This came up a few months back in the diesel section.

My rotors lasted 300,000 miles and the feedback I got is that they could have kept going

My potentially 300,000 mile brake rotors

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1982 300GD Carmine Red (DB3535) Cabriolet Parting Out
1990 300SEL Smoke Silver (Parting out)
1991 350SDL Blackberry Metallic (481)

"The thing is Bob, its not that I'm lazy...its that I just don't care."

The OP talks about front pads, so my post doesn't count, but I'm pleased with what I have to report.

Wifes rear pads on a 2006 Toyota Avalon were changed at 183,000 and 1/3 of the pad was left. Could easily have gone past 200K.

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Mike Murrell
1991 300-SEL - Model 126
M103 - SOHC
"Fräulein"

Cool!

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

[QUOTE=Mike Murrell;3362418]The OP talks about front pads, so my post doesn't count, but I'm pleased with what I have to report.

Wifes rear pads on a 2006 Toyota Avalon were changed at 183,000 and 1/3 of the pad was left. Could easily have.

Also cool!

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Flushing brake fluid once every year or two will not only extend the hydraulic life of your brakes, but because it keeps caliper pistons operating smoothly it will allow the pistons to push back quicker decreasing pad drag, thus having a fractional improvement on friction component life.

One of the things I learned from MB way back in the seventies was to maintain clean brake fluid. Doing so will almost eliminate brake and clutch hydraulic problems because of internal corrosion prevention.

My late Father, God love him, thought that changing brake fluid was silly and wasteful, but I have seen the results of it and highly recommend it.

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2001 SLK 320 six speed manual
2014 Porsche Cayenne six speed manual

Annoy a Liberal, Read the Constitution

I did that at least once.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

This is excellent advice.

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'83 300D, 126K miles.

X 2

I get about 60k out of the fronts on my truck, 1/2 ton brakes are undersized. 3/4 tons and up are 100k minimum. Actually for any modern truck 100k is minimum mileage for any service beyond oil changes.

My truck which I found out when I did brakes has SS brakes on it, with 13in and some change front rotors. Why? The PO was a utility company and I guess they spec'd very big brakes for their 1/2 tons. As a result I get 60k instead of 30k...

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

That is big for a half tonner.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

My brakes are even small compared to the 14's. 14's went to rear discs again and the fronts got larger.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

It may be somewhat different frequency by regional temperatures and weather etc. If the fluid in the master cylinder is not nice and clean it is contaminated by something. Rubber seals deteriorating for example.

The brake fluid should be periodically flushed and replaced. In the overall picture it is much cheaper than not doing it. The stuff will always find a way to absorb moisture . Even if it has to get by seals.

Some vehicles obviously more than others. Even condensation may play a role. In my area every three years even is far better than never. Even a simple gravity bleed is much better than nothing.

No getting the air out in most cases by a gravity bleed as well. You cannot ever get all the old fluid totally out with a twin piston caliper. Unless you take everything apart anyways.

One of my 300 SDL cars had about 190,000 on all four pads when I sold it. They were still very good. 85-90%. I do a lit of highway driving here in WY, MT, NE and a little in overpopulated CO.

At the other extreme, a young English fellow named Lewis lunched a brake rotor with well under 100 miles on it while driving a high performance Mercedes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MdhUl-7xIs

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Whoever said there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes never had a cheap Jaguar.

83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 400,xxx miles
08 Suzuki GSX-R600 M4 Slip-on 22,xxx miles
88 Jaguar XJS V12 94,xxx miles. Work in progress.

Impressive.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.