Well I know the brakes work well, today on my way home from Panama City beach, FL on Hwy 167 I was going the speed limit of 65 MPH. This person on a motorbike pulled right out in front of me anticipating he was going to gun it but he stalled out, I am new far from him so I slam the brakes completely and preform a major swerve and the car starts grinding and beeping. Now is that grinding noise normal or is that the brakes getting eaten away? I have to preform an emergency slam probaly 1-2 times a week, mostly for only a few seconds and below 45 MPH as Birmingham traffic is horrible and people are bad drivers. How long will my brakes last typically with this kind of stopping?

 

The grinding is the ABS doing its job. I wouldn't worry about how long the brakes will last. I'd worry about my health insurance and how long the bumpers and airbags will last. Choose a different road or lane on the road if possible.

 

The road I have to take to work is horrible, traffic has increased so much and the roads haven't been able to keep up with traffic demands, there are wrecks every day. People in that part of town also really don't care if they pull out in fron't of you which is why I have to slam on the brakes so much. Police have already gotten 2 people who cut me off but they are expanding the road to a 5 lane now so traffic will get better I hope.

 

I agree with the other poster - if you are doing an "emergency slam" of your brakes 1 to 2 times a week, you need to find a different route to work.

Another option is to drive even more cautiously and leave larger gaps, in anticipation of people cutting into your lane. e-braking shouldn't be occuring that often solely due to the other drivers on the road.

 

Must be your first car with ABS - that's all it is.

Actually the brakes on the RX400h will last a LOOOONG time - mine is at about 20k and the brakes are still like new. The regen system saves the brake pad quite a bit.