The topic in last Saturday’s column was expected mileage for brakes to last. Ray’s answer said that the 2014 Nissan Altima with 74,000 miles would likely need new brakes. And, he said that 90,000 is about as many miles to ever expect under “perfect” conditions. He also mentioned that brakes with less than 1/8 inch of pad left was the indicator for needing new pads. I am writing just to say that my 2013 Chevy Cruze is an exception, because I just had a brake inspection at 96,000 miles, and they said they looked great and had 3/8 inch of pad remaining. Every oil change during my 8.5 yrs has included a brake inspection, and they’ve always said they look great. My tires and battery also lasted the same way, although I replaced them (before I really needed to) at 90,000 miles because I was getting nervous I might have a failure during the 2020-21 winter here in Ohio. Admittedly I am a gentle driver, but I do not drive below the speed limit unless traffic demands it. An indicator of my gentle driving might be that in the past 43,000 miles, my average MPG is 37.2 mpg, and this is a blend of typical city and highway driving (avg speed during this same period is, by coincidence, exactly the same - 37.2 mph). So, there are exceptions out there. I consider myself just an average driver, but I guess I’ve been lucky with this car (1.4-liter engine).
Rather than your vehicle’s make/model, I expect that’s the explanation for why your brakes have lasted so many miles. I’m also a fairly gentle driver & my own Corolla, the front (pads) and rear (shoes) lasted 100k miles, at which point the front pads needed a re-jig. But the rear drums lasted another 90 K beyond that.
I avoid city driving as much as possible so my brakes pads last longer.
+1
The difference in brake pad life can be incredible if one can avoid driving situations where a lot of stopping is necessary. When I moved to my current home, from where I can drive for as much as 18 miles without encountering a traffic light or heavy traffic, my brake pads lasted far longer.