Front brake pads wearing thin

geek84

Good Morning Folks

I have a 2011 Seat Ibiza and at the last MOT test in February, the report advised that the front break pads are wearing tin.
I haven't had them changed as yet, but do you think I should get them changed asap, or wait a bit longer and hope they last for another 12 months when i will get them changed in time for the next MOT test?
Is there a way of checking how thin they are and if it I need to get them changed asap?
Thanks in advance for your responses.

AdrianC

<gazes into crystal ball>
Nope, sorry. Can't give you any kind of definitive answer.

How many miles do you do? What sort of use? How thin are they?

But, realistically, you know the answer, don't you?

Remember - an MOT is not maintenance or a service. It's just a very basic check that your car meets the absolute bare minimum standard to be allowed on the road.

LeafGreen

I'm all for being MSE but brake pads is one thing I wouldn't really want to take any chances on! I'm no mechanic but I believe if you leave it too long then you risk damage to the discs and a more expensive bill.

Beware unscrupulous garages (mentioning no names but I'm always wary of companies that can't spell...) that will offer free brake checks but then try to rip you off by saying that you need a whole load of other stuff doing urgently. Better to go to someone based on recommendation.

arcon5

I'm tight (despite doing my own repairs and owning a car that has very cheap parts available) and also lazy.... put off repairs as long as possible... but front pads wearing thin i'd get done sooner rather than later. Not talking get them done at 9AM tomorrow morning, but get it booked in some time in the foreseeable future!

If it was rears it may have been slightly different advice, but get the fronts done

forgotmyname

No, dont bother changing them, wait until the scrap your discs and crash into something because the brakes failed.

bigjl

arcon5 wrote: »

I'm tight (despite doing my own repairs and owning a car that has very cheap parts available) and also lazy.... put off repairs as long as possible... but front pads wearing thin i'd get done sooner rather than later. Not talking get them done at 9AM tomorrow morning, but get it booked in some time in the foreseeable future!

If it was rears it may have been slightly different advice, but get the fronts done

I think your first paragraph applies to most of us.

There is a 30% off deal at Euro at the moment.

Order online for local collection using Code "crazy30"

If I am flush I have bought stuff like pads and filters from Euro as you can plot them up for use later, Murphy's law dictates that the best offers are not on when you need stuff immediately. Or maybe I am unlucky.

As far as checking pads OP.

Get the car jacked up and take off a front wheel.

You will be able to see the pads easily enough.

On most cars front pads are a ten minute job once the car is jacked up and the wheel is off.

Buy a Haynes Manual and have a go yourself

weejangus

Best advice would be to take the car to an independent mechanic that you trust. They can check how much of the pad is left and advise accordingly.

If you fancy having a look yourself, it involves taking off the front wheels and just having a look at the pads (usually you can see through a gap in the caliper - if not, 2 bolts usually hold the outer part of the caliper in place). Check how thick the pad surface is (personally I'd be looking for AT LEAST 5mm). Once you've gone that far, however, you're often as well sticking some new pads in anyway!

I was once advised by the MOT station to replace the pads on my Focus. Decided to go to my local mechanic / friend and he found that the pads on the car were only worn by approx 25%.

Stigy

weejangus wrote: »

If you fancy having a look yourself, it involves taking off the front wheels and just having a look at the pads (usually you can see through a gap in the caliper - if not, 2 bolts usually hold the outer part of the caliper in place). Check how thick the pad surface is (personally I'd be looking for AT LEAST 5mm). Once you've gone that far, however, you're often as well sticking some new pads in anyway!

I was once advised by the MOT station to replace the pads on my Focus. Decided to go to my local mechanic / friend and he found that the pads on the car were only worn by approx 25%.

If it was advised at MoT the OP should be easily able to see the condition through the wheels, as the tester would have. Although I'm not going to say they'll be fine, if they were clearly below 3mm for the tester to see (if memory serves me) they'd have failed the MoT. Most VAG cars of this era have wear indicators too, which would warn the driver when they wear beyond a certain point (usually when there's about 10% meat on the bone...). How long one has from when warned they're low varies, but I had around 4,000 miles left on my Golf's pads at that stage.

AdrianC

Stigy wrote: »

If it was advised at MoT the OP should be easily able to see the condition through the wheels, as the tester would have.

They may have been visible from below the car on the ramp.

Stigy

AdrianC wrote: »

They may have been visible from below the car on the ramp.

In hindsight that's more than likely where he did see them from I guess, as it was more than likely when he was checking suspension components for wear etc. That being said though, even with steel wheels, with a cleverly positioned torch, you'd probably be able to see them. With standard SEAT alloys it should be easy.

facade

If no-one has ever bothered topping up the brake fluid, the warning lamp will come on when the brake pads are worn out, as the fluid level drops far enough to trigger it.

Nice bit of penny pinching, you don't need pad sensors.

Doesn't work if people go around topping the brake fluid upto "full" though......

I'd just get new pads and change them for the price, then I'd only need to bend down by the wheels once, rather than keep checking them.