Hey guys, it's time to do the brakes on my wife's car again. It's a 2016 Durango R/T with ~ 198k miles on it. I remember I used to buy the middle of the road pads they would carry at Advance Auto parts or Auto Zone and they used to be around ~$55 for the front pads, but I felt like they didn't last too long (don't remember if I got more than 30-40k), and I remember they would create brake dust.
I decided last time to buy OEM from the local dealer and I replaced the front and rear pads in 01/12/23 (almost 3 years) at 120k miles. It's almost January, and I am at ~ 200k miles, those pads lasted about 3 years and 80k miles.
I have a spreadsheet I created to keep a record of what I spend for my cars, the cost was $222.85 front and $167.40 for the rear, that's about $416 with sales tax (NJ). I called the dealer and the OEM now costs $292 for the front and $220 for the rear (~ $545 with tax). The local Adv. Auto Parts / Auto Zone are at about $87 for the front and $75 for the rear (~ $172 with tax), difference being about ~ $373.
The dealer also mentioned an aftermarket brand BP Pro and the front pads were $92, but I had never heard of them.
Are any of you guys set on using OEM or do you usually go for aftermarket with cost in mind? Any opinions or feedback either direction? In this economic climate I am trying to save some money, but I am willing to pay more for quality, just not sure if the difference in quality justifies the price.

Thanks,

Ed

 

I just use aftermarket pads, so good (premium grade) semi-metallic.... There may be a bit of brake dust, but, as long as the truck stops good, I don't care.

 

Generally, Auto Parts stores have several layers of quality. I don't buy the cheapies but have found the expensive level to be over kill. The middle grade usually lasts as long and costs substantially less. The really expensive race parts don't work well on the street though. They are intended for HEAVY usage. They work better when they are fairly hot. Regular street driving, unless you have a really heavy foot, doesn't get them hot enough to work properly.

 

Thank you guys, was thinking about going with the mid-grade aftermarket (gold level).
Disclaimer: my wife does have a heavy foot for a tiny little thing (4'11"), that my kids call me a slow poke when I drive.

 

Check the Rock Auto website. They have brake pads galore - separated in categories. They also carry MOPAR, so you could cross reference the P/N price at the dealer vs Rock Auto.

 

Last minute stops are rough on a car. Does she hammer the throttle too? She is probably getting 80% of what the car is capable of on fuel economy. The rest of the car is aging prematurely too. Suspension, steering, drive train and so on all wear under heavy usage.

 

Ol' grouch, she does hammer on the throttle and jam on the brakes, it sometimes makes me nauseous if I happen to look down, searching for something.
I had forgotten about the Rock Auto website, thanks DDCrew.

 

Back in the day, I had a 1997 BMW 528i sedan that I took the speed limiter off. My GF at the time needed a car and I taught her to drive a stick. She got to liking a stick shift. A week later I got a call from the State Police. She was arrested and my car impounded. A Trooper tried to pull her over and she out ran two units. She did NOT out run the Motorola. After getting my car out of impound (not cheap) and posting bail for her, I was not a happy camper. I pointed out the tires were only rated for 120 mph and the police report said she was doing around 155 mph when finally stopped. It didn't impress the judge when she said she didn't know they were chasing her. We didn't last much longer after that.

 

Indeed, can't outrun the radio...... Or the airplane....

I got pulled over once on my way back from Cincinnati..... I-75 north, cruising right along.... (sunday morning, so not a lotta traffic, and four lanes in each direction.....) I noticed everyone else was slowing down, so matched with traffic. There was a selection of state police cars parked on the side of the road, and sure enough, one pulled out behind me, with his lights on. I pulled over, figuring he had at maybe 80... probably less, and I would be able to talk my way out of it. (I had pretty good success in the past....) Cop came up to the window, asked from my license and registration, and asked the usual question..... "Do you know why I pulled you over?" Yep, speeding. The officer stared at me, and said "The airplane clocked you at One hundred and eight, in a 55 zone......" and walked away. Nope, not talking my way out of that one. fortunately, he didn't just take me in, gave me the ticket, sent me on my way. I had to go back to some little burg north of Cinci for my court date... and when the judge called my case, he looked at the charge, and wanted to see my driving record. I knew at that point I was essentially screwed.... (yeah, at the time, I had a LOT of points on my license..... most for speeding..... I drove a Trans Am after all.....) In the end, the fine was like 125 bucks, which I thought was dirt cheap, and of course, my ohio driving privilege was suspended for six months. When I went to pay my fine, I asked for my license back. The clerk there told me that mine was suspended, so, I didn't get it back. I suggested that since I lived in Michigan, and Michigan and Ohio do not reciprocate on traffic violations, I could still drive in Michigan, thus, I was legally entitled to my license back. The clerk looked confused for a moment, and was about to refuse me again, but, the lawyer behind me told her "He's right, give him his license, let him go." Clerk gave me back my license, my receipt, and said goodbye. I knew that was coming, so, had another driver with me. I just stayed out of Ohio for six months.... Not that I ventured there that often anyway.....

 

I don't speed in Ohio, mainly because of the state of the roads. I went to Detroit once via Ohio and my dash cam kept tripping from the internal G meter reading the pot holes as crashes. Back in the early 1990's, I nearly lost my license from road testing a car I had built. Fortunately, a friend who was a lawyer owed me a bunch of favors and represented me. I'd never heard of cosine error regarding radar guns, but I had charges dismissed.

Here's a tip, if a friend who is a lawyer needs a favor, do it.