Was at the dealer the other day and they noticed I need rear brake pads (~4mm) and rotors for the rear. Fronts should be done soon. They also suggested i should have changed out my brake fluid at 30k? lol

Back in the day we used to cut rotors as needed and replace as needed. Now with new rotors they always want to replace them since they cannot be cut. However on most of my cars I have owned I rarely needed to replace the rotors on the first break job. I would just change out the brake pads the first time around and keep the rotors.

Thinking ill just do brake pads all around and next time replace the rotors? No wobble, no inconsistent breaking, no brake pulsing. Just fine other than the pads being low.

Thoughts on rotors going another 40+k with new pads on the 4Runner?

I have a friend who does all my brake work for a fraction of the cost. As we know dealers are very expensive, they wanted $1000 for rear pads and rotors.

most likely caliper pistons rusted and require replacement. if you really want to have reliable brakes, make complete makeover front and rear with new calipers, rotors, pads and fluid. find complete set at reasonable price, and replacement is easy. rear shoes may not need replacement at 50k.

Rear shoes are what's needed. So i guess that's odd they went first? They didn't mention caliper pistons being rusted. But they did mention some rust hindering exact MM remaining.

I want reliable brakes. But again I have never replaced rotors on the first change and never had an issue. Is this truly bad not to replace the rotors on the first change over with a 4Runner because its a larger vehicle?

They “noticed” lol. They noticed an opportunity to make more money. Measure them yourself and I would be surprised if they were accurate.
Having problems with the braking? If no, then you don’t need rotors or pads. Service limit is 1mm. Personally, I would start to get ready at 3mm (order pads, shims, clips, pins) and change what’s needed around 2mm. Most likely just pads, maybe pins. Uneven wear and I would replace everything up to and including calipers. Rotors for sure. Changing fluid for me depends on if my car is garaged and the humidity in my location. I live in the desert and waited 10 years for my first brake fluid change. In hindsight I shoulda done it around 5-6 only because it’s easy and cheap to do DIY.
Oh, my truck has over 120k and original pads all around.
Brakepad check at 32,000 Miles, 80,000+ Miles,101,000 Miles
Changed out my GFs rear pads RAV4 at 60k.

Get a $30 flexible camera from Amazon and verify their claims. If still in doubt, upload the brake pictures here for our review.

The brand of the one I bought was NIDAGE

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Yeah, my friend said 4mm means its 6mm+ at a dealer. lol

Thank you. No problems with braking at all, wouldn't even know they were at 4mm (its a 2019). So pads/shims/clips/pins only is fine if rotors don't show any Uneven wear and look good.
My friend does tons of brake jobs so he will be sure to advise how they look.

Just wanted to make sure I am not crazy for keeping the rotors this time around if they look good since I have only done this with small cars.

Wow, 120K on original pads. I only got to 75k on my Acura original pads.

Strangely enough, my 2010 4R's original rear brakes wore out before the front which I thought was odd. But aside from that, if you are not getting any pulsating or other weird sensations while braking, I would believe that you would be safe just changing the pads. I would hope that the OEM rotors wouldn't be out of spec since your original brake pads are not completely wore out yet. Someone Please correct me if I'm wrong in thinking that way.

I replace my pads on calipers ... I rotate tires and use a silicone brake grease .. clean the pins and add silicone grease on the cal boots [rubber] component/part..

back in the old days GM steel in the USA not much rust ..now Australia iron ore creates a lot of rust.... my 1996 Impala did not replace the calipers no rust .. the front rotor / rear looks good .. I changed my brake fluid Impala looks like new ...sucked out all the fluid ..............

my 2016 runner frame is rusted and I fix all the rust ...Australia iron !

Rear brakes are used as an electronic differential while on pavement. The computer independatantly brakes the inner wheel during a turn.

As for why you never see brake rotors get "cut" it is because the labour rates are so high now. It is the same cost to employ a semi skilled person to cut the rotors on a special lathe as it is for brand new OEM Toyota made in Japan rotors. Why bother removing material and have less life for the same cost as brand new ? Also you can clear your lift sooner instead of waiting hours for the rotors to he turned around from your back shop or driven across town and driven back.

If you put 3rd party brand rotors they are cheaper than turning your old rotors.

Makes also sense. Thinking back (90s) I think this is why I don't feel the need to replace the rotors every time. Back in the day I had multiple instances where they said they didn't need to cut the rotors and just did pads.

Brake fluid does not go bad unless it has contact with the atmosphere. Turkey bast the fluid out of the reservoir, fill with fresh and bleed brakes…..done.

I can’t get the screen out of my master cylinder so turkey blaster doesn’t do much. Since the back brakes pump by themselves it’s pretty easy to do a fluid change on these. It’s a one-person job if you do the gravity bleed method.
I think there’s a bit left in the ABS but c’est la vie.

I also think the rotors should be serviced when truly needed. Unless rust or caliper issues have damaged the rotors they can last a very long time. The rotor thickness specs are available if required, but rotors wear is easy to see.
I put my first front and rear brake pads only on my 2017 SR5 a couple months ago. No rotor work.
I maintain my family Hondas and my first Toyota 4runner. My 2004 Honda Pilot at 230,000 miles is still on original rotors. These rotors still measure in spec. and operate smoothly. I always use only original factory Brake Pads I purchase retail at local dealers. I once ordered Honda pads from on-line source and they turned out to be cleverly counterfeit.
Our 4runners use the brakes in the Trac and A-trac systems. I prefer to keep the pads thick, so I change early.
Good luck finding an honest dealer! I discovered a local Toyota dealer would give our trucks to the newest mechanic and the older mechanics placed bets on how fast he could complete an oil/filter change and tire rotation.
Now I never leave my vehicles where I cannot watch the work I purchased.

Thanks. I feel the same changing pads a little early. Noting worse than an over expanded caliper.

I am lucky, my dealer I go to is pretty decent and i have a bunch of cameras on my truck. lol
But I only use them for oil changes and early warning of issues. Then I have my friend who owns a shop do the more expensive work.

Brake fluid does indeed go bad. When brake fluid experiences localized overheating (ie brake fluid contacting super hot pistons) inside your caliper it begins to boil ever so slightly. When this happens the brake fluid offgases and gas pockets form.

In a larger scale scenario to contextualize; this is what happens at the race track when you over use your brakes or have an undersized system.

4runners while not race cars can still experience this. Towing a heavy load. Descending mountain passes. Spirited driving over prolonged distances.