I have 2005 VW Jetta 2.5. I have had my rear brakes pads get worn out at 40,000 miles which I thought was odd to be worn out so soon. I went to my VW and I was told that I was supposed to have those rear pads and rotors replaced at every 17,000 miles. I checked my VW repair manual, it doesnt say anything about when to replace the pads and rotors. so I went ahead and had those pads and rotors replaced by the VW dealer. now at 72,000 miles, same thing again! they cant explain to me as why the excessive wear. They said the car is designed to perform this way however I have had a 2000 Dodge Caravan & have only replaced the rear brakes once. my front pads are still looking almost as new. aren’t the front pads supposed to work 80% more braking than the back pads? Anyone else having this problem?
The fronts do most of the stopping. You cannot compare the VW to the Dodge as one could have thinner pads when new as compared to the other.
A pad/rotor replacement is not mandated at every 17k miles, but it is possible that pads could be worn to the minimum in 30-40k miles depending on driving habits and conditions.
Binding or out of adjustment park brake cables can also lead to premature pad wear.
Raise the car up and note if the rear wheels can easily be turned with one finger. If not, the cables could be at fault.
Excessive rear pad wear has been a problem with recent model VW cars. Apparently they have still not figured it out. I have a mid 1980s VW with the original rear brake linings (drums, not disks) at a little under 200,000 miles. I suggest that you get in contact with www.partsplaceinc.com, an independent VW parts vendor in Michigan who knows VWs to ask what they know at this point.
[b]This is normal.
The brake bias on your VW is towards the rear, not the front. So you’re going to go through rear brake pads before you go through the fronts.
Unlike most vehicles, who’s brake bias is toward the front brakes.
Tester[/b]