Hey everyone,
I was wondering if anyone here had to nave their brakes replaced yet? I have just under 40,000 miles on my FEH. When I was in for my previous oil change I was told to expect to replace them at my next service visit.

When I asked for a price breakdown, the advise was very nice and was able to provide me with what I needed. The only question I have is why would thjey need to disable the Hybrid ABS to replace the rear brakes and not the front brakes? I would think if it were to be disabled, it would affect the front as well at the rear. Also when the system "Wakes up" and charges, it would also affect the front as well at the rear as well...

I would appreciate your comments.

Thanks

 

The Ford Service manual specifically states that the rear brake pads will wear-out almost twice as fast as the front brakes - due to how the regenerative braking is implemented in the FEH design. Are you sure they are even planning on replacing the front pads? [If so I would ask to see the old pads and have them prove to you that they are at the end of their service limit] I'll check the manual but I think I remember a warning to relieve system hydraulic pressure before all brake system maintenance tasks.

 

40,000 miles to change brake pads seems really soon for most drivers.
Most expect 75,000 to 100,000 miles. Front anyhow. Back may go sooner.

At 25,000 miles my brake pads were only 25% gone... pretty much the same on all 4 wheels too! But I'm a fairly gentle driver and use regen for most of my braking.

They may even disable the HV battery to change brake pads, as you know, the car automatically pressurizes the system any time you open a door. I know I was told NOT to attempt to change my own pads at the time I bought this car.

 

Thanks John and Glenn for your comments.
Glenn, I know my front pads were gone, I heard them grinding into my rotors whenever I put my brakes on.
As for the amount of miles on them, Glenn can second the amount of traffic driving on the Capitol Beltway around Washington DC, and on I270 daily (and I drive the whole length of it and then some...) Very harsh stop-and-go traffic.

 

Brake pad check and/or replacement isn't too difficult if you're inclined to try it yourself. I read the owner's manual cover-to-cover the day I brought home my '07 FEH, and remembered the part about servicing the brakes. It states:

This information can be found on pg 293/294 in 2007 owner's manual. The owners manual is also a .pdf file online somewhere. If you DO end up needing new pads and decide to try it yourself, good luck!! I'm keeping a close eye on mine- the right rear rotor has some deep scratches after only 1100 miles, while the other three rotors are nice and even. Hmmm......

 

COOL. Forgot about that tidbit. That info is on page 278 in the 2005 manual.

 

Okay - pg 284 of the 2006 owners manual contains that same text. But the shop manual makes no mention of it - except for the "brake pedal recalibration" which is step 1. of "...exit the Pad Service Mode."

Looks like the shop manual instructions are specific about disconnecting the battery so as to prevent the accumulator from charging the system while the caliper/pads/rotor are not in-place. Also looks like the pad change-out is rather routine from step 4. on.......(see attached file)

Oh yeah.....and the note before Step 1. about the relative wear rates predicted by the Ford engineers.

Rich - Hopefully what you hear is the wear indicators chirping against the rotors....normal....not actual grinding of expended pads into the rotors (bad, been there-done that).

If I had that I270 commute into DC I would probably lean on the brakes pretty heavy too.......but expended pads at 40k still seems unusual.....especially the front ones - as if you were getting no regen braking effect. Is any of your driving in "L" ? Something so opposite from what the engineers predict (and have seen in testing) is worth investigating. Let me know if they change out both front and rear pads.

 

Glenn, there was not chirping indication at all. It was an obvious grinding noise. When I first purchased my FEH, my brakes were really touchy. They were so touchy that if you hit them too hard, it felt as if you were going to stand the vehicle up on its front bumper. Before I had them replaced, the touchiness was gone. Now that they have been replaced, they are back to being touchy again.

Anothjer warning to all, before I had my rear brakes replaced, my parking brake stopped working as well.

I using the "L" setting when I drive in and around Silver Spring and when traffic is crawling on I270. It does help, but if I drive above 40 mph, I shift it back into drive (otherwise I feel as if I'll blow it up, though I know it won't.)

Yes, I had the dealership replace both the front and the rear pads. THey said the rear pad actually had about 4,000 miles wear left. But since I have the commute I have, I get my FEH serviced every 5,000 miles (to include tire rotations.) I figured it was better to be inconvenienced one time and borrow a vehicle than to go through it again and possibly damage the rear rotors.

Though on my last vehicle (99 Dodge Durango) I had to replace my brakes every 30,000 miles. Although on that vehicle, the rear brakes outlasted the front. I replaced the front pads twice to every one rear shoe replacement. I guess I just figured that this was the difference between having front disks and rear shoes verses 4 wheel disk brakes.

 

I thought the difference between "D" and "L" was only when you released the 'gas' pedal? When in "D", you coasted, and when in "L" regenerative braking occurred, but no actual braking (ie, no pads). Basically, the generator being enabled simulated the vehicle slowing down that a regular transmission does when in "L" and the 'gas' pedal is released.

 

You are correct, L gear braking does not involve the brake pads. Only when you use the brake pedal under 5 MPH and when you hit the brakes hard/suddenly are the brake pads supposed to kick in.

At the FEH Experience, the test FEH has a laptop that shows all kinds of information, including when the brakes are really applied as opposed to regen braking, so I've seen that in action, during the drive with it.