Originally Posted by mpolli

i will answer as much as i can:

1. New pads have approximately 12mm lining on them on the front pads and 10mm on the rear pads. I can't say exactly for that car but this is based on my experience in general. So that means you have about a 3rd left. However you probably don't want to wear down to the metal. Also the worn thickness of the pads is not necessarily consistent from top to bottom, inside to ouside, front to back. They don't wear exactly evenly. So it is possible there is a spot somewhere that is less than 4mm. Anyway assuming the car has 45,000 on it and these are the original pads i would say you should have another 10,000 left on them.

2. According to chilton (online through my public library - you can probably get the same service from you library) the limit for that car is 2mm. However there is nothing special about 2mm. Nothing bad happens until the metal hits the disc. But basically they are saying by the time you get to 2mm "you don't have much left so change them".

3. The brake wear indicator trips at 3.5mm.

4. According to chilton the front limit is 19.4mm, rear limit 7.3mm. Haynes says it a little different. They say 20.4mm "before repair" and 19.4 "limit". For the rear they say 7.6 and 7.3 respectively. I think they mean you can turn the front down to 19.4 but if it is less than 20.4 to start with then you can't turn it.

5. I don't know. Cross drilled rotors are more expensive than regular ones. If the dealer quote was for new drilled rotors and front and rear pads and labor then it might not really be that bad. Hopefully someone else can answer this question.

As far as diy changing the discs is a little more involved than just doing the pads. It also depends on your experience and skill level and tools. You might try just doing the rear pads first and see how that goes and then decide if you want to try the front.