Hi=
,
15=
K-20 K
is about what I get out of mine.
(I did get 130K out of the drums on the first set and still =
running on
the second at 120K)
90=
vanagon
ma=
nual
Mo=
untains,
hills and the flats (pacific northwest) and a mix of highway and city =
(50/50)
I =
use Napa
“lifetime” warranty pads and I don’t turn the rotor =
unless there is a
significant grove or warping (usually about 4 pads per turning) or about =
every
2-3 years
No=
te for
those who have been hesitant to do the work them selves. I am not a professional =
mechanic, and I
have changed pads wearing a suit and tie in about 30 minutes. All you need after you take =
the tire
off is a 13 mm wrench to remove one side of the caliper and loosen the =
other
then roll back the caliper. A pair
of needle nose pliers to remove the clips and old pads (keeps dirt off =
hands
and suit). Compress the =
caliper
piston all the way back. =
Drop in
shims and pads (don’t forget the orange or blue =
stuff/glue/anti-squeak stuff,
it use to come with the pads but I haven’t seen it in the box in a =
couple of
years). Roll the caliper =
back, tighten,
and put the tire back on. =
I bleed
the breaks every other time which add about 30 more minutes and the use =
of a
highly skilled digi-wife or digi-kid to push the break =
peddle.
Go=
od luck
Je=
re
90=
GL
88=
GL
-----Original
Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing =
List
[mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com]On =
Behalf
Of Moritz, Thomas W NWW
Sent: Thursday, August =
02, 2001
8:44 AM
To: =
vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Survey: brake =
pad life
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