Bit of a question for ye.

source · 25-01-2011 11:55am #1

Hi all,

I've just had to replace the rear discs and pads on my car, as they were "dangerously worn".

Little background....A few days ago i was making my way back from Kerry and noticed a grating noise on the back left. So yesterday i popped into advanced pitstop and they told me of the damage.

My question is this, the car is currently at 66000 miles, at 63000 miles i had a service done by the main dealer this was on 22/11/10, should they have picked up on this? or is it possible for the discs and pads to be so damaged that they can be described as dangerously worn within 3000 miles and 2 months? All i do is city driving and a few long trips.

Zubeneschamali · 25-01-2011 12:01pm

foinse wrote: »

is it possible for the discs and pads to be so damaged that they can be described as dangerously worn within 3000 miles?

No.

If the pads were so worn that they were audibly damaging the discs, there's no way that happened in 3,000 miles, and the main dealer would have noticed if they had checked.

Did they say they checked the brake pads?

gbee · 25-01-2011 12:04pm

I had a whole disintegration of my back brakes the same week after a service ... obviously had not even looked, even though it's a standard service routine.

Had war with the garage but they've made up for it over time.

source · 25-01-2011 12:09pm

Zubeneschamali wrote: »

No.

If the pads were so worn that they were audibly damaging the discs, there's no way that happened in 3,000 miles, and the main dealer would have noticed if they had checked.

Did they say they checked the brake pads?

Nope, i arrived at the desk, girl at the desk took my money, gave me the key and said the front tyres are starting to wear, I'll need to keep an eye on them. That was it.

Diary Day · 25-01-2011 12:11pm

Oh my god that is shocking. You should go back to the people who did the 'service' and ask for an explanation at the least!!

Viper_JB · 25-01-2011 12:11pm

foinse wrote: »

Nope, i arrived at the desk, girl at the desk took my money, gave me the key and said the front tyres are starting to wear, I'll need to keep an eye on them. That was it.

If I were you I'd be checking over everything they say they done, make sure you have clean oil and filters etc...

faw1tytowers · 25-01-2011 12:13pm

you specified a full service it sounds like you jsut had a small service oil change, oil filter change, spark plugs if petrol, fuel filters.

Basic service will include safety check IE all ball joints, tyres, steering, suspension leaks , suspension springing,all lights working,all fluids at correct level , fan belts tension, belts in good shape,anti freeze strength, Seat belts working, washers wipers good condition and working, that is a basic service

Full service includes timeing belt and brakes.

mickdw · 25-01-2011 12:15pm

Firstly, the dealer wasnt doing their job if the pads were completely worn within 3000 miles of the last service. It would be unusual for a dealer to miss worn pads & dangerous discs as they love this kind of additional work. Perhaps you just asked for an oil change?
There is also the possibility that advance pitstop were taking you for a ride. We will never know now of course if you have had the work done. Could have been a trapped stone & they decided to charge you for discs & pads or it could be that the dealer didnt check & the work was required.

faw1tytowers · 25-01-2011 12:15pm

gbee wrote: »

I had a whole disintegration of my back brakes the same week after a service ... obviously had not even looked, even though it's a standard service routine.

Had war with the garage but they've made up for it over time.

I think you will find its not included in the standard basic service.

Its important we should get paper documentation when this kind of work is done. Whos to say your car was jsut sitting there all day after all!

Zubeneschamali · 25-01-2011 12:18pm

foinse wrote: »

Nope, i arrived at the desk, girl at the desk took my money, gave me the key and said the front tyres are starting to wear, I'll need to keep an eye on them. That was it.

Hang on, you say you just replaced the discs. Do you mean you paid Advance Pitstop to do this work? If so, you will have some job convincing the original garage to help you now.

source · 25-01-2011 12:18pm

Nope it was a full service, The only reason i went to the main dealer was because my mother had brought her car in the previous week and had the same service advertised done, and they informed her that her breaks were worn. I also asked them to check a couple of other problems i was having with the car, which they fixed.

They showed me the damage in advance and it definitely wasn't a stone, there was an area worn on the disc the same shape as the pads.

I don't now trust the main dealer to do the work, and i need the car for getting to and from work, so cannot be wating for the garage to decide what to do. I'm currently waiting for a call back from the garage....I'll keep ye posted on what they say.

EDIT: Also it was after i got the job done and came home that i thought, hang on should this have happened so soon after a service? hence why i posted my OP.

source · 25-01-2011 1:32pm

Just off the phone with the garage and they say the brakes were checked and were perfect when they checked them in November.

mickdw · 25-01-2011 1:42pm

If the dealer did check the brakes, the only possibility is that you have a brake problem. Something like partially seized caliper would result in one pad wearing fast & its partner not really wearing at all. This would reduce the life of the pads significantly.

Did advance report any problems?

Seeing as you saw a badly worn disc & pads, im inclined to fault the dealer in this case.

OldmanMondeo · 25-01-2011 1:43pm

I had a service at the end November, told the rear pads were 80% worn. I have them changed last night, yes I know shouldn't have left them so long. They had just gone to the minium, as in the rivet on one pad was showing... Your garage fecked up big time if they did not look at the pads and noticed the wear on them. You probably won't get anything from them, but I would never use them again.

EDIT, I put about 9000 klms on the pads since the service.

GTE · 25-01-2011 1:47pm

Keep at them and have the opinions of qualified mechanics documented.
The dealer should not be allowed get away with it.

I had a similar problem with a VW main dealer and VW Europe agreed with me and had the manager of the dealership contact me within one working day.

The difference with me was that they admitted to seeing the brakes were damaged but forgot to tell me about it.

Managed to get 25% off parts and labour but I had lost confidence with them anyway.

source · 25-01-2011 1:51pm

mickdw wrote: »

If the dealer did check the brakes, the only possibility is that you have a brake problem. Something like partially seized caliper would result in one pad wearing fast & its partner not really wearing at all. This would reduce the life of the pads significantly.

Did advance report any problems?

Seeing as you saw a badly worn disc & pads, im inclined to fault the dealer in this case.

No, both pads were worn, and advance said nothing about a seized caliper. I will not be going back to the dealer.

Plug · 25-01-2011 1:53pm

foinse wrote: »

No, both pads were worn, and advance said nothing about a seized caliper. I will not be going back to the dealer.

You have 4 pads and 2 disks on the rear as well as the front. 2 pads per disk. Were the 2 disks worn or just one? 2 pads worn or the 4?

source · 25-01-2011 1:56pm

Plug wrote: »

You have 4 pads and 2 disks on the rear as well as the front. 2 pads per disk. Were the 2 disks worn or just one? 2 pads worn or the 4?

All 4 pads on the rear wheels were worn, both on the passenger side were very badly worn and the disc was badly worn, driver side was worn too but not as bad.

07Lapierre · 25-01-2011 1:59pm

Just throwing this out there as a "possibility": is it possible that the brakes were not "dangerous" but just worn, and the tyre centre just wanted to get the op to spend more money? Is it possible that the Dealer was correct and is being punished for being honest? ( just a thought).

source · 25-01-2011 2:01pm

07Lapierre wrote: »

Just throwing this out there as a "possibility": is it possible that the brakes were not "dangerous" but just worn, and the tyre centre just wanted to get the op to spend more money? Is it possible that the Dealer was correct and is being punished for being honest? ( just a thought).

No i saw the disc while it was on the car, the pad had worn into it so much that there was a lip on the disc where it was rubbing.

GTE · 25-01-2011 2:03pm

07Lapierre wrote: »

Just throwing this out there as a "possibility": is it possible that the brakes were not "dangerous" but just worn, and the tyre centre just wanted to get the op to spend more money? Is it possible that the Dealer was correct and is being punished for being honest? ( just a thought).

If what was left of the pad was cutting into the disk making that grating noise I think the dealer is in question.

07Lapierre · 25-01-2011 2:11pm

Agreed, but u saw the damage @ 3000 MILES ( it is miles not klm right?) after the service right? So its possible that this "damage" was not present at the time of the service? IMO the dealer should have at least advised u that rear pads were needed soon. Ideally, they should have contacted u and given u the option of having the work done or not.

source · 25-01-2011 2:14pm

07Lapierre wrote: »

Agreed, but u saw the damage @ 3000 MILES ( it is miles not klm right?) after the service right? So its possible that this "damage" was not present at the time of the service? IMO the dealer should have at least advised u that rear pads were needed soon. Ideally, they should have contacted u and given u the option of having the work done or not.

Yes it's miles not Km, I don't know if it is possible for that kind of damage to be done in 3000 miles, that's why i posted on here, to find out, and most replies have been that this shouldn't have happened if as the dealer said, they were fine when checked in November.

I agree that they should have done this, in fact my mother got her car serviced there the previous week and they did contact her to tell her there was an issue with the breaks, which is why i find this whole situation very strange.

GTE · 25-01-2011 2:15pm

07Lapierre wrote: »

Agreed, but u saw the damage @ 3000 MILES ( it is miles not klm right?) after the service right? So its possible that this "damage" was not present at the time of the service? IMO the dealer should have at least advised u that rear pads were needed soon. Ideally, they should have contacted u and given u the option of having the work done or not.

Yes, the damage would probably not have been there but I think the issue here is that the dealer did not notice or tell the owner that the pads were going to need replacement in much less then a service interval.

07Lapierre · 25-01-2011 2:32pm

bbk wrote: »

Yes, the damage would probably not have been there but I think the issue here is that the dealer did not notice or tell the owner that the pads were going to need replacement in much less then a service interval.

Yes i agree it sounds like the Dealer should have at least reported the brakes were worn. I find it amazing that a main dealer would not report this to a customer and let them leave and get the work done somewhere else! ... Amazing!

GTE · 25-01-2011 2:36pm

07Lapierre wrote: »

Yes i agree it sounds like the Dealer should have at least reported the brakes were worn. I find it amazing that a main dealer would not report this to a customer and let them leave and get the work done somewhere else! ... Amazing!

Its horrible that it can happen. I left a VW main dealer with the car being said to be in perfect health and it was only when I had to change tyres less 3000 miles after that I find out that all the disks and pads were in very bad or nearing very bad shape. They knew about it but forgot to tell me :rolleyes:

Bit of a question for ye.

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