How Often Should You Replace Your Accord Brake Pads?

Keeping your Honda Accord up on its maintenance can help you enjoy a smoother driving experience and maintain the value of the car. Your brake pads are some of the most important consumable items in your car. Replacing them promptly when they wear down is important to safe driving. However, you may be wondering how often to change brake pads.

What Are Brake Pads?

Each of your brakes works with three major parts: a rotor, a caliper and a brake pad. The rotor spins with the wheel and the caliper stays in place, attached to the frame of the car. When you brake, the caliper closes around the rotor. Of course, the caliper is made of metal and isn’t capable of effectively gripping the rotor by itself. That is where the brake pads come in.

These friction pads allow the brake to grab the rotor and slow the vehicle down. This wears them down over time, so they are also designed to be consumable and replaceable.

When Do They Need To Be Replaced?

The lifespan of brake pads can vary significantly, primarily based on driving style. Most good quality brake pads will last between 30,000 and 70,000 miles. As you may guess from this range, it is difficult to know when the brake pads will need to be replaced based on mileage or age alone. Even the best Honda Accord brake pads can wear out early if you are slamming on the brakes.

Different pads have ratings that estimate how long they should last. However, as mentioned, this may not be an exact estimate. Semi-metallic brake pads will generally last longer than ceramic brake pads but don’t offer as much stopping power. Of course, for a Honda Accord, this difference is minor. It is primarily a concern for track cars.

Your Honda Accord service schedule recommends checking your brake pads for wear every 15,000 miles. However, this does not mean they will need to be replaced that often.

If your brake pads are starting to get overly worn, you may start to hear screeching when you brake. Alternatively, you may hear a grinding sound. Another sign that you need to replace your pads is that the car vibrates when you brake. Finally, if your brakes are taking longer than normal to stop your car, you likely need new pads.

When you reach your 15,000-mile service interval or suspect you may need new brake pads, inspect your brakes. If your brake pads appear excessively worn, they need to be replaced. Some pads have a wear inspection slot in the center. This slot is clearly visible when the pad it new and nearly invisible when the pad needs to be replaced.

Order New Brake PadsOrder some new brake pads and replace them on your Honda Accord. If you aren’t certain which pads you need, use a VIN Lookup tool to find parts that will fit your car. Retailers like AutoZone provide this feature for free online. Don’t wait to take care of your worn brakes. They are an important safety component of your car.