Car Service

Lynn63

Hi, I bought a 2018 car last June, so one year old at the time from a large car selling organisation. . It had 16,000+ miles on the clock and I was told that it would be given a full service, brakes and everything before it left the garage.  Due to an injury the car has hardly been used, except for a few motorway journeys, since I purchased it and only 3,500 miles extra were on the clock when I took it back to the same garage for its annual service.  The brake pads were 100% worn down to metal on metal and my argument is that these must have needed replacing the year before but they chose not to.  There was no warningllight on the car and I wouldn't have ever expected to have to replace pads and disks after 3500 miles.  Am I being unreasonable or can/should I push this for the garage to repair free as part of the service package.

pinkshoes

They check the brakes during service but it is your responsibility to replace then when needed. 

Surely you could tell the brakes were that worn??? If its metal on metal they would squeak and respond poorly when braking.

It is quite feasible that you have worn the brakes from ok to completely worn in 3500 miles. It will depend on your driving style. 

The_Rainmaker

Metal on metal brakes don't squeak the screech and grind and you mutter under your breath..........that will be a pair of disc too.   

pinkshoes

Yes, that horrible "oh sh*t I forgot to get my brake pads changed" noise! 

photome

As others have said, the noise from metal on metal would have been noticeable. I have never had a car with a warning light for worn pads.  You could have checked the pads yourself to see how much was left on them when you bought the car.

But if there was very little left on them which it does seem there might have been I would have expected the garage to let you know when they did the service so you could point that out to them, if it’s Arnold shark , don’t expect to much help from them

Lynn63

That was part of my discussion with the garage, there was no warning light and no other indication when I took the car down for the service that there was any problem. Had I have heard a screeching, grinding or similar noise I wouldn't have waited for the service date but would have had it investigated sooner.  I just don't think it's fair that I have to pay for something that should have been dealt with when I bought the car, the pads must have been really worn down at that time. 

askeym

I'm going to stick my neck out here. The garage should have checked everything on a full service, including the brakes. If they really were worn down they should have replaced them as part of the agreement. Supposedly they chose not to presumably to save money. I'm not sure about this metal on metal, but if that's the true case the discs need to be replaced too as there would be grooves prohibiting proper braking. If this is a genuine post you'd be better off talking to Trading Standards.

photome

Lynn63 said:

That was part of my discussion with the garage, there was no warning light and no other indication when I took the car down for the service that there was any problem. Had I have heard a screeching, grinding or similar noise I wouldn't have waited for the service date but would have had it investigated sooner.  I just don't think it's fair that I have to pay for something that should have been dealt with when I bought the car, the pads must have been really worn down at that time. 

as I mentioned . I have never had a car with a low brake pad warning light , does yours, if not I am not sure why you mention it. If there was no noise then it is doubtful they were metal to metal. have you seen the pads for yourself , have you had them changed or can you still have a look

is it arnold shark

Lynn63

It is a genuine post and I'm genuinely not happy, not only from a monetary point of view but I'm assuming it could have been dangerous.  The garage have 'advised' me that the discs could do with being changed but not a big warning like the pads. Thanks for your advice. 

Lynn63

I mentioned the warning light as the car seems to have warning lights for everything else, so I was thinking as the brakes are the most important part of the car, or to me anyway, I would have thought there would be one. I haven't seen them or heard them and tbh as the car has been driven so little I wouldn't have thought there was a problem and as I can't drive at the mo I won't be able to. 

Ectophile

Some cars have low brake warning lights.  Some don't.  Some have "squealers" that make a nasty noise just before the pads wear out, but many don't.  The manufacturers just aren't consistent.

On some, the only way you know the brakes are worn out is when you get the nasty grinding noise as if someone has filled your brakes with sand.