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

s_b

AdrianC wrote: »

You aren't believing daytime TV repeats again, are you...?

it was on at 8.00 pm dont know where you get the daytime from
to be honest i would never skim discs i would rather replace,ive never hankered after a car with the engine in the back after once driving a skoda estelle in the rain so frankly neither know nor care if the price is right even leslie crowther wouldnt care i guess:D:D

AdrianC

s_b wrote: »

it was on at 8.00 pm dont know where you get the daytime from

Daytime TV is a state-of-mind, not a mere whim of scheduling.

[Deleted User]

Strider590 wrote: »

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.

No they don`t. Discs should be used to the recommended thicknesses, and so should pads, .Garages can jump on the healthnsafety bandwagon to line their pockets and change them when the discs and pads look new ! Certainly my Firms Skoda Citigo discs/pads would be very thick and it was just theft by the garage.
Mk 1 Ford Fiesta discs back in the 1980 s were very easy to remove, a simple phillips screw and a pair of 13mm nuts to take the caliper off was all what was needed.
I run a Vauxhall Corsa with 38k on the clock and the pads looked to have plenty of meat on them last time I looked.I reckon I can go to 60k no probs on the same pads.

fred246

My car has done 134000. The pads have been changed twice (approx 60K and 120K) and the discs once (at approx 120K). The old ones still had a plenty of life left in them but I can't really be bothered keep checking them. Once you've put new on you know you're OK for a while. From that point of view I have some sympathy for garages. I can see how one mechanic might say "they need replacing" and another might say "there's life left in those".

AdrianC

sacsquacco wrote: »

No they don`t. Discs should be used to the recommended thicknesses, and so should pads, .Garages can jump on the healthnsafety bandwagon to line their pockets and change them when the discs and pads look new !

The garage have to look at that friction material and ask "Will this last until the next service?"

And, when the interval is 15,000 miles...

Aubrey_Thicket

Ok. So, as a few have suggested I got a quote from another reputable garage that I have known for a while. He quoted me £650 all in and that's for Merc parts including discs, pads & sensors . It's fair to say this garage is well recommended but is not a Merc specialist (which is what initially put me off). as an exercise I also rang the Merc main dealer who last serviced the car. They told me "We told you 2 months ago that your car would need pads and discs soon". They quoted me £970. So. I have made my mind up. I'm going with the independent garage. Oh, I forgot to mention... As the car has AMG large, wide alloys my work colleague told me "On those wheels you can literally check the discs yourself". How stupid was I not spotting that? Anyway, I put my hands through the wheel and I think the discs DO need changing!
Thank you to all who contributed. This is now settled.

straighttalker

You can only really check the discs if you can measure the thickness and know the minimum thickness. Obviously you can tell visually if they're lipped or excessively rusted etc.

Stigy

Aubrey_Thicket wrote: »

Ok. So, as a few have suggested I got a quote from another reputable garage that I have known for a while. He quoted me £650 all in and that's for Merc parts including discs, pads & sensors . It's fair to say this garage is well recommended but is not a Merc specialist (which is what initially put me off). as an exercise I also rang the Merc main dealer who last serviced the car. They told me "We told you 2 months ago that your car would need pads and discs soon". They quoted me £970. So. I have made my mind up. I'm going with the independent garage. Oh, I forgot to mention... As the car has AMG large, wide alloys my work colleague told me "On those wheels you can literally check the discs yourself". How stupid was I not spotting that? Anyway, I put my hands through the wheel and I think the discs DO need changing!
Thank you to all who contributed. This is now settled.

Don't assume because they're lipped they need replacing. It depends on how lipped the discs are as to whether they need changing, and new pads will easily bed in to older discs with slight lipping. Of course, other factors to consider are corrosion and warping. The latter you'd only know was present on a test drive and putting new pads on these without discs isn't advisable.

Discs and pads are easy to replace with only a small amount of mechanical knowhow required in most cases, having said that, it all depends on whether you want the peace of mind that comes with allowing a professional to undertake the work I guess? Personally I'd cringe at having to pay that amount for discs and pads all round, let alone just front ones!

Worth noting as well, that rear pads will always look lower than front ones, solely because of the thickness they are new.

jk0

Have you guys seen this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPJ64sTa7KI

Look at 2.10.