Fellow Vanagon owners -
I have just had the brake pads = replaced and rotors turned on our '90 Westy. This only after = 14,000 miles! My mechanic was very surprised that the brakes had = worn down in such a short period. The fact is he doesn't have a = lot of clients with vanagons and I think we are the only ones with a = Westy. After a call to a colleague in Portland who maintains more = of these unique vehicles our mechanic came back to me with the = following explanation.
The Westy is a heavy vehicle. = Combine that with an automatic transmission and the demand on the = brakes is very high. If you do a lot of around the town driving = or mountain driving that requires additional braking the brake life = will be decreased even further. My colleague in Portland said = that 20K is about average pad life for his customers with standard = transmission Vanagons. Less for Vanagons with automatic = transmissions and he would assume less for Westfalias with automatic = transmissions.
I am trying to get a better feel for = how many miles I can expect out of our brakes so I would like to survey = the list and compile some data on this subject. If I get = sufficient response to the questions below I will post my analysis at a = later date. If somebody has already done this and you are aware = of it, please let me know.
My questions for the list are:
Based on you repair history/records, = how many miles do you get out of your disc brake pads?
What type of vehicle do you own, = Vanagon, Weekender, Westy?
What kind of transmission does your = vehicle have, standard or automatic?
What percentage of your driving is = in-town/city, highway cruising, hills/mountains requiring frequent = braking?
Do you or your mechanic use VW pads, = or aftermarket pads?
Thanks,
Tom Moritz