Wow.....something is very wrong here. If they changed your pads all the way around and are now saying they're done 12,000 miles later, they are crazy. I wonder if they even changed them at all at 39,000 miles? If they are indeed worn out now, I would let them know they were changed at their dealership not long ago and they must have messed up somehow, so they can put on a new set for you, at no charge!
Your spark plugs are good for 100,000 miles. If they are suggesting they need to be changed, go somewhere else for any more car service!

 

The maintenance schedule says the plugs need to be changed at 120,000 and I'm not even half way there so I have my doubts. Also when the plugs are going on any other car that I've owned the gas mileage starts decreasing and my current gas mileage hasn't changed since I bought this car new.

 

See if the service manager has a boat. If so, he has a payment coming up and wants YOU to make it.
You only need a big c-clamp and a cheap socket set to change pads. Jack the car up, remove the rim. Get out your tools and open a beer. When you are done, the beer will still be cold.
There are THOUSANDS of YouTube videos. AND, there is a complete set of graphics on the other side of your vehicle. (That would be the brakes on the opposite wheel. NEVER take both of them apart at once.) Back brakes, because of the emergency brake system is a little more complicated, but the back pads should outlast the front ones by thousands of miles.
If you don't want to do it yourself, make friends with the kid down the street who spends more time under his car than he does driving it.

 

I'm not doing any car repairs now, I don't have a garage and mid 30'sF is too cold for my taste. I don't think kids around here work on their own cars any more, the youngest person I've seen working on their car in my area was in their 30's.

 

Simple tool you can get at Amazon or any parts store if you don't want to use a c clamp

 

Agreed. Get this tool. It’s like $8 and way better than a c clamp.

 

This is why dealerships are called stealerships. The adviser and mechanics work on a commission basis so there is an incentive to create more business. Sometimes they recommend work not necessary and other times they just don't do the work properly. We don't know for sure what happen since you can't see or know if they changed the pads or resurfaced the rotor. It would be different if you can check the work after they did it. In any case rotors and pads can wear prematurely if the guide pins are not lubricated. When the guide pins seize the caliper stick which means the pad with wear unevenly which will shorten brake life. So don't assume all mechanics will lube the guide pins which many don't which I have found out in the past. According to the Toyota best practice video, the mechanics are suppose to check the guide pin and lubricate them so they don't get come backs.

I advise you to take your business some place else that is not on commission basis and do good work. Try researching on Yelp. Call them to ask question and then visit the shop. If they are not helpful then move on.

 

This is why dealership are called stealership. The adviser and mechanics work on a commission basis so there is an incentive to create more business. Sometimes they recommend work not necessary and other times they just don't do the work properly. We don't know for sure what happen since you can't see or know if they changed the pads or resurfaced the rotor. It would be different if you can check the work after they did it. In any case rotors and pads can wear prematurely if the guide pins are not lubricated. When the guide pins seize the caliper stick which means the pad with wear unevenly which will shorten brake life. So don't assume all mechanics will lube the guide pins which many don't which I have found out in the past. According to the Toyota best practice video, the mechanics are suppose to check the guide pin and lubricate them so they don't get come backs.

I advise you to take your business some place else that is not on commission basis and do good work. Try researching on Yelp. Call them to ask question and then visit the shop. If they are not helpful then move on.

My guess is that the guide pins are lubed and the calipers are not sticking, the only reason I say this is that I would expect my gas mileage to suffer to some extent if the caliper was sticking and the pads were continuously rubbing on the rotors.

 

More than this, check the maintenance schedule in your service books. You’ll find that the iridium spark plugs are good for about 120,000 miles (my Canadian book lists the metric equivalent of 192,000 km).

In the actual owner’s manual, the brake pad spec for replacement is 1mm. If you made your original set last until 39,000 miles, I have a hard time believing that you killed a set of pads in 12,000 miles. If indeed the pads are at 1mm, the question is which brand of pads they used when they did the job. Then, despite the hardware being done too, whether they did the service the right way, including greasing the slide pins. The only other reason I can see for the brakes to be done is that the original front rotors which they machined may be shot and under spec. It’s not usually a good idea to put new rotors with old pads, even with 12,000 miles on them. Either way, if the brakes are shot at 1mm OR showing uneven wear, it’s on the shop. If the brake pads have anything more than 1mm, they are in spec - and don’t need to be done.

I agree with paperboy - someone needs to finish Christmas shopping, and the cheque will come in before the 24th. It’s likely that the service “advisor” is going by the informational tool for customers they keep on the counter - that single colour-coded brake pad with three levels of wear. The red level in fact still has 3-4mm thickness, which contradicts the manual spec of 1mm.

Toyotas rarely fail or need large repairs, so service and maintenance are hard sells at the dealers. There’s a lot of pressure on them to sell work to keep the money coming in. The mechanic I apprenticed under left the Toyota dealership he was at in part because of this pressure. My suggestion is that if you’re able to do the work SAFELY and CORRECTLY yourself, go for it. If not, there are a lot of other shops around which operate honestly and without the hard sell.


2012 RAV4 Base FWD.
Upgraded to large front brakes and 3rd row rear springs.

 

More than this, check the maintenance schedule in your service books. You’ll find that the iridium spark plugs are good for about 120,000 miles (my Canadian book lists the metric equivalent of 192,000 km).

In the actual owner’s manual, the brake pad spec for replacement is 1mm. If you made your original set last until 39,000 miles, I have a hard time believing that you killed a set of pads in 12,000 miles. If indeed the pads are at 1mm, the question is which brand of pads they used when they did the job. Then, despite the hardware being done too, whether they did the service the right way, including greasing the slide pins. The only other reason I can see for the brakes to be done is that the original front rotors which they machined may be shot and under spec. It’s not usually a good idea to put new rotors with old pads, even with 12,000 miles on them. Either way, if the brakes are shot at 1mm OR showing uneven wear, it’s on the shop. If the brake pads have anything more than 1mm, they are in spec - and don’t need to be done.

I agree with paperboy - someone needs to finish Christmas shopping, and the cheque will come in before the 24th. It’s likely that the service “advisor” is going by the informational tool for customers they keep on the counter - that single colour-coded brake pad with three levels of wear. The red level in fact still has 3-4mm thickness, which contradicts the manual spec of 1mm.

Toyotas rarely fail or need large repairs, so service and maintenance are hard sells at the dealers. There’s a lot of pressure on them to sell work to keep the money coming in. The mechanic I apprenticed under left the Toyota dealership he was at in part because of this pressure. My suggestion is that if you’re able to do the work SAFELY and CORRECTLY yourself, go for it. If not, there are a lot of other shops around which operate honestly and without the hard sell.


2012 RAV4 Base FWD.
Upgraded to large front brakes and 3rd row rear springs.

It wouldn't surprise me if the rotors need to be replaced, this car has 80-85% city miles on it so the brakes get a lot of use. I also know enough (I know enough about car repair to be dangerous) that the pads/shims will need to be replaced with the rotors, in fact I would try to make sure they replaced the pads/shims.

 

In place of a c-clamp, I have even used a 12 to 18 screwdriver. Wedge it between the pad and rotor and lever the two apart.
Good idea? ABSOLUTELY NOT. But when you're in the boonies and that's all you have, that's what you use. Using a crescent wrench or a pipe wrench(!!!!) on the bolts is not in the Factory Shop Manual either. Had to find a piece of iron that was CLOSE to the Allen bolt size and then beat on them with a big hammer until they fit.
We were way out in the country, a friend heard his warning clips squealing, got a set of pads and drove to where we were. Pre cell phone days. That's how I know you can change pads before your beer gets warm, AFTER you "manufacture" your "tools".
By the way, that car is still running, not very well, but it is OLD. AND, amazingly still STOPPING.

 

What needs to be changed here for sure is where you take your RAV4 for service. To put it simply, NEVER go back to them.

 

As said above, something is not right here at all, get a second opinion from a different garage.