Brake Replacements

[psanti]

Got a 2020 LX AWD just 50k+ miles. Service center says my rears are less than 2mm each and rotors (saw them) did look like they will need replacing.

Any suggestions or recommendations on replacement brakes? Should I also get all 4 replaced, too?

Local Kia dealer is quoting me close to $800 for rear brakes (pads, rotors, labor).

 

[1 Alibi 2]

Curious why the rears need replacing, the fronts do most of the work, or were the fronts already done ??
.

 

[psanti]

Curious why the rears need replacing, the fronts do most of the work, or were the fronts already done ??
.

Wondered that myself, but tech showed me conditions of fronts and rears, and definitely saw that rears wore out faster - fronts are still around 5mm to 4mm each with decent rotors, and rears are 2mm or less with visibly worn rotors.

Not sure what could be causing it... I drive on "Smart" setting, and haven't been "aggressive" in how I go or stop.

 

[OldPilot]

Curious why the rears need replacing, the fronts do most of the work, or were the fronts already done ??
.

Manufacturers know this too, and make the rears smaller, cheaper, lighter. I have had a couple of cars in recent years where the rears went first.

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[KMiles]

The smart cruise control systems rely heavily on the rear brakes for slowing in traffic, hills, etc. This causes much faster wear on the rear brakes than what we used to see in the past. In addition, all of the stability and slip controls use the rear brakes more often. Finally, rear brake pads are usually thinner than the front ones, so all combined, they seem to wear faster nowadays.

Should My Rear Brake Pads Be Wearing Out Faster Than My Front Ones?

 

[Senator20]

My rear pads wore faster than the fronts. Dealership quoted 599 plus tax. I did them myself. Borrowed the scan tool from work the electronic parking brake.

 

[psanti]

My rear pads wore faster than the fronts. Dealership quoted 599 plus tax. I did them myself. Borrowed the scan tool from work the electronic parking brake.

What kind of pads did you get and how much did they cost you?

Got a buddy with a shop that can do installs and he suggested I get ceramic pads and slotted rotors.

 

[OldPilot]

FWIW, drilled (initially Porsche 917 IIRC) and slotted rotors have the effect of reducing or eliminating the incandescent high temperature gas that develops between the pad face and the rotor under extreme conditions aka racing. Absent these conditions IMHO they do essentially nothing except "look neat." My race car rotors were always grooved but I've never done that for street cars. IMO it’s a waste of time and money.

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[KMiles]

FWIW, drilled (initially Porsche 917 IIRC) and slotted rotors have the effect of reducing or eliminating the incandescent high temperature gas that develops between the pad face and the rotor under extreme conditions aka racing. Absent these conditions IMHO they do essentially nothing except "look neat." My race car rotors were always grooved but I've never done that for street cars. IMO it’s a waste of time and money.

Thanks - I really appreciate your posts as you have common sense and you seem to have a great automotive background. My previous car was an Infiniti Q70 and it had the standard brakes. I live in western Washington and drive frequently in really heavy rain. I almost had a serious collision on I-5 when I had to stop quickly due to traffic and the brakes took way too long to grab, but finally did and I didn't have a collision. After doing research online, I installed drilled and slotted rotors (and ceramic pads) from Brakemotive (they no longer exist) and it made a tremendous difference in braking power in heavy rain. That set of brakes cost less than $200 delivered and were worth every penny. It may have been all in my head, but it was worth it to me.

 

[psanti]

FWIW, drilled (initially Porsche 917 IIRC) and slotted rotors have the effect of reducing or eliminating the incandescent high temperature gas that develops between the pad face and the rotor under extreme conditions aka racing. Absent these conditions IMHO they do essentially nothing except "look neat." My race car rotors were always grooved but I've never done that for street cars. IMO it’s a waste of time and money.

Thanks for the insight!

Do slotted or drilled rotors also wear out your pads quicker? People liken them to cheese graters shaving down your pads. Or is that just a myth?

 

[KMiles]

Thanks for the insight!

Do slotted or drilled rotors also wear out your pads quicker? People liken them to cheese graters shaving down your pads. Or is that just a myth?

I didn't find that they wore out any quicker. I've ended up using them (Brakemotive) on 3 different vehicles and it seemed that I needed to replace the rear pads between 40,000 and 50,000 miles and it was the same after swapping them out. I'm not an extremely aggressive driver, but my wife thinks I'm aggressive. I did find that it was important to follow the recommended break-in process in order to get the most out of them. They were really clean brakes, I never had any rust and very little brake dust. I also was sure to use the manufacturer recommend lubricants. Infiniti recommended using a copper based brake grease, which was harder to find and more expensive. I had zero brake noise. When I first installed them, I only needed to replace the rear pads. Infiniti wanted $400 to replace the rear pads. That was what triggered me to do the research on the Infiniti forums and found how many others were switching. I had never done brakes before, but between Youtube and online forum posts, figured it out and replaced all 4 brake sets for $200. Going forward, I only replaced what was needed and did the rear pads prior to selling the car to my son-in-law. I hope that helps and answers some of your questions.

 

[Vincenzo]

My left rear gets hot. I smell it when I get out of the car. Shot the wheels with a heat gun. It’s 25 degrees hotter that the other three

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[OldPilot]

Thanks for the insight!

Do slotted or drilled rotors also wear out your pads quicker? People liken them to cheese graters shaving down your pads. Or is that just a myth?

Intuitively one would suspect extra wear but I have never seen or heard of it. In a racing environment, though, there is a lot going on including experiments with pad material, so you never really have an apples v apples test.

Thanks - I really appreciate your posts as you have common sense and you seem to have a great automotive background. My previous car was an Infiniti Q70 and it had the standard brakes. I live in western Washington and drive frequently in really heavy rain. I almost had a serious collision on I-5 when I had to stop quickly due to traffic and the brakes took way too long to grab, but finally did and I didn't have a collision. After doing research online, I installed drilled and slotted rotors (and ceramic pads) from Brakemotive (they no longer exist) and it made a tremendous difference in braking power in heavy rain. That set of brakes cost less than $200 delivered and were worth every penny. It may have been all in my head, but it was worth it to me.

Interesting. I have never heard it argued that drilled or slotted rotors make a difference in the rain. Maybe the drilled holes give some water a place to go and leave a dryer disc surface. Re pads, one of the big variables with pads is temperature. Even on my Telly I can feel the pad friction increase as they are heated on a long stop, like freeway speed down to stopped at a light. If the pads you bought were exceptionally good at low temperatures I could see that maybe making a difference.

 

[Diep]

My left rear gets hot. I smell it when I get out of the car. Shot the wheels with a heat gun. It’s 25 degrees hotter that the other three

You might have a sticky caliper on that one. Might want to service that before it becomes a bigger problem.

 

[OldPilot]

You might have a sticky caliper on that one. Might want to service that before it becomes a bigger problem.

Or a wheel bearing failing. Any noise?

 

[ceenote]

Got a 2020 LX AWD just 50k+ miles. Service center says my rears are less than 2mm each and rotors (saw them) did look like they will need replacing.

Any suggestions or recommendations on replacement brakes? Should I also get all 4 replaced, too?

Local Kia dealer is quoting me close to $800 for rear brakes (pads, rotors, labor).

Just get the rear done.. i got mines done at 60 or 70k. They explained that because i use cruise control the back brakes keep the speed at the set speed. Cost for pads rotors labor 390$ installed at dealership..800$ overpriced..maybe u should price it at another dealership

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[psanti]

Just get the rear done.. i got mines done at 60 or 70k. They explained that because i use cruise control the back brakes keep the speed at the set speed. Cost for pads rotors labor 390$ installed at dealership..800$ overpriced..maybe u should price it at another dealership

Two different Kia servicing dealers (one in Daly City, CA and the other where I usually go in Alhambra, CA) quoted me close to $800 for rear brakes only.

Probably just going to buy the parts myself and have someone else install them.

 

[OldPilot]

... They explained that because i use cruise control the back brakes keep the speed at the set speed. ...

Nonsense. Find another shop. They are either deliberately lying to you or they are terminally incompetent.

 

[Vincenzo]

Or a wheel bearing failing. Any noise?

No

 

[JKM2009]

Local dealer was $500 for rears.