Brake Pads on a Citroen C1

mistressg

Hi,

My partner brought a brand new Citroen C1 in July and despite some initial issues (dealer we bought it from tried to scam him for all he could get) he's quite happy with it. It's done approx. 5000 miles and since the bad snow last month the brakes have started making a 'grinding' noise. My partner reckons these are the brake pads, which may need replacing, though he's dumbfounded as to how they could need replaced after just six months and 5000 miles, particularly as he is not a heavy braker at all.

He called the dealer today who told him that as brake pads are consumables, they aren't covered under the warranty (surprise, surprise) and quoted him £100 for the first hour to look at the issue. This didn't, however, include parts and labour to replace the brake pads.

He's going to look into some other dealers tomorrow, and hopefully he'll get a better quote from one of them, though I was told that brake pads can theoretically be replaced yourself, and the pads themselves only cost approx. £30.

Any advice? Can this be done oneself or is the worth the X hundredds of pounds to get them replaced by a 'professional'?

goldspanners

under £20 here for parts. and should take no more than an hour to fit.

i would expect a garage to charge £70 parts and labour for this job.

i see you are looking at dealers,i wouldn't bother. if you can't change these yourself then get an independant garage to do it for you.

don't touch main dealers or fast fit places.

Stigy

It's an easy enough job to do yourself. 5,000-miles and new pads? Seems a little low to me to be honest. If he choses to do them himself he'll obviously need a few tools, and the rest is pretty self explanitary once he has the wheels off! I advise taking the top off the brake fluid resevoir though, as when he pushes the caliper pistons back (with a set of swan-neck pliers/grips usually works best on front brakes!) the fluid raises as it's pushed back up through the system, and if the cap's on, it's restricted unnecessarily!

fatbelly

Can't see that someone who's not a heavy braker, driving a car weighing hardly anything, can get through a set of pads in 5k

My brakes were a bit graunchy after driving through the snow and slush and salt.

I just worked the brakes till they settled down again. If there's plenty of meat left on the pads, I thought that was the way to go.

However, I'm not an expert on this forum....!

stef73

My wife has a C1 if its left for a few days without being used then the brakes grind on first few uses Its normal . Does the grinding stop after a few presses of the brakes ?

colino

Get the pads checked, but maybe (I've not heard about it on this car) that the brake shield design is one of those prone to picking up grit and small stones? Get yourself off to you friendly local independent for a check-over.