When to replace brake pads and discs?

cherryblossomzel

At my last MOT (in Feb 2015) they told me my brake pads are 60-70% worn (they didn't tell me the mm) and the discs are lipped. They wanted to replace them immediately, but I told them to wait. The car is currently at about 45k miles. I am pretty gentle on braking and I think the owner before me was pretty careful too. Brakes still feel OK and don't make any noises.


How will I know if the pads and discs need replacing? Do they start squealing? I obviously don't want to be in any way dangerous on the roads, but at the same time, don't want to do expensive replacements if they are still safe and legal.


Edit: should add that this was the Honda dealer who told me this. When I actually get them replaced I'll go to an independent.

dannyrst

Brakes are easy to determine when they need replacing.

Do they feel different to they did a month ago, or a year ago? Are you pressing almost all the way down on the pedal to get the car to stop?

If you aren't sure, ask someone who drives another car to drive your car in an empty car park and see what they say about the brakes compared to their car.

enfield_freddy

ok the disks are already damaged and need replacing , so you are not going to hurt them any more 60-70% worn , actually means they have 30-40% of pad material left.


do you throw away a 2l carton of milk when there is just under a litre left?


the other thing that I worry about "At my last MOT (in Feb 2015) they told me my brake pads are 60-70% worn (they didn't tell me the mm) and the discs are lipped. "


a MOT examiner has not got the right to start removing wheels , and removing brake pads ,


was the vehicle actually booked in for a service , that included checking the brakes ?

cherryblossomzel

enfield_freddy wrote: »

ok the disks are already damaged and need replacing , so you are not going to hurt them any more 60-70% worn , actually means they have 30-40% of pad material left.


do you throw away a 2l carton of milk when there is just under a litre left?


the other thing that I worry about "At my last MOT (in Feb 2015) they told me my brake pads are 60-70% worn (they didn't tell me the mm) and the discs are lipped. "


a MOT examiner has not got the right to start removing wheels , and removing brake pads ,


was the vehicle actually booked in for a service , that included checking the brakes ?

Sorry, my bad. It was an MOT and service. I took it to the dealer as the car was still under warranty and I thought I'd get them to check it over before the warranty expired.


I told them not to replace it at the time for exactly the reason you say: I'm not replacing something that still has 30-40% use left (unless it's dangerous or illegal).


I guess I just want to know if it will be obvious to me when it does become dangerous (or preferably just before it becomes dangerous).

richy999

When your brake pads reach the wear indicators, you will hear a screeching sound when the brakes are applied.

If your disks are warped, you will feel a juddering when you apply the brakes. Disks do have a minimum specified thickness and if the lip is pronounced, could interfere with their operation.

It is possible to grind back the lip on the disks but I suspect that your Honda technician will want to replace, not refurbish the disks.

If your brakes are still performing well, then don’t worry about it until the next MOT, or until you experience the screeching/juddering under braking. Or if you are still unsure, ask a local independent garage for a free brake inspection.

WellKnownSid

Most dealers experience a positive blip in their retention figures at the three year mark because people are worried about that first MoT, which coincides with the end of the three year warranty. Ironically - most MoT failure items won't be covered under a warranty anyway...

Part of the 'service' will be to carry out what's called a visual inspection, as the dealer will have targets to meet regarding inspection rates, identification rates and upsell - getting as many customers as possible to have their brakes / tyres / whatever replaced at £175 per hour rather than getting it done at the local fast fit.

Trouble is, the same targets also apply to the local fast fit - 'free brake inspections' are therefore rarely that...

Minrich

My Land Rover was serviced by a LR dealer 2 years ago , i have had it since then and used it for 2 years. The LR dealer told the previous owner (1st owner) that discs and pads need replacing . 2 years , 2 MOT's " services later they are still only 70% worn according to the mechanic . I think when anyone in a garage mentions brakes people say "yes do it" . I had a VW Golf several years ago , it was 3 years old and the VW Dealer said i needed a new rear light cluster , i said "why" they said it had water in it ! I said leave it i will empty the water myself ! Find an independent garage you can trust and stick with them whatever car you get .

thescouselander

I wouldn't worry about the disks - they will develop a "lip" as a normal part of the wear process. What matters that they are within spec width wise. I'd be very surprised if you've worn through the disks at only 45k miles.

Pads seem ok for now but keep an eye on them. Personally I wouldn't change them until >80% worn.

Ebe_Scrooge

As thescouselander says, discs don't tend to wear out very quickly - unless you've let the pads wear right down to bare metal.


But it's worth bearing in mind, on most "normal family cars", both discs and pads are not expensive, and are a piece of cake to change - DIY-able if you've any basic experience, or a quick and simple job for an independent mechanic.

cherryblossomzel

Ebe_Scrooge wrote: »

But it's worth bearing in mind, on most "normal family cars", both discs and pads are not expensive, and are a piece of cake to change - DIY-able if you've any basic experience, or a quick and simple job for an independent mechanic.

They quoted me around £250 (or maybe it was £215, can't quite recall) for the job. This was at the dealer, though, which I wouldn't pay.


Thanks for all the advice everyone. I think I'll wait until it starts juddering/making noises/not stopping properly, or have it checked again at my next annual service (with an independent mechanic of course!)

giraffe69

Many modern cars have a light which comes on to give warning about pads coming to the end of their life.