I’d like to help my son save a bit of cash and replace the brake shoes
on his 2002 Skoda Fabia. I know asbestos linings have been banned for some time now but I’m just a bit concerned that I don’t go and risk my health if some unscrupulous person has fitted some dodgy bits. Apparently you can still get asbestos linings without looking too hard.
Any advice gratefully received.

Can’t imagine you’d find asbestos products for that age of car, even the cheapest aftermarket pads.

If you’re worried pay someone else to take the risk.

O speed being able to buy asbestos brake shoes for classic cars 20 years ago unless they were NOS. Chances of a modern car having our are slim but you can’t tell just by looking.

Dust mask and damp cloth if your that worried but I would doubt you would find asbestos in there.

http://www.hse.gov.uk/mvr/mechanical-repair/asbestos.htm

You won’t be able to buy asbestos pads anymore from a normal motor factors so the only way they could be fitted is if someone has managed to find some old brake shoes that just happen to fit your Fabia.

I think you are worrying a bit too much.

But it is definitely a good idea to not breath in the brake dust anyway but just be sensible.

Seriously ?

If your getting clouds of brake dust changing drums your doing it wrong.

Infact if you havnt done it before i suggest your going to find it a nightmare as ill bet theres a lovely lip on the drum.

Can of brake cleaner and a rag to mop it out.

Half expecting to replace the drums too trail rat, that’s the easy bit. Putting the springs back in the right places and/or fetching them back after they’ve pinged across the road might have me cursing!

Oo you have taken drums off before ?

Its not removing the lip , its removing the drum if the lip is real deep being a night mare. My had lips so deep that even wi the pads wound right off they still needed beaten o deah to come off 🙂

2002 Fabia shoes are easy.

Take the wheel bearing off, it’s held onto the axel with a 33mm multipoint nut. Just pulls right off, no need for a puller etc etc.

Means you can take the shoes apart/refit with the springs fitted etc, no hassle at all.

They almost always have the ability to wind the shoes back in away from the lip.

I wouldn’t worry any more about asbestos than I do when I’m cleaning the wheels…

Of that age I’d be almost certain they won’t contain asbestos. But outdoors, brake cleaner and a mask won’t do any harm.

As an apprentice in a Truck factory (1990) I remember some of the military stuff still had asbestos warning stickers (not sure if it was clutch or brakes) but all the regular vehicles were asbestos free. So a much newer car is very unlikely to contain anything nasty.

My dad remembers some of the older plants where there was always a fog of dust from grinding asbestos brake shoes (eek).

Rear shoes do tend to last quite a while – they could even still be OE if not owned by a leadfoot! (our last vehicle did 133,000 and was still plenty left on original rear shoes and drums).

Fabia that age has an auto adjuster on the shoes. You’d be hard pushed to adjust the shoes back in, backing plate has no access holes.

But it is definitely a good idea to not breath in the brake dust anyway but just be sensible.

When did you last see a mechanic wearing a dust mask?
I was a mech in the 70s, wasn’t an issue then afaik

The Haynes manual shows holes in the brake hub so should be able to get access to the adjuster to back the shoes off.

1) there won’t be asbestos in your Fabia brake shoes

2) Be careful and avoid breathing in the dust anyway – nastier stuff than asbestos in modern friction material 😯

I was a mech in the 70s, wasn’t an issue then afaik

Silly comment, asbestos wasn’t an (known) issue in the 70’s!

Dusk mask for anything dusty, which is pretty much anything under the car. Just think of all the horse, dog, cow, shit and dead animals you drive through in a year, all drying onto the underside of the car waiting to fall off when you crawl under it!