I changed my pads and rotors at about 28K miles mainly because I was sick of the dust. The original pads had at least half left on them. I also had a squeal from the passenger side - found out that the front outboard pad had separated from the backing. The only way you could tell was to remove the caliper.

The new Rotex pads are GREAT - they stop just as well as the OEM pads, but the near total lack of dust is FANTASTIC! Not having to listen to the squeal is a big plus, too! Just make sure to put anti-squeal compound on whatever pads you put on.