Brake pads changed
Discussion
I took our daily driver car for a service last week to maintain the seven year warranty provided. They told me it needs new discs and pads and that the pads are 90% worn. I enquired how much it would be to do the front discs and pads and was told “that’s £400 please sir”. Looking at the discs they looked absolutely fine but I thought I’ll change the pads myself for peace of mind. I did this job today.
What’s the general opinion on these pads bearing in mind that the garage said they were 90% worn. At best guess I would say they’re around 60% at the most and nowhere near the wear limiter. However for £35 for a new set of Brembo pads and peace of mind I’m ok with it but if does make me wonder with garages. Someone not so clued up would have paid up I bet.
What’s the general opinion on these pads bearing in mind that the garage said they were 90% worn. At best guess I would say they’re around 60% at the most and nowhere near the wear limiter. However for £35 for a new set of Brembo pads and peace of mind I’m ok with it but if does make me wonder with garages. Someone not so clued up would have paid up I bet.
Edited by Mr lestat on Saturday 30th April 14:06
Edited by Mr lestat on Saturday 30th April 14:14
As it’s your daily driver, and they are unlikely to last ‘till your next service, then changing them now is ok.
However, half the job is getting the car up in the air, and as they’ve already done that to inspect them, 400 notes is well over the top.I’d expect to pay £100-150, but even at that price often DIY.
However, half the job is getting the car up in the air, and as they’ve already done that to inspect them, 400 notes is well over the top.I’d expect to pay £100-150, but even at that price often DIY.
Tyre Smoke said:
Not legally it isn't.
My understanding is new tyres have 8mm of tread and the legal minimum is 1.6mm.
There is not a chance in hell I'd change tyres on 3mm.
Performance tests show that the wet weather grip usually drops off substantially well above the legal minimums. 3mm is a perfectly reasonable point to replace the tyres if you are concerned about safety or potential liability.My understanding is new tyres have 8mm of tread and the legal minimum is 1.6mm.
There is not a chance in hell I'd change tyres on 3mm.
I'd happily change those at that thickness: whilst there's no definitive answer, in general new pads will probably have somewhere around 8-10mm of material with recommendations to change at 3-4mm. The MOT min. thickness, which is the only definite figure, is 1.5mm.
Some don't change their tyres until they're down to the legal minimum 1.6mm, I usually change them at 3mm; everybody will have different views.
Were the pads dangerous? No. Were they getting towards the end? For some people, certainly past the first flush of youth. Of course, how long they would have lasted would depend on use but for the price of a set of pads, I wouldn't be losing any sleep.
If you really waht to start a thread running, ask how often you should change your oil
Some don't change their tyres until they're down to the legal minimum 1.6mm, I usually change them at 3mm; everybody will have different views.
Were the pads dangerous? No. Were they getting towards the end? For some people, certainly past the first flush of youth. Of course, how long they would have lasted would depend on use but for the price of a set of pads, I wouldn't be losing any sleep.
If you really waht to start a thread running, ask how often you should change your oil
As most have put so eloquently above dealers define % wear as % of used tread/friction material up to the recommended wear point, not to the MOT fail point/legal limit etc.
I wouldn't be surprised they said 90% worn, but if I had seen them at a service/mot prep I would have been looking for another year unless the discs were worn.
On the point of tyres, I always change as soon as I see anything around 3 or 4 mm depending on wear pattern.
I have recently fitted a full seat at 4 - 4.4mm because 1 was showing signs of cracking.
Brakes are the only thing that stops you & tyres are the only thing that keeps the car out of the next ditch.
I wouldn't be surprised they said 90% worn, but if I had seen them at a service/mot prep I would have been looking for another year unless the discs were worn.
On the point of tyres, I always change as soon as I see anything around 3 or 4 mm depending on wear pattern.
I have recently fitted a full seat at 4 - 4.4mm because 1 was showing signs of cracking.
Brakes are the only thing that stops you & tyres are the only thing that keeps the car out of the next ditch.
I ignored brake pad warnings given by my various garages for 2 years. I changed them when they said, they have to be changed and they stopped with the percentage wear warnings.
If it ain’t broke…
Mind you, I don’t do that many miles. If I relied on it for my commute or living, I would have erred on the side of caution. Plus I read brake performance doesn’t degrade with wear like with tyres, which I do replace as soon as they show signs of being past it. I haven’t gone down below 4mm. Cracking has signed off all of them way before the 3mm or 1.6mm points.
If it ain’t broke…
Mind you, I don’t do that many miles. If I relied on it for my commute or living, I would have erred on the side of caution. Plus I read brake performance doesn’t degrade with wear like with tyres, which I do replace as soon as they show signs of being past it. I haven’t gone down below 4mm. Cracking has signed off all of them way before the 3mm or 1.6mm points.
Edited by wyson on Saturday 30th April 19:32
stevieturbo said:
Tyre Smoke said:
Not legally it isn't.
My understanding is new tyres have 8mm of tread and the legal minimum is 1.6mm.
There is not a chance in hell I'd change tyres on 3mm.
Some people know and care about safety....so are just skinflints and do not care.My understanding is new tyres have 8mm of tread and the legal minimum is 1.6mm.
There is not a chance in hell I'd change tyres on 3mm.
I didn't say I wear my tyres down to 1.6mm, and I'm not a skinflint, but you make your sweeping moral judgement anyway.
Tyre Smoke said:
Did posting that make you feel all morally superior?
I didn't say I wear my tyres down to 1.6mm, and I'm not a skinflint, but you make your sweeping moral judgement anyway.
You said "There is not a chance in hell I'd change tyres on 3mm. "I didn't say I wear my tyres down to 1.6mm, and I'm not a skinflint, but you make your sweeping moral judgement anyway.
Did that mean you do at 2.99mm ? or 0.99mm ?
3mm should be considered a minimum, unless it's a warm dry climate that never rains
stevieturbo said:
You said "There is not a chance in hell I'd change tyres on 3mm. "
Did that mean you do at 2.99mm ? or 0.99mm ?
3mm should be considered a minimum, unless it's a warm dry climate that never rains
Since you ask, I change as soon as it hits the wear marker. But on my caravan, I ditch 7mm tyres after they hit 5 years.Did that mean you do at 2.99mm ? or 0.99mm ?
3mm should be considered a minimum, unless it's a warm dry climate that never rains
My tuppence is, i'd have changed them myself on my own car.
As a paid mechanic, yes there might be some upselling bonuses to be had, but also the mechanic can't guarantee how the car will be driven before the next service, and if the discs are gaining a notable wear ridge that effectively takes some pad friction material out the equation as its entirely possible for metal to metal contact whilst effective pad material is remaining, you can imagine the outrage such an event would produce.
Metal to metal has never happened on my own cars, but over the years i've seen and worked on plenty, i've also seen pad material fully detached from the backing plate due to corrosion, one serious hard brake from high speed and the pad would have broken up, removing the pad saw the friction material drop to the floor.
Decent quality friction materials are so cheap these days (unless you use the dealer or some indies who get carried away with 'sport' branding) and so important along with tyres and suspension components that it's just not worth trying to extract the last knockings, i've seen enough horror stories working on criminally neglected brakes to last several lifetimes.
One comment about the pads in the pic, not a sign of any lube.
As a paid mechanic, yes there might be some upselling bonuses to be had, but also the mechanic can't guarantee how the car will be driven before the next service, and if the discs are gaining a notable wear ridge that effectively takes some pad friction material out the equation as its entirely possible for metal to metal contact whilst effective pad material is remaining, you can imagine the outrage such an event would produce.
Metal to metal has never happened on my own cars, but over the years i've seen and worked on plenty, i've also seen pad material fully detached from the backing plate due to corrosion, one serious hard brake from high speed and the pad would have broken up, removing the pad saw the friction material drop to the floor.
Decent quality friction materials are so cheap these days (unless you use the dealer or some indies who get carried away with 'sport' branding) and so important along with tyres and suspension components that it's just not worth trying to extract the last knockings, i've seen enough horror stories working on criminally neglected brakes to last several lifetimes.
One comment about the pads in the pic, not a sign of any lube.
Edited by Smint on Sunday 1st May 07:14
stevieturbo said:
3mm should be considered a minimum, unless it's a warm dry climate that never rains
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