state a shock, I got quotes and ordered new front & rears for about $120 shipped from Sewell. Checking with a Toyota dealer in Bellingham WA, resulted in a complete replacement quote for $600 + tax. Better, but not much.
So, I decided to do it myself. Brakes have evolved but the mechanisms have changed little over the last 30 years. The only significant changes have occurred on the electronic side (brake modulation, anti-skid, etc...). So my total outlay was thus less than $200 including piston seals, (a piston spreader, Gunk brake cleaner, brake fluid, H/T grease, a wire brush, a 2-day subscription to Toyota's TIS for step-by-step instructions). The bracketed items' cost can be spread out over many changes.
As I said previously, my odo is coming up to 70,000 kms, part of me was curious about the condition of the pads. I jacked up one wheel to get a pad thickness-remaining measurement. Toyota's inspection page says pads are 12mm new. They also say that the safe thickness should not be less than 1 mm. That's pretty thin, and any distortion of the pad backing, whether in manufacturing or operational heat could cause some scoring against the rotor. But, it's in the book. One mm is less than 1/16".
To my surprise, I measured 6 mm on each front pads, which represents 50% wear only. What does that say about Lexus dealers, when even Toyota's pads get well over 100 kms rate of wear. I have to qualify this last remark by stating that my driving involves about 40% on hills, and 60% on the flats. My mix of highway/city is about 50/50. So, I definitely do not anticipate changing anything until at least another year goes by. Considering that I've owned this RX for two years and counting, that certainly says a lot of positive things about Toyota/Lexus reliability and durability, but not so much so about their dealers. At $120/hr labour rates, combined with their nonchalant attitude with regards to taking advantage of unsuspecting owners, I can only surmise there's some serious gouging going on. But we all knew that, didn't we?
I will be following up with photos and detailed procedures at a later date in this thread. Disk brakes are very simple pieces of machinery, and just as simple to maintain. With a little elbow grease, brake pads alone can be changed out in about 20 minutes or less per corner, or 40 minutes if piston seals and the rotor needs to be de-glazed. The rotor can be pulled off easily with two 8 mm bolts and de-glazed with a power wire brush. No need to machine them in my opinion if there's no scoring, or runout (warped). Lexus fit their cars with some of the most stable and rigid rotors that I've ever seen, and I definitely don't drive like a church lady. Even after 70,000, there isn't a hint of distortion when applying my brakes. Kudos to Lexus!
My 2002 RX 300 had new brakes installed but calipers were not bled a few months later I totalled my car rearending someone as I had no brakes. I now have a used RX 350 2011 56000 miles which needs brakes what should I expect for them to be done correctly at a local shop I go to for oil changes?
If you cannot do your brake job yourself (always my preference), you need to verify that the shop you utilize for your oil changes can indeed do a correct brake job. Check their online profiles for previous customer comments. Speak with the owner or manager and state your concerns. Ask about their warranty for brake jobs. Do your research and if you are not satisfied with what you learn, find a better service provider.
Makes sense. For some reason I was under the assumption that all 4 sets of pads were the same size on my 2012, or at least close. Certainly never noticed the stark difference in size that I'm seeing with these akebono's side by side.
Thanks for replying
Makes sense as the front calipers are two piston vs the single piston rear calipers...To throw a spin on the rear pads, you could swap out the oem size #1391 rear pads for a set of #1325's which are '08-'13 highlander pads, of course you need to swap out the calipers for the Highlander ones...The 1391's are doing to have a radial taper wear vs the 1325's are going to have a longitude pad wear as the 1325's are longer but narrower then the 1391's which are shorter but wider.....
Lexus is a luxury brand. There is no surprise for me that the dealership charges $800 for brakes. Be ready for more surprises. The good thing is you decided to check the brakes first. 70k does not constitute high mileage and there is no surprise that you still have 50% of life in your pads. Be ready to change the front pads after 120k. That was my case and I have replaced the pads myself. I support your decision to replace the brakes in the future as the job is quite simple indeed.
I need some of your expert advice. I have a 2011 RX350 and I'm thinking of replacing my front rotors and pads.
First, what is the best rotor and pads to purchase? Second, what tool does everyone use to retract the piston?
I've seen different tools for single/dual piston's. Third, does everyone allow the brake fluid to be pushed back
into the master cylinder or do you let it drain out the bleeder valve?
See the sticky thread titled DIY brakes vs Lexus dealer as it contains all the answers to your questions. I use a caliper push tool that has attachments for every type of caliper including 2 piston ones. I just push it in and do not open the bleed screw as that is asking for air in the lines. However I used to use a hammer held backwards with the end of the handle pushing in each piston and me holding the hammer head to push. There are other methods.
Maybe remove a little from the master cylinder first. It is not a large amount of fluid.
There are many excellent choices for rotors and pads. I prefer coated rotors as they rust less and last longer than uncoated ones (such as OEM rotors). I like Raybestos Element 3 hybrid brake pads, but others have their own preferences such as Akebono which is an OEM supplier. Again, the link below covers this in more detail.
You will get all sorts of answers as the question you ask "best" is category based .. life/braking/dust and some based on driving habits.
Middle of the road with vehicle being driven as intended is to stay OEM. [Original and not aftermarket or fakes].
No special tool is required ... C clamp or even flat head screwdriver pushed against the rotor.
I simply make room in the master-cylinder and push one side at a time. At the end I do a 3/4+ suction out of the master and fill fresh brake fluid and then purge the lines. Key is to make sure no air is introduced.
You can open up the bleeder during push back and prevent any stale fluid, but that adds to the risk of introducing air.
You did not mention if there is any issue with the brakes. Is it normal maintenance that you want to perform or on the path of trying to improve brake set-up.
Salim
PS: This works for me as my brake fluid is always serviced and never left uncared. Also I never had the need for replacing the original rotors.
Thank you for your advice,
I purchased this 2011 RX350 (used) on September 19, 2023 from a Lexus dealer in Dayton, Ohio and from the 1st day I noticed
my brakes are pulsating.
12-16-14, 11:44 AM
Brake replacement
