capt62

Just tried dealer service with no satisfaction. The rear pads are close to worn out ater 10 months and 11,500 miles. Tech says rear brakes on all Acura's and Honda's wear faster than the fronts. Is it the pads?, Rotor size? or AWD SH handling problem?

ga268

I have a 2008 RDX with 35,000 miles and have had no brake issues so far. My generic experience suggests the front brakes are generally more likely to wear more quickly than the rear, since when one breaks weight transfers to the front. My spouse uses both feet to drive (a habit taught by her uncle which I am not able to influence...) and she wears brakes out quickly but not that quickly. She also maintains speed when approaching a stop light and tends to brake harder and perhaps later than might be otherwise necessary. So driving technique can be an issue. If you believe that there is no reason that the brake wear should have occurred I would escalate, talk to the service manager, have them ask the Acura area representative, although I must admit I have not had much luck with the later...I guess the owner of the dealership would be the court of last resort. I can say I have owned a lot of Acura's (sedans however) and have had excellent service and response until the issue I am currently dealing with. Good Luck in your efforts.

BigHatch

Sounds like the rear brakes are binding. I seem to remember someone else posting about that somewhere before. i think...

capt62

I'm actually quite easy on brakes. I tend to use the paddle shifter a lot to slow down, and other suv's I've owned, the rear brakes last 50-60 K miles. The front's a almost reading zero wear. The Acura tech says all is well and the wear on the rears is normal for this kind of Turbo.

portwashguy

At 44,500 miles and both front and rear brakes are fine per the local Acura Dealer. Hard to imagine anything you could have done to cause the result that you have experienced.

john50

I have 39,000 miles on my 07 RDX. Just recently had my mechanic inspect the pads. The rears showed about 80% remaining life, while the fronts were about 50% gone.

Your case sounds unusual.

crazycated

That does not sound right I have a 2009 also with 24,000 miles and I have a lot of pad left on them . You need to find another dealer if the one you took it too is not willing to help you out because ga268 is right on what he said .

ga268

Capt62 our driving styles appear to be very similar so I am dissuaded from the driving style thought. Have you escalated to the Service Manager or Area Rep...or tried another dealership. I agree with crazycated if you are not getting any help from your dealer. I would encourage you to hang in, there is an answer for this...finding the answer is sometimes a long term aggravation as I have experienced...and as good as most Acura dealerships are, keep inquring until you get an appropriate resolution. Be certain whatever dealer is assisting, that you have them note your problem and their resolution so you have a paper trail...this needs to be solved during your warranty period and a long trail of describing the issue may be of help...

capt62

The Acura Service Manager just got into the act. He states the RDX has thinner pads than the front right from the factory and I have 60% left versus the 30% the inspecting tire dealer claimed. At this point all I can do is watch them. The PA State inspection has a minimum thickness standard I'll have to look for.

capt62

The PA state minimum brake pad thickness is 2/32 and cannot pass inspection with less than 3/32. The pads are at 6/32 So I'm guessing another 10 months of wear at the current rate. That should make it about a total pad life of 20-22,000 miles Way too much wear for my money.

andygirl

I replaced mine rear pads @ 30k on my '07. But I went thru my 1st set of Dunlops in 10k. So I am a little rough on them.

cjbs

I think Capt32 is right. I replace my rears on my 07 at 33xxx. They told me that they start off thin from the factory. The OEM that they replaced them with should last longer per mechanic. My dealership was been pretty reliable record according to the local BBB as well as being well known for customer service here in the St. Louis area. Plus I was able to look at my pads before I made my decision.

cjbs

oops sorry.....capt62 not 32

sj993

I'm at 36K on mine, haven't touched the brakes yet.

737 Jock

Generally, rear brakes should outlast fronts by a factor of 50% to 75%. The RDX is like any other car in this regard. For example, I just pulled the EBC Greenstuff pads off the RDX -- the fronts were at 1.6 mm (limit) and the rears were at 5.0 mm. The fronts went 26k miles amd the rears probably would have gone 50k.

Shops like to sell brake pads -- particularly at inspection time -- they're fast and easy.

Try checking them yourself. You can see the outboard pads by looking through the wheel spokes. If you pull the wheel, you can see the inboard pads through the window in the caliper.

brizey

Question: does the stability control and traction control activate the rear breaks a lot? It doubt it would be enough to wear out the pads prematurely under normal operation, but if there was a malfunction...

Mrgoody

I find the braking on acura rdx models sucks, not sure if 2010 model is any better.

diggerdave38

My braking sucks as well. I had grinding in the front and replaced the stock pads prematurely with ceramic pads. The replacement made braking better, but not much. The rear pads seem to contact the rotors unevenly, creating a pair of wear lines. Contact is made in two spots more than with the rest of the surface. Bet new rotors and pads all around would be the best option to get better braking. I'm not going to pay for all of that, so I'll put up with it the way it is.

john50

737 Jock's advice is very accurate. I just turned 40k miles on my 07. I do oil changes and pad inspections every 5k miles. Front pads were 50% worn, rears were 10% worn.

Most of my driving is freeway with little stop and go driving.

To help compare driving conditions, I have a life-time gas mileage of 21 mpg.