Hi everyone, I’ve had my car for about 1.5 years and took it to service a couple weeks ago and they told me my brakes pads might need to be replaced soon.
They told me they had 4mm and they recommended changing them at 3mm. I have a long trip (about 1500 km ~950 miles) for Christmas, should I replace them before or after that?
In my opinion you are fine.
Some folks change the pads & rotors at the same time. Some folks will have the rotors turned and used on a second set of pads, especially if money is tight.
Personally I fall into the first camp. By doing so, one can drive until the brakes start grinding and then change both. (I primarily do this because I have had rotors warp shortly after being turned but I have never had this issue with new ones.) This does require paying attention to your vehicle, and not always cranking the radio full blast.
It’s all personal preference. Neither way is right or wrong, despite how many people here will tell you differently.