Do I need Brake Discs changing aswell or is the garage having me over?

straighttalker

OP, nobody on the internet can tell you if you're going to need discs or not.

EdGasket

Strider590 wrote: »

Long gone are the days where you could keep changing pads on the same discs, car are MUCH heavier than they were 20+ years ago and brake discs are now a consumable item just as much as the pads.

This idea of being able to only change the pads, it's as old as the idea that VW Golf are the most reliable cars and JUST as incorrect.

No. The reason disks no longer last like they used to is that pads are no longer allowed to contain asbestos and the replacement material is much harsher on the disks.

BeenThroughItAll

Just one thing.

Braking

!!!!!!.

AdrianC

EdGasket wrote: »

No. The reason disks no longer last like they used to is that pads are no longer allowed to contain asbestos and the replacement material is much harsher on the disks.

Umm, brake pads haven't contained asbestos since the introduction of a legal blanket ban in 1999, but it was phased out in any reputable brands in the '80s.

gilbert_and_sullivan

On average i reckon on two sets of pads between disc changes, thats from normal car up to lorry size, however the family Aygo could really do with new discs each time so maybe they wear worse on smalley cars.

The problem with new pads on worn discs is that they will take anything up to 100 normal miles to bed in, and the first few applications can be hair raising when there's only about 20% of the pad in contact with the disc until it wears into shape.

Telling the general customer who know nothing about this would be an interesting discussion and we'd have reams of threads here along the lines of how dangerous the brakes were because they didn't change the discs.
The service centre is between a rock and a hard place sometimes.

Maybe the discs will need replacing, maybe not, if you can speak to a proper mechanically minded person at the service centre and have a proper chat about the above you might come to an agreement about whats acceptable but will need bedding in for a while, but in practice the usual service receptionist won't have a clue about this.

The prices you have been quoted are probably for genuine parts, whether you wantt to go pattern parts is entirely up to you, another can of worms.

Joe_Horner

BeenThroughItAll wrote: »

Just one thing.

Braking

!!!!!!.

Depends on context - "medium to heavy breaker" could mean he's a 15 stone Hip Hop fan. :beer:

EdGasket

AdrianC wrote: »

Umm, brake pads haven't contained asbestos since the introduction of a legal blanket ban in 1999, but it was phased out in any reputable brands in the '80s.

Yep thats when disks started wearin'

molerat

It is cheaper to change the disc than to clean them up at £90 an hour labour. If the discs look OK I remove them, clean off the lip and rust, de glaze the braking surface and re fit which would take the best part of an hour all round. A decent set of after market pads (Mintex, Delphi or even EBC) is around £60 - £80 and discs another £150. These garages obviously use the merc owner = deep pockets factor.

Strider590

sacsquacco wrote: »

So why did the garage change my discs on my business car , a little lightweight Skoda Citigo at less than 20,000 miles ?. I`ll tell you ! its because many garages are up there with plumbers/plasterers/builders etc in ripping off the unwary given half a chance .Because my car was a fleet car the garages think they can do a bit of thieving, just like plumbers do. I`m a steady driver, light braker and I reckon 60,000 miles at least is OK on my discs..I`ve had 80,000 miles from the old Mk 1 Fiestas and they hav`nt gained that much timber to make a pair of discs be a regular change at the same time as pads. Even my pads did`nt need changing at less than 20,000 miles.

Take a look at how brake discs are attached to the hubs now as opposed to the 70's/80's and even 90's.

The discs often used to be on the inside of the wheel hub, requiring the whole upright assembly to be dismantled, even the wheel bearings dismantled in some cases (like the Ford Cortina).

These days the discs are on the outside of the hub, requiring only the removal of a securing screw, they just drop on top of the wheel bolts, they're held in place by the friction between the wheel and the hub. You just unbolt one side of the brake caliper, undo the securing bolt/screw and smack em with a rubber mallet.

They're MUCH easier to remove because they require replacing MUCH more often.

londonTiger

discs are recommended for changing every other pad change. after the 2nd pad change (on the disc) the disc may be scored far too much and be noisy and take a long time for the new pads to bed into the scored surface resulting it dangerously sub optimal braking performance in the interim.

Lathing old discs is an option for expensive discs but at the costs quoted it does seem it's probaably not expensive enough to warrant lathing.