Main Dealer opinion on Acceptable levels of wear

flange888

Hi, I have a 11 year old car that I normally drop into a dealer on every second service basically to get a list of items that need my attention, more often than not I carry out the replacements/repairs myself...recently I had dropped the car in and got lengthy lost of items to attend to...one such item was the front pads and discs...I ordered the parts taking the list at face value, but when I went to fit the discs and pads I was surprised by exactly how much "meat" was left on the pads and disc which prompts my question, what limits do the main dealers use?

mickdw

Main dealer wear limits are tiny. Something like 1mm disc wear on modern stuff.

Voodoomelon

Go one step again and you should see the wear limits on UK patrol cars. They throw away what look like brand new discs, pads and tyres.

Del2005

My brother's wife dropped their car in for a 1st or 2and service. Came back needing discs but not pads, after a getting back to them saying that the pads should wear faster than the discs turned out the discs are fine and pads at 40%.

Toyotafanboi

Most main dealers will flag brake pads above 50% worn as amber, may not make it to next service and below 25% as red, requiring immediate or near immediate attention.

As above 1mm disc lip would be an amber advisory to replace with next set of pads and 2mm lip would be immediate replacement regardless of pad condition.

They are cautious limits but it's a game that revolves mostly around liability and also about selling things. The 1000 people who replaced their pads a little on the side of caution will never thank you but the one person who's pads weren't flagged as amber and wore away before the next service will **** you out of it on the manufacturer survey, to all their friends, facebook, google, boards, joe duffy and so forth.

It's also matter of opinion. Everyone who's anyone seems to have a strong opinion on safety components and loads of people who do not have to sign off on them in a professional capacity, who's job doesn't depend on it are always more than happy to say "there's plenty of life left in those".

Mintoe

flange888 wrote: »

Hi, I have a 11 year old car that I normally drop into a dealer on every second service basically to get a list of items that need my attention, more often than not I carry out the replacements/repairs myself...recently I had dropped the car in and got lengthy lost of items to attend to...one such item was the front pads and discs...I ordered the parts taking the list at face value, but when I went to fit the discs and pads I was surprised by exactly how much "meat" was left on the pads and disc which prompts my question, what limits do the main dealers use?

Why go to a main dealer with an 11 year old car, plenty of good indys about..... stats are cars that are 3 years old 80% of service/repair work goes to indys & cars 5 years old 90% goes to indys