[buzetskiy]

Hi there! I’m at 26k miles on my 2019 insight and I wouldn’t say I stop the roughest. My brakes at one point became noticeably touchier, jolting the car to a rougher halt, and I didn’t think much of it. now roughly 4-5k miles later have become softer all the sudden. I’d say my car goes to a full stop once I apply half the paddle. My breakpads don’t look terrible but one of them has a weird edge to it. I have a photo attached. Should I get them repaired or wait till my B2, I’m at 50% I’m not getting any sounds or anything. Anyone have anything similar?

my other ones seem fine..

 

[jensight]

Sorry to hear you're experiencing problems with braking.

Have you done a brake fluid flush yet? We just did ours yesterday and the pedal feel has improved. We'll complete three years of ownership at the end of the month.

A good friend, who is a mechanic, helped with the two-round flush. He said the brake pads had about 60% left with 22.4k miles on the clock, no noticeable wear on the rotors. My SO, the principal driver, doesn't use regen as much as I do. I've seen others on the forum report that they see minimal wear on their pads after more miles.

 

[buzetskiy]

Sorry to hear you're experiencing problems with braking.

Have you done a brake fluid flush yet? We just did ours yesterday and the pedal feel has improved. We'll complete three years of ownership at the end of the month.

A good friend, who is a mechanic, helped with the two-round flush. He said the brake pads had about 60% left with 22.4k miles on the clock, no noticeable wear on the rotors. My SO, the principal driver, doesn't use regen as much as I do. I've seen others on the forum report that they see minimal wear on their pads after more miles.

Thank you for your reply! I think I’ll take it in to Honda. I called some shops and it seems like that would be the best option pricewise. Hope it’s just a fluid flush in that case then! Thank you!

 

[jensight]

You're welcome. Let us know your results.

We had code A7 at the latest service about two weeks ago. We had the dealer do the oil change since we negotiated four years of oil changes at purchase. We decided to do the brake fluid flush ourselves because the local dealer charges ~$180. If you have the tools and an extra person, the only thing you need is a quart of brake fluid. A lot of people recommend the Honda brake fluid. We used Bosch 5.1. About $12 vs $180 + sales tax

 

[Hiro Yatamoto]

Hi there! I’m at 26k miles on my 2019 insight and I wouldn’t say I stop the roughest. My brakes at one point became noticeably touchier, jolting the car to a rougher halt, and I didn’t think much of it. now roughly 4-5k miles later have become softer all the sudden. I’d say my car goes to a full stop once I apply half the paddle. My breakpads don’t look terrible but one of them has a weird edge to it. I have a photo attached. Should I get them repaired or wait till my B2, I’m at 50% I’m not getting any sounds or anything. Anyone have anything similar?

my other ones seem fine..

Maybe you just have rust buildup on your brake pads. Try getting on the highway, when there isn't much traffic, getting up to speed, putting the car in neutral, and pressing on the brake pedal to scrape the rust off. Do this a few times and then see how the brakes feel. I have a 2019, and I refused the brake fluid flush, when it came up, at my last oil change. I have NEVER had to have the brake fluid flushed before 100K miles or 10 years. So I suspect that since Honda can't get you for worn pads, they figure they will get you for a fluid flush. But it's all up to you and your wallet

 

[andrew28]

I have NEVER had to have the brake fluid flushed before 100K miles or 10 years. So I suspect that since Honda can't get you for worn pads, they figure they will get you for a fluid flush.

Brake fluid helps you apply pressure to your brakes and prevents corrosion in your brake lines. The brake fluid looses effectiveness over time due to it absorbing moisture from the air and other contaminants. Same reason why you would want to change your oil. Honda recommends brake fluid change every 3 years for the Insight.

Honda brake fluid is $6. Sure the dealership might be overcharging on labor but the automaker is definitely not scamming off brake fluid. No way $6 brake fluid can offer 10 years/100k miles of protection from various temps and conditions. The average cost reported here for a brake fluid change at the dealership is about $150-$200. So that comes out to $50/year - $66/year for 3 years... There are certain things I don't cheap out maintenance on and the braking system is one of them.

 

[jensight]

Brake fluid helps you apply pressure to your brakes and prevents corrosion in your brake lines. The brake fluid looses effectiveness over time due to it absorbing moisture from the air and other contaminants. ... There are certain things I don't cheap out maintenance on and the braking system is one of them.

Agreed. I did ours with a friend for $12 using Bosch brake fluid. As long as you have a jack, 19 mm socket & ratchet, 10 mm wrench, torque wrench and some patience, you can do it with a helper. As far as the danger of not changing the fluid, I provided some information I found in this post:

Procedure to change brake fluid

The flushing procedure is in post #6, as a PDF, earlier in that thread, generously shared by @WorldThatHeSees.

Even if you're not doing heavy braking, as in the test in my post, having properly maintained fluid may save you several feet on a normal stop. That could result in the difference between an accident and a safe stop.