can anyone have a quick look at my brakes (pics) please :)

R B Customs

R B Customs

R B Customs

Soldato
Joined
22 Sep 2005
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Location
Manchester
hey guys,

just wondering if anyone can have a quck look at thes brakes for me. Trying to get some job done on my car and one thing to sort out is the lack of stopping power.

It used to stop pretty well but t's been getting worse and worse.


I cracked the drivers side open today and although there is wear on the discs, and the disc surface doesnt feel flat / level the pads seem to have quite a bit of material left on them (or do they?)






if I'm replacing them I'll be doing the discs and pads. They don't *look* too bad to me but I could be wrong. Should I start looking at the rear drums?

car: Skoda felicia fun pickup

[edit]just noticed how bad the picture of the pad on it's own is, I can re-take it if needs be[/edit]
 
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Out of interest, do you know if the brake fluid has ever been changed? I was experiencing progressively worse braking feel until I had the fluid flushed and the system bled properly (including the bleed nipples on the ABS pump). According to the receipts & service history the fluid hadn't been changed for 5 years!

Once bled it was like having new brakes.
 
Those discs are knackered, the black is tarnishing from overating while the grey blobs are the remnants of pitting/corrosion.

would certainly lower efficiency but maybe not enough to really feel.

Usually its the rear brakes that give a poorer pedal as the suffer more from leaky cylinders/going out of adjustment.
 
hold the pads against the disks, do they touch the disk flush over the whole pad area? If the disks worn unevenly and the pads were replaced sperately that will happen.
Also regardless of actual wear, the pads can become glazed reducing there effectiveness and same with disks to a degree. replace disks and pads and ideally fluid if you dont know when it was last changed.

I had a similar job few weekends back on a mates Ms's 02 Clio 1.lol dynameeeeeek! - disks and pads had loads of meat on them but the disks were grooved and slightly lipped, pads were marginally glazed, heavy foot pressure and they didnt bite well at all, a new set of pads and disks from euro car parts for the princely sum of 60 quid0ish and massive improvement.
 
amdegelas said:
Out of interest, do you know if the brake fluid has ever been changed? I was experiencing progressively worse braking feel until I had the fluid flushed and the system bled properly (including the bleed nipples on the ABS pump). According to the receipts & service history the fluid hadn't been changed for 5 years!

Once bled it was like having new brakes.
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Hey.
To my knowledge the fluid has never need changed. I've just got a quote for £20 to have it flushed and changed so that sounds cheap enough to start there. I can get 2 new discs for £20 quid too so that would be the next step.

( the £20 quid quote is cheap as it's from a friends garage )

The pads are the most expensiv part to be honest. Am I okay to put those current pads on new discs? Will they just find their own place... Wear into the new discs?

Thanks so far guys. Work wil continue after the weekend!!!
 
In all honesty I'd get some new discs, which will hardly be a lot, and fit em myself, for the sake of 4 bolts, whack new pads in and get it bled ;)
 
The pads look pretty fresh, they still have the chamferd edges on them, the discs look useable, the rust where the pad has been is just from the car sitting before you took them out, nothing to worry about, look at any disc after the car has been washed, it does rust up.
The only thing I can see wrong with the disc is the small ring around the disc edge where the disc is pitted slightly from non-contact, I suspect this is from a new set of pads being fitted to a used disc. As long as the inside of the disc looks the same, then these discs are serviceable.
What I would look at though is the freeness of the pads in the caliper and the piston in the caliper.

Describe the "lack of stopping power"?
Is it excessive travel, or pressure, or are these ok and the car just doesn't stop?

Travel can be old fluid or rear drums need adjusted (I'm sure those pick-ups have drums)
Pressure can be a siezed brake, causing more pressure to overcome the sieze, or work the other brakes harder.
Normal pressure and travel but it still doesn't stop is usuall siezed pads/calipers, the pedal feels the same but the pads aren't gripping the disc. Can also be a non-functioning servo. (test by pumping the pedal with the engine off, keep the pressure on and start the engine. It the pedal drops slightly, the servo is working ok.
Also, pul lthe drums of and look for leaking rear cylinders.
 
Bottom line, get new disc and pads, and have the fluid changed, will cost about about 50 to 60 quid, and have that new feel again :P
 
Locky said:
Bottom line, get new disc and pads, and have the fluid changed, will cost about about 50 to 60 quid, and have that new feel again :P
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since when does new discs, pads and fluid change cost 50 to 60 quid? Maybe on a pedal bike, but not a car. More like 100+ for discs, 50+ for pads, and 30+ for fluid.


his pads and discs are fine. what needs checking is the fluid and calipers to see if they are seized.
 
Overlag said:
since when does new discs, pads and fluid change cost 50 to 60 quid? Maybe on a pedal bike, but not a car. More like 100+ for discs, 50+ for pads, and 30+ for fluid.


his pads and discs are fine. what needs checking is the fluid and calipers to see if they are seized.
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Glad i dont shop where u do :p

Done to clios with vented discs . £35 a pair for discs and £22 for pads . 30 mins to replace and £8 for a litre of fluid . Total £65 and about 2 hrs work
 
The pads look OK to me, almost new so get the disks and fluid changed, then rough the pads face up a bit to get rid of any glaze and you should be fine.
 
Overlag said:
since when does new discs, pads and fluid change cost 50 to 60 quid? Maybe on a pedal bike, but not a car. More like 100+ for discs, 50+ for pads, and 30+ for fluid.


his pads and discs are fine. what needs checking is the fluid and calipers to see if they are seized.
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You'd pay £100 for those puny solid discs? More the fool you!
 
Locky said:
Bottom line, get new disc and pads, and have the fluid changed, will cost about about 50 to 60 quid, and have that new feel again :P
Click to expand...

Maybe if the ones above were knackered, in this case new discs/pads may wellbe a waste of money, I think the problem is elsewhere.

As per my previous post.

Edit- I remember when those VW solid discs went to £9 per disc at a motor factors I used to work at, you get 2 different thickness' of pads depending if the car had solid or vented discs.
 
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Some garages have the tools to 'reface' discs - obviously not a good idea if they're properly rogered, but the OP's certainly look like there's life left in them. Have that done (or replace them if it works out just as cheap), pads fitted and some fresh fluid bled through.
 
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