Brake Discs/Pads - Makes & Prices

Soldato
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2011 Octavia vRS.
I've done 88500 miles on the original discs and pads. Car currently being serviced and I'm informed the front pads are low and there are signs of corrosion on both discs, recommendation is to have them all replaced.
I was quoted £227 fitted (I think, I'll have to confirm). I've not given the go ahead right now as I obviously need to shop around etc.
I may see if I can find a garage willing to fit parts supplied by myself (unless the price above is good?).
Any particular makes to avoid?
Eicher is coming in cheapest for both discs and pads. Although I'm seeing other makes such as Bosch, Pagid & ATE.
Any reason for these brands over the cheapest options on a car such as mine?

Anywhere else that fits for a competitive price?

Cheers.
 
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I wouldn't get Eicher, it's the ECP house brand and they are from the India using a defunct German tractor brand.
Pagid and Textar will probably be the factory OE.
 
Associate
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Make sure you have a look at the "corrosion" yourself, garages are notorious for advising your about to die if you don't change a part when they could be fine.
It will at least serve a reminder to the garage that you're not just going to roll over when asked.

My daughter had a free mot when she bought her car from Evans Halshaw:o, sure enough 12 months later they told her the front pads and discs needed changing.
Out comes my trolley jack and while the pads were getting low the discs were thicker than an inbred hillbilly:D

I'm guessing if you asked for advice on here then you don't trust them 100%
 
Soldato
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Don't buy the Eurocarparts crap. I personally buy genuine OEM Ford stuff for mine since it's not really much dearer than the questionable aftermarket stuff, and I know it'll fit properly. Is the £227 from a Skoda garage? If so, that doesn't sound too unreasonable tbh, compared to how much other franchised dealers tend to like to charge for this work. I can't imagine you'd save much by going elsewhere, especially with parts you've bought yourself.
 
Soldato
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On my leon of the same age/power I use pagid parts as I was informed by an offical garage that pagid was the OEM for my car/year by a Seat garage when I asked them (although they could just be liars). I used a local garage and just asked to have pagid and they were cool about it (they said that's what they would fit by default for this anyway for this as an aside).

I second checking the discs yourself though, just inspect for thickness, uniform wear accross the surface, no massive grooves etc... I replaced disc and pads at around 70k due to general wear and again at 90k when I had a jammed on brake / caliper failure and it did something nasty to the disc. They don't like to get that hot :(
 
Soldato
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Pagid, Textar, Brembo etc are all good. I've used Mintex in the past also, and they were certainly good enough for me.

If your quote is from Seat, then just go with that though. Seems reasonable for genuine items fitted by a dealer.
 
Soldato
OP
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Thanks for all your responses.
The garage in question are an "Audi/VW/Skoda/Seat" specialist - yer, I know, don't exactly need a specialist for those brands....but cannot fault them at the moment.
I will go and take a look, but as noted above, as the originals have lasted 90k, even at £230 for new on both sides I cannot really complain.
 
Soldato
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I put Brembo discs and pads on my wife's Seat Altea last year. Nothing fancy just standard ones but the discs are really nicely finished with paint/enamel in the hub and edges of the discs. German and Swedish do over 50% off every week if you sign up to their emails and they weren't very expensive for good quality brakes.
 

mrk

mrk

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Run your number plate on eurocarparts.com, see what the prices are :) Usually a good choice of Brembo etc


Brembo pads on ECP are often the run of the mill ones, not higher quality ones. Just because they are Brembo doesn't make the bottom end of their line-up good! I have not yet read of any good reviews of the cheap Brembo ones you find on ECP etc on higher performance cars like the OP's.

Whilst they will be fine for normal daily driving, surely you want the best possible stopping performance in an emergency from any speed, I don't think the standard Brembo pads you can buy are capable of matching OEM. Stick to Textar/Pagid for OEM quality, otherwise upgrade for slightly more to even better pads like PFC (which probably won't be any more expensive than OEM in some cases).
 
Soldato
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Brembo pads on ECP are often the run of the mill ones, not higher quality ones. Just because they are Brembo doesn't make the bottom end of their line-up good! I have not yet read of any good reviews of the cheap Brembo ones you find on ECP etc on higher performance cars like the OP's.

Whilst they will be fine for normal daily driving, surely you want the best possible stopping performance in an emergency from any speed, I don't think the standard Brembo pads you can buy are capable of matching OEM. Stick to Textar/Pagid for OEM quality, otherwise upgrade for slightly more to even better pads like PFC (which probably won't be any more expensive than OEM in some cases).
Well they sell Textar and Pagid too, which are similar price to brembo. So from what you've said they will be run of the mill as well?
 

mrk

mrk

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Well they sell Textar and Pagid too, which are similar price to brembo. So from what you've said they will be run of the mill as well?

Yeah but my point was where the option is available, people tend to prefer the Pagid pads or Textar over the Brembo ones for better performance and reliability. Had the Brembo ones not been Brembo branded, they'd be even cheaper..

I actually have a set of Brembo pads at home from ECP, and they don't even come fitted with anti squeal shims...

The Pagid ones probably won't be the exact same friction material in some cases as OEM pads, even though the maker might be the same. Makers produce lots of variations of the same models for different makers. Just like with tyres. They will however be up to OEM quality.

With that in mind, I guess the more reliable option might be just to get them from Skoda anyway, especially if they're lasting 90k miles as OP has!
 
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Soldato
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Was in a similar situation with my late 2012 Skoda Rapid last year. Went for OEM all round as they'd nearly made it to 80k, had no noise complaints and had worn well. Think a full set of pads and discs all round cost me less than £200, dealer and TPS pricing around here was exactly the same.
 
Soldato
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Pagid is the oem supplier for the vRS brakes with usual sale on they are £120 from ecp, £100 fitting sounds a little high as it's an easy swap. VAG do fixed prices servicing looks like it has went up a little and they charge £275 for front discs/pads.
 
Soldato
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Was in a similar situation with my late 2012 Skoda Rapid last year. Went for OEM all round as they'd nearly made it to 80k, had no noise complaints and had worn well. Think a full set of pads and discs all round cost me less than £200, dealer and TPS pricing around here was exactly the same.

Same here. TPS is exact same price as dealers. And a PITA to get hold of. They just NEVER answer their phone. I just go to my local Skoda dealer with the part numbers for any VAG part I need, they are at least as quick, same price, and easier to work with than my local TPS.
 
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