It would be interesting to hear how many miles we have gotten from the original pads;and the driving style.If I'm getting close to replacement time,I'd prefer to start looking at upgrade pads.

 

My breaks are starting to squeak a lot, which I think is usually a sign of wear. The most amazing thing is that my car only has 5K kilometers. I hope the brake service is not so expensive.

My everyday driving is through a lot hills (up and down hill) and speedbumps, and I admit not having the best driving habits. Its also been raining so much here in Mexico City that it could also be the cause of brake squeaking.

 

I have 22k miles on my original pads.
Lots of highway miles in there (got the 22k in 7 months), but also some spirited driving. One whole track day where I ate about 1/2 the tread on my front rubber but well worth it in terms of fun and what I learned.

Recently for a while my breaks started squealing for a bit, now they have stopped again.

I think I am roughly between 1/2 and 1/3 (remaining) on the front pads.

 

>>It would be interesting to hear how many miles we have gotten from the original pads;and the driving style.If I'm getting close to replacement time,I'd prefer to start looking at upgrade pads.

The original brake pads like most OEM pads generate lots of brake dust and are messy. They stop OK for general use and wear at an average rate. You exact experience will vary depending on your driving habits and conditions.

Your brake shoes will wear faster if:
You drive mostly city or urban miles.
Do many shorter trips.
Drive over 20,000 miles each year
The load in the car is at maximum.
Drive up and down steep hills or in mountains.
Do monthly autocross races.
Tend to drive with your foot on the brake.
Operate a driving school for teens.

Your brake shoes will wear longer if:
You drive mostly highway miles with cruise control on.
Drive only on flat terrain.
Drive only on weekends.
The car is used primarily for commuting.
The car never/rarely sees the track.
The car never exceeds the posted speed limit.

In standard cars the original brake shoes will last about 25,000 to 30,000 miles in the front and maybe up to 45,000 miles in the rear but there is great variance. In my MINI, I changed out all of the pads at 7000 miles and they were all good. I got Mintex Red pads- good for street use and longer wearing than stock, low brake dust and tolerates the track temps better than stock. Also low cost- about $35 to 40 a pair.

Most MINI owners don't like the heavy brake dust of the original pads. Stopping tends to be OK. Wear tends to be OK.

 

Is break squeaking related to shoe wear at all? Is this a sign that its time for service?

I classify into the first set of driving conditions: short in-city trips with lots of up and downhills and... (only in Mexico City) speed bumps right in the middle of the hills!

Its also been raining a lot, which affects the brakes too. I guess I´ll just take it to the dealer for a (hopefully) free brake clean-up and adjusting and not for shoe replacement.

 

20K miles still on the original pads, driven very hard but no track days. Waiting on my brother to change brake system to Brembo big brake kit for the front and slotted rotors in the rear, been sitting on my garage floor for a couple of weeks now.