The dash led/icon has just lit up.

Where is the best place to get new pads fitted to the car please?

Local garage. Not kwikfit etc. Ask around your work/friends/here for decent garages in your area.

I’d DIY it if you can TBH

Decent place for the pads – http://www.mtecbrakes.co.uk/

Curious ,why not Kwik Fit?

A garage, if they mess up changeing brake pads then you should check the sign above the door doesn’t say “Zoo, Monkey Enclosure”. The last set I changed myself were simpler than changeing shimano pads (no fiddly retaining bolts, just some split pins). The only caveat to that is if it’s got anything silly like electronic hanbrakes or osme overly complicated traction controll which you cant just put new pads into and need a load of computers to talk to the car while you do it.

Curious ,why not Kwik Fit?

+1

Because, like Halfords, all of them are bad, whereas all local garages are like all LBSs and are brilliant.

because I have been there several times in emergencies and they can’t do the simplest thing. Not tightening up the wheelnuts was the last one, saying I had an oil leak when it was overspill and saying they needed to change seal to the sump, incorrectly fitting an exhaust three times. Tehy can fit tyres though.
It’s taken a while to find a local garage I trust on jobs I can’t do and wouldn’t use anyone else unless an emergency

all local garages are like all LBSs and are brilliant.

…………. and take biscuits in full and final payment for work done

a mechanic

Your dealer. They’re not always too much more expensive than Fred in the shed. At least your dealer will fit genuine pads. I’ve seen some none genuine pads fall apart and I know what product I’d prefer in a vehicle that my loved ones are in.
Most dealers will do value line or menu servicing.

How old’s the car? Reason I ask is that with a relatively new or otherwise dependable car, changing pads is a piece of piss. But with an older car, there’s also an element of “Is my caliper knackered” and “wow look at the brake pipes” etc, it all becomes part of the ongoing diagnosis.

I just stuck EBC’s OEM replacement pads in mine, they’re slightly quicker on the uptake than the OEM ones but otherwise unremarkable, which seems like an excellent trait in a brake pad.

I dont intend on doing it myself.

Its a 52 plate.

Hey Mounty – go down the road towards town, opposite the V centre and next to the pub where we all use to meet on a Sunday ride. Excellent little garage, highly recommended, just been there myself and they like cash 😉

I dont intend on doing it myself.

Piece of piss mate. 🙂

bails – Member
Because, like Halfords, all of them are bad, whereas all local garages are like all LBSs and are brilliant.

Balls are they!

Hey Mounty – go down the road towards town, opposite the V centre and next to the pub where we all use to meet on a Sunday ride. Excellent little garage, highly recommended, just been there myself and they like cash

I did think of that garage, they use to only deal with Lancia and other specialists cars, so I wasnt sure if they dealt with normal ‘every day’ cars! 🙂

Is this MP?

Is this MP?

Might be 😉 Got to keep a low profile, don’t wanna be stalked again 😯

Ok, I havent seen you…. 😉

Before you do anything, have a look behind the wheels. You should be able to see the sensor wire going from a pad to the car (possibly only one on the front and maybe one on the back) – make sure it has not broken as this will trigger the dash light…. The pads may still be fine. I e had this happen before now.

Mounty_73 – Member

Curious ,why not Kwik Fit?

Local indy quote for remedial MOT work to my OH’s Micra: £75.
Kwik Fit quote: £320.

Plus the indy lent me a car so I didn’t have to hang around in the cold.
And opened up early so I could get the car back before rush hour.
I tipped.
(Ray’s garage in Somersham, for anyone in the Cambridgeshire region)

Fronts fit the pads yourself no more difficult than MTB just bigger bolts

Rears may require piston wind back tool or computer
to wind back pistons
So cost wise rears might be cheaper getting dealer on fixed price

Curious ,why not Kwik Fit?

I’ve yet to see anything good come out of kwikfit. Incorrect silencers bodged onto cars and female owners told it’s right but their original parts were wrong. Pads and tyres changed that didn’t need it. Oil filters left loose.

Find a local recommended garage if you are not capable.

Before you do anything, have a look behind the wheels. You should be able to see the sensor wire going from a pad to the car (possibly only one on the front and maybe one on the back) – make sure it has not broken as this will trigger the dash light…. The pads may still be fine. I e had this happen before now.

Good bit of advice there.

As for kwikfit just avoid them at all costs! If you go there for a pair of tyres you’ll always end up needing 4 and they will tell you the tracking needs doing even if they were wearing evenly, a set of worn front brake pads will usually result in needing the rears done too, and whilst you’re at it you’ll probably need a new exhaust. Anyone would think they specialized in tyres, brakes, and exhausts 😉

Had my car looked at today…..it went in for new brake pads….and this has happened.

It turns out that the brake discs need replacing along with the sensor wire which I already knew, BUT once they had taken off both wheels, they found that the brake calipers were different and therefore had different size brake discs.

Spoke to the mechanic who said it was probably replaced after an accident. I am the only owner of the car and I have never had any work done on the brakes/calipers as far as I can remember.

The only thing I can think of is about 5 or 6 years ago I hit a deer and the repairs went through my insurance and a garage of their choice.

I had nothing but problems with the garage years ago and there so called ‘mechanics’ and a very poor service.

Does anyone know if there would still be any records of the work carried out on the car by the old insurance company?

I’ve yet to see anything good come out of kwikfit.

Been using them for, ohhh, 25 years, personally and through work. Never had a problem. Nor has my brother, apparently the Huddersfield branch is superb.

Mounty_73 – Member

It turns out that the brake discs need replacing along with the sensor wire which I already knew, BUT once they had taken off both wheels, they found that the brake calipers were different and therefore had different size brake discs.

Spoke to the mechanic who said it was probably replaced after an accident. I am the only owner of the car and I have never had any work done on the brakes/calipers as far as I can remember.

Cor. That’s quite insane isn’t it, they can’t even have saved much doing that. Suppose this far on it’ll be difficult or impossible to pursue since they can just maintain it’s happened since, shouldn’t be too expensive to resolve at least especially as you needed new discs…

And people ask why I don’t just automatically trust garages, and tend to do my own work… I might be a bodger but at least I’m not a criminal.

I can see why people dont trust some of these garages.

They have put another caliper/disc on now that matches the other one, so now they are both the same.

The thing that has really annoyed me is that this sort of ‘mechanics’ could potentially be dangerous.I would assume that having 2 different types of brakes/discs would not work equally?

I would pursue your insurance company, the work should have been done to a certain standard (i.e like for like parts) so request a hire car whilst they sort out the original bodged repair as your car is unroadworthy. On the upside, if you can get them to do this you may get your brake pads and discs replaced for free as they should always be replaced in pairs 🙂

It could be dangerous but if there was any discrepancies in the applied braking force on the front wheels it would have been picked up during the brake test in the MOT, i’m very surprised/skeptical even, that it hasn’t been picked up in the MOT or when your car has been in for a service as this would be a very obvious thing to notice – if it hasn’t been noticed then your chosen Garage for the last few years of servicing has been lax in it’s methods of examination.

As a matter of interest what make/model is it you have?.

There can be small differences between brake callipers and discs fitted to the same make and model of cars as manufacturers change specs over the course of the models lifespan, for example : Some models produced at the start of a year may have callipers with a 56mm brake piston, a model produced towards the end of the year may have a 58mm brake piston and a slightly different dia disc. This is why you are always best to quote your chassis number rather than the year of registration when sourcing parts for cars yourself.

As Somafunk says it would have been noticeable by yourself due to the different brake forces. The MOT would have picked up on it surely just on the visual checks. I think you might have just been conned. Did they replace both discs or just the one? They should be done as a pair

The MOT would have picked up on it surely just on the visual checks.

I’m not so sure it would every time
My dad had a car that went though 4 MOTs with different number plates back and front before being picked up by a bloke in a car park when we were on holiday.
He’d had one made for a trailer and then used it to replace the one one the car when it broke, the replacement he got for the trailer was wrong too

Mounty_73 – Member

The thing that has really annoyed me is that this sort of ‘mechanics’ could potentially be dangerous.I would assume that having 2 different types of brakes/discs would not work equally?

Did you notice?

You can actually have 2 different braking systems with different discs and calipers that operate very similiarly- just like pushbikes in that respect.

On the same axle though it is normally noticeable as it pulls the steering to the strongest brake

Its a DIY job for me.

I’m really particular on doing it and take loads of time to make sure everything is done correctly. Others just dont have the time to do it right.
Free running brakes save fuel and wear on other components and makes a car a joy to drive.
I’ve worked on cars that have been to kwikfit and would NEVER take my own car there to have the pads changed.

Its a 52 vectra.

And its always pulled slightly to the left.

I am going to dig out the insurance paperwork which lists the work done.

I am surprised no one, or all the MOT’s have picked it up.

MOT brake test has an allowed deviation between left and right. If they are only slightly different they may just creep under the limit.
I tend to take Kwickfit info with a pinch of disbelief. I was asked did I want new tyres as there was only 3mm of useable tread left, these tyres have just over 9mm of useable (12mm total) tread when new so still more than 25% of there life left.

SM

Its a 52 vectra.

And its always pulled slightly to the left.

Ahhh, there’s your problem diagnosed straightaway, the Vectra is prone to suicidal thoughts as it is generally lambasted as a “sales reps” car which upsets the ECU (car’s brain) aspirations to be a true drivers car, the ECU in your Vectra operates in much the same way as the Hal 9000 in 2001 – A Space Odyssey, a very clever bit of engineering but i’m afraid it will always pull to the left as the car tries to end it’s own life prematurely by driving into the verge/ditches/trees/walls etc…etc.. There is a cure for this upsetting syndrome but it involves adorning your Vectra with the entire contents of Halfords “Car Accessories” section – you will have noticed other Vectra drivers attempting this cure on their own cars, a large stick on silencer exhaust pipe to start with then we have found that stick on LED daytime driving lights and blue headlamp bulbs can often help as at this time of year as the Vectra is prone to Seasonal Affective Disorder, follow this up with every possible accessory plugged into your cigarette lighter socket, perhaps jaunty blue led lights on your windscreen washer jets and top it all off with some suitable racy and exclusive VXR stickers down the side and you may find the Vectra turns into a different beast altogether – if you really wish to cheer the car up no end then buy some nice chromed 18″ wheels for it, everyone feels better with a bit a shiny bling hanging from them don’t they?.

On a more serious note, i’m very surprised (disgusted at the lax attention to detail really) that no garage/mechanic has picked up on this during basic servicing or at any point in the MOT test, i’m a qualified Vehicle Technician (Ohhh fancy title eh?) and MOT tester, i’ve not worked in the trade so to speak for a number of years but i still “spanner” for a few motor sport peeps in this area and do all my own work on my cars so coming from my perspective i’d be tramping round every single garage i’ve ever had the car serviced/mot’d at to ask why it was never picked up and possibly consider contacting VOSA if their response is lax and indifferent.

smartmonkey : By 3mm of useable tread left i take it you mean 3mm of useable tread not including the 1.6mm minimum limit? so a total tread depth of 4.6mm?. On a wet road with 4.6mm of tread depth you have added near enough 30% to your braking distance over new tyres with 9mm of tread depth.

I support the campaign to move the minimum tread depth to a sensible 3mm rather than the current 1.6mm limit. An average car travelling on an average motorway road surface in the rain would take 44meters to stop with a tread depth of 1.6mm, At 3mm tread depth in the same car in the same conditions on the same road you will stop in 35meters – quite a difference and could make the distinction between life or death.

Personally i change my tyres when the depth reaches 4mm-5mm but that’s been done to death on here before so i’ll shut-up now 😀

Question for me is, has it ever had front pads since that insurance job? Because I can believe routine servicing and MOT missed it, but if it’s got different calipers then you couldn’t possibly miss that when changing pads (most likely they wouldn’t fit one side). It’d be visible when changing tyres as well but not neccesarily obvious- basically all comes down to whether or not you’re looking for it, and you wouldn’t be since it’s mad.