How much to replace your brake pads?

Like many things to do with car ownership, a car’s brakes are more than just a crucial safety issue, they can also make up a significant part of monthly running costs. So, how much to replace brake pads on your car?

It will probably come as no surprise to learn there’s no simple answer here and many factors play a part in the final cost.

But first, let’s take a look at what a brake pad is and what it does that’s so important. Fundamentally, a brake pad is the part of a car’s disc brake system that grabs the rotor to stop it turning and, therefore, slow the car or stop it completely.

Think about spinning a bicycle wheel and grabbing the tyre to stop it. Your hand represents the brake caliper, but the skin on your palms is the equivalent of the brake pad.

Now, if you did that bicycle wheel trick often enough, you’d eventually war the skin off your palms. And that’s precisely why brake pads wear out; they get consumed with every application of the car’s brakes.

The brake pads effectively apply friction to the rotors, turning kinetic energy (the wheel turning) into heat and noise and that’s what stops a car.

It also eventually turns the pads material into a fine dust that is blown away (some of which sticks to the wheel and is what turns your nice shiny alloys black).

Let’s start with what make and model car you’re driving. If it’s an older car with front disc brakes and drum brakes on the back wheels (and we’ll get to drum-brake lining replacement some other time) then the cost to replace those brake pads will be the cost of the pads themselves plus what ever labour charge in involved to do the job.

Usually, this isn’t a major job, so an hour or two at the workshop should sort it. If it’s a newer car with disc brakes on all four wheels, you can figure on doubling that cost, because you’ll need twice the number of brake pads and twice the amount of labour.

Plenty of online sellers and traditional parts stores will have brake pads for common makes and models on the shelf, and, for that same common make and model, the price for a set of front brake pads will usually be somewhere between $50 and $100. By the time you add the labour to fit the pads, you’re looking at least at a couple of hundred bucks, more if it’s a tricky car to work on.

Brake pads replacement cost can start to get more expensive pretty quickly, though, if you also need the brake rotors machined and perhaps the brake fluid changed (which car owners tend to ignore far too often).

If you have an exotic car or one with high performance brakes fitted, then the cost of the pads could be much higher than the typical or average price. The more exotic the friction material (the part of the pad that actually rubs on the rotor) the more expensive they are to buy.

It’s also worth noting that a lot of cars (particularly European models) can’t escape with just a brake pad change. That’s because their brakes are designed to be replaced as an entire assembly (pads and rotors at the same time) at which point, you’re probably looking at closer to several hundred dollars and maybe more.

But you can’t dodge it, because new pads on old rotors on this type of car just won’t cut it and you’ll be driving something dangerous as a result.

On cars where you can change just the brake pads, it’s okay to leave the original rotors if they’re in good nick. But if you are changing the rotors, always replace the pads with new owes, as old pads on new rotors is a great way to damage those new rotors. As for second hand pads or rotors, forget it, your brakes are just too important to cut corners.

Replacing your own brake pads is possible, but should only be attempted by those who know what they’re doing as, again, this is a car’s primary safety system.

The idea of a DIY brake pad change also depends on there being nothing else wrong with the braking system, as well as having the right tools to remove the calipers and force back the internal pistons so the newer, fatter pads will fit over the rotor.

If any of that sounds confusing, then taking the car to a brake specialist is probably the smart thing to do.

The other issue, of course, is how to tell if your brake pads need replacing. Many cars now have electronic brake-wear indicators that will light up a warning on your dashboard when the pads have been reduced to a minimum thickness.

In older or cheaper cars without these electronics, you need to remove each wheel and, with a torch, look at the space between the rotor surface and the pad’s backing plate. If there’s not enough pad material left, it’s time for a change.

Ignore all this stuff, and you’ll eventually hear a metal-on-metal grinding noise whenever you apply the brakes. That tells you you’ve completely run out of brake pad material and you’re now damaging the rotors. You’ve left it too late.

So how often do cars need new brake pads? It all depends on what sort of driving you do and the type of car. High performance cars tend to have softer brake pad material that works better, but wears faster. That’s the trade-off for performance driving.

Meantime, drivers who live in country areas generally get many more kilometres from a set of brake pads because they’re not constantly stopping for red lights and whatever else.

People who drive aggressively, will also wear their brakes out faster than somebody who cruises along and anticipates each stop, leaving plenty of time to slow the car gradually.

Also, towing heavy loads will increase brake wear, as will a heavier car versus a lighter one.

That’s physics for you, but it’s also why you need to keep a close eye on your brake pads to keep yourself and everybody else safe.