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