Lifetime brakes?

[Acanthus]

I have heard a few times about "Lifetime" brake pads you can have installed that are some type of ceramic polymer and never need replaced.

My GF needs her brake pads replaced for routine maintenance on her '06 Jetta. Is this a good option? What brands are out there and what price range is reasonable for this, installed?

She will likely use this car for a lot longer, I want to weigh her options on just normal brake pads 2-4 more times vs "lifetime" pads.

 

[boomhower]

I bought a set that had a lifetime warranty. When they were used up your just had to take the worn out pads and your receipt back in and they gave you a new set. They were $70 a pair. For the amount of time I planned on keeping the truck it was worth it. As Murphey's Law works out it was totaled about six months later. I bought them on the recommendation of my father-in-law. He has had them on his truck and swapped them out three times. These were from Napa, I can't remember the brand name.

 

[Meghan54]

Consider, if the pads never wear out, the rotors will and very frequently. But I seriously doubt the pads will never wear out; sort of a dubious claim there.

 

[Vette73]

Something has to wear out or break. Sounds like some fly by night BS. Kinda like the national chain lifetime brakes that don't cover labor, just the really cheap parts they install.

If you want pads that last longer look into ceramics. Most last longer but you give up high speed braking ability. For street driven cars 99% of people will not notice the differance.
Just make sure to put some new rotors on when you do the work and that should last 30-100k depending on her driving style.

Check out rockauto.com for brakes or go to Autozone/Advance and ask for the gold ceramic pads.

 

[highland145]

I posted this some months back but....Autozone gave me free replacements on my Prelude for the last 14(?) years. I changed my own and turned in the old ones for a refund. Someone commented that they were fudging the typical return policy but I'm happy.

Sold the car to my nephew last year but I'm sure he'll try the same tactic.

 

[StageLeft]

I had lifetime on a pair from autozone of semi-metallic but after 50k when they died I was glad to be rid of them. I had not changed the rotors (just turned them) but the braking power was just never there; I always had to press harder. I put ceramics in place and was back in business with my better braking feel. I bought some rotors last year I have fried after 10k miles due to a seized caliper and I'm not sure whether or not they had a lifetime warranty or whether it will work, this time from advance auto. I will find out, though

 

[yh125d]

The general rule of thumb is that if it's an item which traditionally needs periodic replacement, and someone comes along claiming "Lifetime! Never replace!" It's probably somewhat gimmicky

 

[SpatiallyAware]

It's not a gimmick guys..

They charge $70 for $25 pads which are hard as hell and last 50k miles.


I.E. chances of you 'making out' on the deal is fairly slim.

 

[Gibson486]

I have heard about these....yeah, if you go to autozone, they will replace them for free. Can't comment on the quality, though.

 

[TraumaRN]

Bout the only thing close to 'lifetime' brakes would be on a hybrid vehicle. On my Fusion Hybrid routine maintenance it never has a replace brakes interval just brake inspections...According to my dealership the factory pads should last at least 100K miles and depending on use possibly/probably 150K miles. And I tend to be believe them, considering when I did the first tire rotation at 5K miles you could still see the grinding/polishing wheel pattern on the rotors

 

[Acanthus]

It sounds like regular brakes are the way to go if i'm not willing to do the labor myself.

Thanks for the advice guys

 

[StageLeft]

Bout the only thing close to 'lifetime' brakes would be on a hybrid vehicle. On my Fusion Hybrid routine maintenance it never has a replace brakes interval just brake inspections...According to my dealership the factory pads should last at least 100K miles and depending on use possibly/probably 150K miles. And I tend to be believe them, considering when I did the first tire rotation at 5K miles you could still see the grinding/polishing wheel pattern on the rotors

I saw pics online with a prius with very high brakes. Now, granted, the brakes don't work on those cars anyway, but the thing had a ton of miles and lots of pad left.

 

[Rumpltzer]

I bought the lowest price ceramics from Autozone a few years ago, and they have a lifetime warranty. I'm pretty sure they were along the lines of $35 per pair. I plan to go back for my replacements when these wear out.

Swapping pads for disk brakes is pretty easy. I needed an impact driver ($7 Harbor Freight) to get the rotors off when I had them turned, but that wasn't too hard either.

What I like most from the ceramics (I don't notice a performance difference) is they don't leave black/gray/brown dust all over my alloy wheels.

 

[SooperDave]

This used to be the common thing. Bendix sold the organic pads for cheap or you could buy the semi-metallic and get a lifetime warranty. Bendix never said they wouldn't wear out, just that they would give you new ones when they did. You had to be the original purchaser with proof of purchase. I had a second job delivering bundles of newspapers to the kids in the middle of the night and on big paper days that little Ranger I had was way overloaded. I probably replaced my pads and shoes six or seven times under the warranty. I think the manufacturers were banking on receipts getting lost, people selling their cars, or uneven wear due to improper installation so they wouldn't have to keep replacing pads.

 

[alkemyst]

lifetime pads are not a gimmick really...you end up paying a little more for an average pad at best.

Most have traded their cars or have forgotten about the lifetime warranty by the time it comes due again.

There is a lady that has a million mile car or something and bought all lifetime products. Something like 10 exhaust systems, 20 starters or whatnot.

Probably on youtube...I saw it on tv a couple months ago.

 

[Gillbot]

They usually give you super hard pads that do wear less, at the expense of rotors which cost much more.

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

Just make sure you don't get pads from overseas. The horror stories I've read about those are terrifying. Brake pads made with saw dust or grass.