BlasiuS

The last few times I took my car in for maintenance at the dealership, they told me my brakes needed to be replaced.

But unfortunately I am a massive skeptic of car mechanics and dealerships, on top of that I am very inexperienced with car maintenance.

• How long do the stock Acura TSX brakes last? I bought my car brand new, it had 16 miles on it when I drove it off the lot.
• My car has 30k miles on it, from what I can tell the brakes are supposed to last a lot longer than that
• I don't hear the brakes squealing from the "low brakes" metal indicator piece, I was under the impression I did not have to worry about my brakes until I started hearing the distinct sound, is that true?
• Apparently some cars have a "low brake" indicator, but my Acura manual does not say anything about such an indicator, where can I find out for sure if my TSX has this?

Any help is appreciated

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

brakes - rotor and pads are wear and tear items! which means, there's no set mileage as driving habits can dictate how long they last.
for example; if you're dragging on the brakes way before a redlight, or sudden stops wear out the pad and rotor quicker.

the pads DO come with a little prong that sticks out, the low brake indicator. Sometimes, if they get worn past the indicator, it wont warn you any longer, cuz it's just a little prong that might have gotten bent out of place, or the rotor took it out as well as the pad material
the best practice is to inspect the pad for pad material, or how meaty it is. this involves taking off the wheel and swinging the caliper up to remove pads

the rotor is a little more tricky to tell if it's spent. if you run your finger from the top to the middle, it should feel smooth with no indentions. if the pad has created indentions or if the rotor is super shiny, it's probably time to replace

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

I think next time the dealership tells you about something being worn or shot, ask them to show you. you will be able to notice if something is worn out or not.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

and one more piece of information...OEM brakes tend to wear pretty quickly.

I had to change the pads in my daily driver at 15k miles...i replaced it with autozone pads and they have lasted longer than 30k miles.

WheelMcCoy

Some people use a combination of engine braking and the brake pedal, and that usually makes the pads last longer. Just click the left paddle once to help slow down your TSX.

BROlando

30K-40 miles isn't unusual for modern brakes that actually slow the car down.

The TSX is also a 3400LB car with like 11.X" rotor, floating caliper brakes.

Your pads are likely not worn to the point of needing replacement. The dealer may have been pitching a "well...while we got it here...you might as well...." kinda thing.

Blow it off til they start making noise.

I found what I feel is the perfect 2G TSX pad for street use. I plan to do a writeup. But...busy.

BROlando

The car has brake assist. I find it downshifts fairly well on its own.

Problem with downshifting manually is that clutchpacks/clutches and motor mounts/driveline part maintenance or replacement costs more than brakes.

2012wagon

I changed my front pads at 36k

84k I changed fronts again and did the back

WheelMcCoy

I noticed the engine braking going downhill, but not so much on flat terrain. Modern cars can take it if you time it right and don't shock the valve train. My manual Mazda3 has 60k on it, and so far, no brake pad or rotor work has been necessary. I just had to top off the brake fluid a bit.

But to each his own. I find driving more interesting and engaging if I do these tasks.

WheelMcCoy

I dug up my records for my TSX Wagon:

36k - parking brake shoes. Wear indicator was yellow / orange according to tech. This surprised me. Sometimes we park on steep hill, but we don't do J-turns.
55k - replaced front brake pads and resurfaced the front rotors. Also replaced both rear brake pads.

2012wagon

32 k on my parking brake shoes on wagon
no explanation here either

BROlando

This car doesn't have parking brake shoes. Or any brake shoes.

The parking brake just clamps the main rear caliper.

Regardless of the above...parking on a hill doesn't wear brake shoes that are specific to parking brakes....or pads in the rear caliper. The car isn't moving.


Someone sold you on a service. Doesn't mean the pads were not useable. Means THEY (the shop) recommended replacement.

Mazda 3's don't have the same weight, brake pad compounds, brake pad thickess, rotor sizing, etc as Acura TSX's. Those are all factors.

I downshift all the time in manual cars. I have 2 manual cars. I do it because its fun, mostly. But I certainly wouldn't recommend that anyone do it for the purpose of saving their brakes during normal use (unless you're coasting down a mountain). Especially in an automatic car that doesn't rev match for downshifts.

The TSX's trans does not rev match for down shifts.

Brakes are also cheap.

The potential reasons to why 2G brakes wear somewhat fast are:

-The 1G TSX relied too much on front brakes. The 2G seems to have substantially more rear brake bias. It also has larger rear brakes.

-The rear pads are the same thickness (almost) as 1G rear pads still.

-It weighs a lot for the brake sizing.

-Honda uses a semi-agressive pad compound. The type of compound they use relies on adherent friction. So they're gentle on rotors. But something has to wear because they're brakes. So the pads wear fast.

A lot of modern cars will wear the rear brakes before the fronts. It happens.

Downshifting is not going to help much. Do it all you want. But I wouldn't START doing it because you're trying to save the brakes.

WheelMcCoy

I looked up my service record and it said "ADJUST EMERGENCY BRAKE SYSTEM", so my bad... parking brake shoes was the term that popped into my head.

Since 2012Wagon and I are in different parts of the country, I'm guessing the parking brake job might be a standard Acura service thing. I had mine serviced at Acura, and I believe 2012Wagon also had his done by his local Acura. Prior to the service, I noticed I had to pull the handle way up for it to have a solid hold effect, but that would suggest a cable adjustment. The tech mentioned wear indicators showed it was time; I deferred it once but got it done the next visit.

I agree, don't start using engine braking just to save brakes. I use the paddles and sport mode -- when the engine is properly warmed up -- mostly for fun. Yes, the Mazda3 is about 2900 pounds whereas the TSX Wagon weighs in at 3600 pounds. I've also learned from Acurazine, rotors are thin and can be only shaved once or twice before needing to be replaced.

Here's a great video about engine braking on a manual, but some of it applies to automatics too.

TSX1012m6

Engine braking seems to be way more apparent in my TSX versus other manual cars ive driven. Letting go of the gas suddenly, especially at lower speeds really makes the car lurch unless you start fethering the clutch. I compared it to a Chevy 4 banger I drove a while ago in manual and they actually have zero engine breaking it seems. Feels like an automatic with almost no lurching.

Terdbath

On my 2010 I replaced the rears only at 34,700. Factory fronts still good at 44,000.

Novichek

It largely depends on how aggressive one drives. I try to always be as smooth as possible, so the fronts on my wagon are still okay at almost 100K miles. I had to replace rear pads/rotors at about 75K only because I didn't notice in time that the outer pad seized and the inner was quickly eaten away. My father, on the other hand, is lucky to get 20-25K out of a set on any car, brake job is almost a yearly thing for him.

kixo

I just hit 70,000 miles and have never changed the brakes. At the A1 service last week, the dealer said all brake pads were still in the green zone. I have a mix of highway and city driving, so I think my brake usage is normal. I have an MT and in stop=and-go driving I keep a fairly large distance from the front car and try and go at a steady speed, rather than braking every few seconds. I wonder if that helps? It certainly annoys some drivers behind me, though.