"Free Brakes for life": A Pro-tip learned from my friend at local Autozone

Because they cannot get a wholesale price.

I replace plenty of crap on friends cars that were installed at shop. There are exceptions (Akebono, Wilwood, Baer for brakes) but most of this aftermarket stuff is coming from China. Brand names may have better grip on quality control, I'd say there are exceptions (I buy Moog or Timken hubs), but don't let the exception drive the rule.

All things wear, just nice not to have to pay for it over and over again.

 

Thanks, although I'm not gonna be too popular on a Toyota forum. Dome scratcher on the how long to own a vehicle comment from Toyota owner. I'll get the number of brake pads I have swapped for free someday, but she still runs and still stops. (2Dr, Manual transmission)

 

My factory brake pads last 80-150k miles. I am not a fan of spending my free time on auto maintenance for the sake of doing it. I put autozone pads on a car one time. They lasted 27k miles and covered my rims in dust constantly. No thanks. Another set of $85 factory pads for me please. See you again in 8-10 years.

 

I enjoy it and save lots of $. What interval is on the maintenance schedule for your vehicle? Try ceramic for eliminating dust.

 

Yes hello, I need wipers for my Tundra

That 4wd or 2wd?

 

Free replacement for a defective part, not because they’re worn down from use.
It’s dishonest.

 

edit: I do not agree with exchanging a worn out, non defective part if it is not the intended warranty.

 

That’s like asking for a refund because the hamburger didn’t taste good, after you ate the entire burger

 

I was hunting for the tasty part. Turned out they forgot to install it.

Free burgers, plz.

 

interval for Brake pad replacement? When they are worn out. Those Autozone pads wore out fast. The lifetime warranty wasn’t for defects. It was lifetime for the pads period. Doesn’t matter if they wear out or wear funny. They replace them regardless. No one is cheating them. I just don’t want to replace my pads all the time. Once every 10 years is plenty.

 

Isn’t “limited lifetime” kind of an oxymoron…..like jumbo shrimp

 

We all have a limited lifetime.
And a number have jumbo shrimp.

I don’t make the rules.

 

You'd better check their policy. Totally legit for replacement of worn items. It is called marketing. Keeping brand loyalty gets people in the store to buy other things. Read FCP Euro site, spells it all out.

 

Recommended interval for inspection. It is 10K on the new car. I expect around 30K for replacement. It is a wearable item and like rotors and tires have a wear spec. When they start scoring the rotor it is too late. Just replaced sons girlfriends Tiguan fron brakes, complained of brake travel. Removed pads, still had meat, no crazy wear, but new ones corrected issue. Car had 80K and not first brake job. Specs and tolerances are different for different cars.

 

Generic lookup as some parts are dependant on drivetrain. Rockauto lookup works the same way. They could probably skip the ? for some stuff.

 

Buying auto parts at AutoZone is like buying hamburgers at White Castle, good cheap price to start, but after awhile you’re going to hurt from the experience…..
when the “sharting” begins

 

So OP has a great tip to share. Verified as legit from retailer. Buying a good set of pads and saving lots of $ for future maintenance. Some were aware and others were not. Dont want the appreciation for the tip to get lost in the discussion. Been a practice of mine for many years and also like to share with friends. I usually get many of the non-belief, anti-DIY, sub-par quality comments that are echoed here.
I appreciate the tip and thanks for spending the time to write up and share.

 

Oh, forgot to mention that AZ has my phone number on file, I dont carry rewards card, so when I swap brakes, I just give the the phone # and vehicle.

 

I’ve never had to replace brakes on a vehicle with 30k miles on it. My wife’s 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee has 130k+ miles on it. Still on original pads still has good pad life left. Still has great stopping power and brake pedal feel. My 2019 Tundra has 50k miles and the pads look new. Lots of meat left, still has the original braking performance and feel. I’m sure there are some high performance cars out there that will eat through a quality set of pads in 30k miles, but no regular car or truck should. OP’s post is valid. Autozone will sell you a lifetime of 30k mile pads for $30. I’ll pass though. I don’t want to replace cheap pads every 30k when the factory pads last 80k+. But you do you.

 

Well dang! That was a waste of 20 minutes!

 

According to Toyota representatives, you should be changing them more often: https://www.harrtoyota.com/how-often-should-you-replace-brake-pads-and-rotors-worcester-ma/

 

This is nothing but marketing.
Every 10k - 20k miles?
That’s ridiculous.

if you fall for this, I have a bridge to sell you.

Try not to use the very first google results as your baseline.

If you “need” to change your brakes every 10,000 miles you have a brake problem.

 

Surprise. The stealership thinks I should replace my pads every 10-20k miles. Should probably replace my tires every 10-20k miles also. Funny thing is, the pads have a wear indicator on them to let you know when the pads useful life has been used. Tires do to. The brake pad wear indicator is a metal tab that will “screech” when it makes contact with the rotor letting you know that in case you missed it during an inspection, your brake pads have worn down and are at the end of their usable life. Tires have wear bars that show you the same thing. Do you have to wait until you get all the way down to the west indicator? No. I don’t on the tires, but I don’t change them unnecessarily either. Your brakes do not need to be changed every 10-20k miles. What does the owners manual say? I doubt it says 10-20k miles for a brake change interval. And quality ceramic pads should last much, much longer than 30k miles.

 

Still better than a white castle shart

Only time I enter a big box autoparts store is when a friend completely eats thru their brakes and needs them dealt with "yesterday"



I keep my finger on the pulse with personal vehicles, and order "preferred parts" well before I need them. For brake parts, I choose OE (with the Tundra), or Brembo/akebono or Hawk on everything else. The Tundra would have Brembo blanks as well, but I was not able to source them and went to the dealership (after ordering online for a better deal).

 

If they are offering it then it is most defiantly not theft or stealing. It is a lost leader strategy that big business use to keep you coming back with the hope that you will spend your hard earned dollars on more of their products. It is built into their business model. It is not the same as the restaurant scenario you posted.

 

Not too familiar with Toyota so had to Google. What are the recommended intervals in your manual? I'll bet it is not 80K. There are minimum tolerances as mentioned in my VW example. Am familiar with many others and watch friends pay lots of $, very often for brakes, so agree it is a bit of marketing, and they do not understand upselling. Seem to buy more cabin filters than any people I know.

So in support of OP, and my experience. We have the best of both. Free replacement of a good quality pad, changed DIY so no labor expense and changed often to avoid any long term issues. It is more of a hobby for DIY'ers. Fun part is working on them. Money savings on 6+ cars is substantial. I also find that there is less probability that brake caliper guides will seize up if the calipers and brackets are removed and lubricated regularly. Makes sense to throw a new set of pads on while this is being done. Likely rotors will last longer or not score as much with more frequent changes. Assuming DIY is the target audience here, but some sound like posters on my Jag forum where nobody is a DIY'er. This is easy stuff. Kinda like tire rotations at every oil change, probably not the interval most do, but easy while the car is lifted already.

 

My father used AutoZone parts on the brakes for his work truck. Since he added a ton of miles each year, he was replacing brakes often. The "free" brakes for life seems great on paper until you realize the parts they're selling you are complete trash and don't last as long as other brands. Having to tear your brakes apart for service twice as often sucks and makes the "free" pads not such a deal.

 

I’m sorry, I must’ve missed which brake manufacturer you worked for.

You should actually change your brakes twice a month for the best results.

 

Wait.
Do you even own a Tundra or a Toyota?

You’ve only replied to this thread and have only had an active account since Friday.

Either you’re a troll or an Autozone employee.

Thanks, but no thanks.