Mazda3 brakes...

[Gibson486]

Mine sound weird now. Everytime I use the brakes at low speeds, i hear an abrasive sound (kind of like when you need your rotors replaced). Anyone else have this problem?

 

[amdhunter]

Time for new pads. As I understand it, thats some kind of pin that scratches lightly against the rotors to let you know the pads are low.

The OEM ones that came with my Civic only lasted 14000 miles. On my old 1996 Galant, I changed pads every 6000 miles or so.

I have a heavy breaking foot though.

 

[Gibson486]

Man....they sure did skimp on their parts.

OEM wipers....suck after 2 months of barely being used
OEM Tires......suck on any wet surface
TIre Pressure....Killed itself after 4 months
Now the brakes? The car only has 8k on it.

I guess cars are the new printers. Buy the car cheap and replace the parts later.

 

[amdhunter]

Originally posted by: Gibson486
Man....they sure did skimp on their parts.

OEM wipers....suck after 2 months of barely being used
OEM Tires......suck on any wet surface
TIre Pressure....Killed itself after 4 months
Now the brakes? The car only has 8k on it.

I guess cars are the new printers. Buy the car cheap and replace the parts later.

lol, my Civic came with these awesome awesome awesome wipers. At 14k miles, and ~18 months, they worked as good as they did brand new. My OEM tires on my GLi kinda suck in the rain and snow, but they are low-profile tires, and more suited to warmer weather.

Brakes could be your fault, I am already eating my Jetta's brakes out, and it only has 1700 miles, lol.

 

[Gibson486]

Originally posted by: amdhunter

Originally posted by: Gibson486
Man....they sure did skimp on their parts.

OEM wipers....suck after 2 months of barely being used
OEM Tires......suck on any wet surface
TIre Pressure....Killed itself after 4 months
Now the brakes? The car only has 8k on it.

I guess cars are the new printers. Buy the car cheap and replace the parts later.

lol, my Civic came with these awesome awesome awesome wipers. At 14k miles, and ~18 months, they worked as good as they did brand new. My OEM tires on my GLi kinda suck in the rain and snow, but they are low-profile tires, and more suited to warmer weather.

Brakes could be your fault, I am already eating my Jetta's brakes, and it only has 1700 miles, lol.

I guess it could be my fault...but i never had a car where the brakes lasted less than 20k. As for the wipers...they were not that good to begin with, so replacing them was a mixed blessing.

 

[DanTMWTMP]

what the hell? I have 18k miles and I still have original factory everything.

Never had a problem w/ the wipers, tires, tire pressure, brakes...

Then again, I live in So Cal near the coastal areas where there's no real extremes in temperature, moisture, nor rain.

 

[moks78]

Originally posted by: Gibson486
Mine sound weird now. Everytime I use the brakes at low speeds, i hear an abrasive sound (kind of like when you need your rotors replaced). Anyone else have this problem?

My son's Mazda 3 started sounding like that at 30K. I had the back pads replaced and the rotors machined to even it out.

I just don't know why the back pads were worn out ahead of the fronts which was still OK and did not need replacement.


Is this true for all Mazda 3s?

 

[jagec]

I bought a used car once where the former owners claimed that it still had the original brakes...at 137k:Q

They had bought it used at 60k, but never had the pads changed themselves...and there was still plenty left. I guess they did a lot of freeway driving.

 

[Gibson486]

Originally posted by: jagec
I bought a used car once where the former owners claimed that it still had the original brakes...at 137k:Q

They had bought it used at 60k, but never had the pads changed themselves...and there was still plenty left. I guess they did a lot of freeway driving.

no....it sounds like they did all freeway driving and used their feet to brake.

 

[jagec]

Originally posted by: Gibson486

Originally posted by: jagec
I bought a used car once where the former owners claimed that it still had the original brakes...at 137k:Q

They had bought it used at 60k, but never had the pads changed themselves...and there was still plenty left. I guess they did a lot of freeway driving.

no....it sounds like they did all freeway driving and used their feet to brake.

Actually, I believe them. It's a small, light car with overpowered brakes. If they weren't driving aggressively (like me:evil, the brakes could last a good long time.

 

[Dman877]

OEM brakes in my TSX lasted until 45k. I replaced them with Hawk HPS pads. Anyone have any experience with these? I like them a lot. They don't leave any brake dust, they don't squeak, and they perform well. I just hope they last for a while...

 

[Riverhound777]

I don't understand the way some people drive. I'm closing in on 40k miles in my 3 and still have the original pads. Last time I had my oil changed they inspected the breaks and put down 40% left on the rear, 60% on the fronts. My OEM tires lasted till 30k. Still on original wipers, though they do kind of suck, but i'm too lazy to replace them to see if it helps.

 

[jjanders]

I have an 02 Protege. 72000 miles. Had to replace the front pads/rotors at 50K. Have had to do the rears TWICE though.

I have a manual and am easy on the brakes. I think the premature rear wear may have been due to the Central NY winters with tons of snow/salt being kicked up into the rear wheels.

Now that I moved somewhere with a less harsh winter we'll see how the rears last.

 

[Gibson486]

Originally posted by: jjanders
I have an 02 Protege. 72000 miles. Had to replace the front pads/rotors at 50K. Have had to do the rears TWICE though.

I have a manual and am easy on the brakes. I think the premature rear wear may have been due to the Central NY winters with tons of snow/salt being kicked up into the rear wheels.

Now that I moved somewhere with a less harsh winter we'll see how the rears last.

Well, I live in MA, so maybe the last snow storm we had did not help the brakes at all.

 

[randomlinh]

Interesting.. I changed my stock pads at 15k miles, but they had at least another 10-15k... and I autocross (which was why I was getting new pads). Still have the original rotors at 53k.

Wipers do indeed suck. But nothing I've bought lasted more than 8 months or so. I got some fancy $20 ones too (buy one get one free at tirerack) and they didn't fit well.

Stock 17" tires suck for the price. $160 for eagle RSA's... sigh.. I see these on other cars as well. They do ok, but $160???!?! I only say they suck because I put on KDW-2's for summer and spoiled myself.

 

[CptCrunch]

I have a 2006 toyota corolla on stock wipers, tires and brakes. At 24k service, had 70% of brake pads left, wipers will need to be replaced soon, but still work well enough. The tires still have plenty of tread left, should last until 45k or so, currently at 30k and change.

 

[prontospyder]

Originally posted by: jagec
I bought a used car once where the former owners claimed that it still had the original brakes...at 137k:Q

They had bought it used at 60k, but never had the pads changed themselves...and there was still plenty left. I guess they did a lot of freeway driving.

whoa - that is a lot!
still using the OEM brakes on my '03 Altima w/87K miles. 50/50 city/highway. I do drive like a granny though.

 

[Thump553]

Originally posted by: jagec
I bought a used car once where the former owners claimed that it still had the original brakes...at 137k:Q

They had bought it used at 60k, but never had the pads changed themselves...and there was still plenty left. I guess they did a lot of freeway driving.

I bought a used Mazda 626 at 67K miles, went to 120k before I changed the pads and didn't even really need to do it then. Probably 40% city/60% highway driving mix.

Brake wear is 90% due to driving techniques. My sister in law is lucky if she gets 15k on a set of pads. I get at least 60k, usually 80k or more. And look at the original poster-two different cars, both with abnormally fast breke pad wear. I wouldn't blame the manufacturer.

 

[amdhunter]

I think my pads wear down because my daily trip to work is all local street driving in the Bronx, NYC. I just pictured my trip in my head, and there are ~20-30 times I need to apply the brakes within a 20 minute period daily, each way.

I guess it all adds up after a while.

 

[LS21]

Originally posted by: Riverhound777
I don't understand the way some people drive. I'm closing in on 40k miles in my 3 and still have the original pads. Last time I had my oil changed they inspected the breaks and put down 40% left on the rear, 60% on the fronts. My OEM tires lasted till 30k. Still on original wipers, though they do kind of suck, but i'm too lazy to replace them to see if it helps.

its not necessary different driving style, also condition (predominantly street vs freeway), heavier cars wear brakes faster, etc... also , some cars simply have accelerated break wear (though 8k is a bit over the top)

generally i get 40-50k out of mine

OP: check the pads for wear. you could probably look through the wheels to see if youve got "meat" left on the pads. if not, just remove your wheel to inspect (front, likely its not the rear at 8k miles). if you need replacement, its real easy to do at home..just takes a few sockets and a c-clamp. if the pads arent worn and the noise is squealy/squeaky, you may just need to re-grease the back of brakepad (where it interface with piston/caliper)

 

[The Stigenator]

my car, 153000 miles, changed front pads at 64000, changed all brake pads and front rotors at 145000 (that means rears went upto 145000), i still had some pad left but i changed it cause it was due!

 

[thecoolnessrune]

My 2004 Expedition is at I believe 56000 miles and is still going on originals.

My 1995 Bronco is at 102000 miles and is running original everything. It's never had anything replaced on it including in the braking system. The only thing that's ever been changed is the fluids.