I recently took my 2005 Xterra to the local dealer for an oil change. Along with the service they performed their usual inspection of the car. The indicated there was about 20% lining left on my front brakes. The service rep indicated based on that I should consider replacing the front disc brakes in the near future.

What got me scratching my head was looking over the recods of the previous visit which was six months prior to that (I only change oil when the mileage elapses, not when three months goes by like the manual says...), the documentation from the vehicle inspections states there was actually 70% which I assume means left over (the documenation doesn't state either way).

Why did it go from 70% to 20% in just 6 months? I'm smelling a bit of a rat here. Either:

- The previous visit which listed 70% meant to indicate 70% of the brake had been used while the new visit indicated 20% is left over meaning someone got their metrics screwed up.
- The dealership is trying to screw me over. No way I went from 70% to 20% brake lining left over in 6 months.
- Someone made a mistake.

I know what I'm about to ask is a tough question as no one here knows how I drive much less the type of driving I have to do. However, on an X with about 65,000 miles or so on it, would you expect the brakes to need to be replaced? How long did everyone else have to go before they got their brakes replaced? If there is indeed 20% life left in my front brakes, any thoughts on how much longer I can ride around with them on? I was thinking of waiting until the next oil change which will be at least 5-6 months away.

Thanks!

Chris Smith