Brake pads covered by warranty? Only time I have had the dealer cover brake pads was when they were cutting a groove in the rotor. Typically they are a wear item.

 

Yes, they are now covered 3 year/ 36k miles

 

Almost all of the time that adaptive cruise is working the brakes are not used to adjust the speed. Only when engine braking is not enough. The car on your screen has brake lights that come when the car is using brakes to slow. I find that is rare. Keeping an eye on wear as you are doing is best.

 

I'm going to see if I can run in "non-adaptive" Cruise for the next couple months to see if it improves any.

 

Most dealers are unaware of the excessive wear warranty on the brake pads and windshield wipers. Educate them.

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Wear Item Limited Warranty

WEAR ITEM COVERAGE is 3 years or 36,000 miles, whichever comes first.


Items covered are brake pad/shoe linings, clutch linings, and wiper blades.

 

I wonder if rapid brake wear is going to become a common issue: ('14-'18) - 2018 - Disappointment as a first time buyer

 

For what it’s worth, my previous 2018 Crosstrek had excessive brake wear on all 4 brakes down to 3mm rears were worn faster at 27,000 miles and my dealership replaced them. Although I had to show them the Subaru of america website stating the warranty because they have never heard of such a warranty before.
I suspect most Subaru cars will probably have excessive brake wear as this was a common issue with the crosstreks.

 

Maybe it’s the OEM material that the pad is made out of.

either way it’s one more notch in the “go get a hybrid or EV” column once my lease is up.

 

@Pilot1226 They will have the same brakes won't they?

 

If you’re talking about the OEM pads - yes, thinking that the material would end up with the same lifespan

if you’re talking about hybrid or EV - the regenerative braking typically makes a set of pads last much much longer.

 

Some drivers and locales are much harder on brakes than others. There are a lot of brake pad and rotor combinations that will provide different wear characteristics. Initial pad break-in and bedding affect longevity as well.

 

Sure. But the last 2 Subies I owned had around a 40-45k interval with around 4-5 years of driving.

 

My guess is that the newer Subaru's are using a different pads or rotors to help brake faster and better causing it to eat the pads quicker. It could also be used more with the torque vectoring feature which uses brakes to help turn the car better.
My BMW X5 brakes are the same. It stops on a dime but the pads are gone quickly compared to my older BMW's of the past. I suspect it is all part of making modern cars more safe.
I'm willing to go through the pads quicker as long as I am able to stop shorter.

 

On my 15 I did the rear at 40K miles. About due again. I did rotors and pads. Do others just replace the rotor when you do pads?

 

Rotors are based off specs. If they have a lip on them or aren’t flush they will need to be machined but there is a minimum specification of the thickness as found in the service manual.

Torque vectoring makes a plausible explanation. I will try to stop taking turns on two wheels.

Edit:

wait, torque vectoring only works on the inside FRONT wheel, and the rear pads are the ones that are seemingly wearing faster.

 

well mine get a lip you can catch your fingernail on...
probably is cheaper to replace than have turned like in the old days.

 

This may apply, but on my BMW R1200RT on the rear pads I have a choice of organic vs sintered pad material. Previously I used the sintered stuff, makes for hard right pedal feel, and fast braking with rear brake only. However it sure thinned the rotor quickly. I have now switched to organic rear pad material, and this makes for a much softer right pedal feel, ie I have to push the pedal harder to stop, but I suspect will make the rear rotor last a lot longer. And at $150+ for 1 rear disc, you can bet I want the organic pads to make that rear disc last longer.

 

85k miles on my 14. Pads are down to 40%

 

I get over 100,000 miles out of pads...

I don't use cruise control and I don't have any other electronic wizardy to destroy the 'driving experience'.

I do drive hard, very hard, at times, but I usually give the brakes an easy enough time.

Softer rotors to enhance braking are an evil addition to our lives. But definitely a part of modern driving. My 404 still has the original rotors which were fitted in... now when was that? 1969.

 

According to my dealer's multi-point inspection sheet at my 30k mile service, front brake pads had 9mm remaining and the rear brake pads had 6mm remaining. I do little city driving but some mountain driving.

 

My first oil change on my 2019 said I was in the same boat as you. I also feared the adaptive cruise as I used it like crazy. I just kept an eye on it. Turns out, it WASN’T ACTUALLY WORN! The next 2 oil changes showed the pads to still be in new condition! So they just marked them as showing wear.

Unless they showed them to you, I would not adjust your driving style. If adaptive cruise causes it to wear, then they need to be aware of that. But I really think you’ll find it was just a tech in a hurry.

 

With ceramic pads, I am not sure why you would replace them at 3 mm (1/8"). I have found the ceramic pads and the limited wear thickness on rotors from new end up trashing the rotors anyway. When is the last time you had a turnable rotor with ceramic pads? Semi-mets were usually marginal. I have gotten to the opinion (mine) you might as well run them to practically nothing as you will replace the everything anyway. Seems like a way to sell more brake jobs by throwing away over 25% of the pad to save a rotor you cant save anyway. Metal on metal is bad, as it increases stoping distance. Thoughts?