Ooopnorth

Thank you for your reply. I understand the points you make, but as stated above, a previous Skoda Assist callout had led to a moble mechanic (RAC) attending and fixing the problem (the slides on the calipers needed greasing), which he found out through a thorough investigation. Likewise, on another occasion when we had a tricky security wheel nut, while I was changing over to winter tyres, they came out, fixed the problem and changed all the wheels/tyres over for me too! Great service. On this occasion my partner, who owns the car, called Skoda Assist again to politely ask why it had been such a cursory visit. Apparently, the 'mechanic' had cited on his report that the brakes were "too hot" to work on. This was not true, and at no time did he state this to us,. Indeed they were cool to the touch after the 3 hours between telephone call and the visit. I was also suspicion when he asked when the car was last serviced and whether the breakpads had been changed. The last service was in October 2022 (6000 miles ago), and the pads had not been changed as not need (we've used the garage for our Skodas for over 20 years and they're great) He claimed "pads only last 15,000 miles or so!) If that were true (and I know it's not), we'd all be changing our pads every service, wih a 10,000 mile service interval. Anyway, Skoda Assist are sending another mechanic out to our home tomorrow morning, so we hope for someone who wants more than to tick off 'job done', on a sunday afternoon (he complained he hadn't had any lunch too, which given his girth may not of been a bad thing for his health, albeit adding to his irksome attitude at the time).

Our 2016 Fabia developed some offside front brake issues today. The tyre pressure warning signal came on. I stopped, checked all the tyres visually, and with no obviously low signs, and as we were just a few miles from home, we continued. Once home, I ran the pressure gauge and gave all wheels/tyres a check. All 2.2 bar (hot day/long run) except front offside which was 2.6, and that was obviously too hot to touch! With the amount of pad dust on the alloys it was clear the brake was sticking, causing lots of heat, affecting tyre pressure, caauing it to be higher than the other tyres, and hence the warning. A call to to Skoda Assist (we take this policy out each year), and they gave the option of a general roadside service today or a "specialist" service, but with the latter not until Tuesday. Opting for the former, we waited. A bloke turned up in a ittle van, from a regional garage. I described events to him, and after shining a touch onto the pads on each side; and fiddling with a trolley jack, and not being able to readily turn the problem wheel he also diagnosed the obvious. Now, in the past, when we had our old Fabia Scout, with the same issue at Tebay Services, the AA (also through Skoda Assist) - whipped the wheel off; pulled the caliper aways; freed the cylinder; and freed the pads - and we were away, down south and headed for a garage on return for a proper fix. Today however, after much sucking in of air, the lad said - "Can't do brakes on a roadside assist. Not allowed. You'll need to get a tow truck to the nearest garage next week. You might be able to drive it, but I can't advise". And with that, off he went. Can't say I was impressed, but maybe 'thems the new H&Saftey rules' and it's a tow truck to a shiny garage as the only option. Is that the 'norm' now"?

Yes, it is disappointing. Last year we had to replace the bushes on one of the suspension wishbones on the Fabia, and the indie Skoda Specialist I've been using for a couple of decades now, said they had to do quite a few on various VAG vehicles recently, and he also pondered on the quality issues with Skoda VAG parts. It was actually one of the reasons (albeit not the main one) why I decided against a Kodiaq when replacing the lovely Yeti (which had also gone through a noticeable number of pads and discs compared to my earlier Skodas) for a Subaru. We're also thinking its time to replace the Fabia and normally would have looked at the newer model or the Kamiq, but the Toyota Yaris Cross is now a possible contender. Having said that, I'll not be surprised if other manufacturers have similar quality of parts issues!

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to comment/advise and/or share opinions and experiences. I do appreciate Briskoda for it's wide community of collective perspectives. Really helpful and often thought provoking.

Thank you for replying. I understand that there will be some considerable variability in brake disc/pads durability across different drivers - as you say we all have different styles. But, as I mentioned, this was the same driver, driving the same routes since 2016. One set of original rear brake discs and pads lasted for approx. 40,000 miles, while their replacements only lasted approx. 20,000 miles. I'd always expect some variability in mileage duration, but 50% is too significant to be just down to general variability of quality. I should have perhaps been more succinct in my question and just asked whether replacement parts (Skoda) are less durable than the original parts. Thinking about this, it seems unlikely to me. Skoda/VAG wouldn't go to all the trouble of having various different production lines of different quality level, seems absurd (or would they!). Alternatively, perhaps there has been a marked decrease in the components quality generally over the last few years- cost cutting?. More troubling for me, is the thought of whether the independent Skoda specialist I've been using for years -and trusted - and understood to be providing genuine Skoda parts, has actually been providing non-genuine parts of inferior quality.

Please could you explain why this post has been moved from General Maintenance section to Skoda Fabia III section as it's a general question about brake discs and pads and their lifespan which applies to all vehicles. It's not Fabia specific and I mentioned the model simply for interest. I could have just as easily not have mentioned the model and it would have been just as relevant. Thank you. .

Today, my partner's Fabia started to have a regular 'thud', thud' sound coming from the rear brakes. We called Skoda Assist (AA) who came out promptly and found the rear discs were badly corroded and the surfaces had patches where the lining was missing. Clearly, new discs and pads will be required, and obviously the wear/deterioration was the source of the noise. So, I checked the service history and the original rear brake discs and pads had been replaced at 38,000 miles (2019). The replacements have therefore lasted only about 20,000 miles - nearly less than half the lifespan of the originals. Driver and driving conditions/style have been largely the same since the car was new (2016). Also, over lockdowns, as per usual, the car was left parked at home on a level drive with the handbrake off and in gear. We've always done that with our cars. Our Skodas (5 vehicles over the years) have been serviced at the same independent Skoda specialist we've been using for the best part of 25 years - no issues. I assume they've used genuine Skoda parts - that's what we've always stipulated. Am I being unreasonable to expect the rear discs to last longer than 20,000 miles, with the same driver doing the same type of driving as during the initial near 40,000 miles of the vehicle's life? Are genuine Skoda/VW replacement parts generally of less good quality than the out-of-the-factory parts? Thanks in advance for any comments/thoughts

Thanks for the reply. Yeah, I've been impressed by the Alpins this winter, despite it not being the coldest of winters here in the Pennines. I wanted to have a set of steelies or cheap alloys for them, like I used to have on the Yeti and as I've put on my partner's Fabia. But supply issues from Japan meant the Subaru had to remain on the same original alloys. Consequently, the summers and winters come on and off the alloys. With their standard symmetrical non-directional tyres, Subaru recommend crossing the rears and moving them to the front, but just moving the fronts to the back. I can't see why I can't also do that with the Alpins, as they're off the alloys, and they don't have a designated inside/outside marking (they're symmetrical). I think (I'll stand to be corrected), the Subaru suggested rotation pattern helps to ensure even wear across the tread face and all the edges of the tyres. However, if I shifted front to rear on the same side it'll make no difference. Sometime it's possible to 'over-think' all this stuff

Ha Ha 😂 Don't beat yourself up. In the Grand Scheme of things it probably doesn't make 'a heap' of great difference. It's just that it gives me the warmth glow of self-satisfaction to have them neatly sorted and racked up (legacy of military training?).

Good. I'm not quite so weird then Just a thought. My winters are Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 SUV which are directional, but symmetrical (they don't have a deliberately marked 'outside' like some asymmetrical tyres). As they're now off the rims, I suppose they could in theory go back onto the vehicle next autumn 2022 in any corner, so long as the direction of travel was correct? As it happens, I have marked the whole set FN FO RN RO so know where they came off of. Obviously, when I've had directions tyres which remain on the rims (steelies), like those on the Fabia, they have to stay on the same side of the vehicle, but can be shifted, ie rotated, front to back and vice versa. Any thoughts?

So, like many on here I've just swapped my winter tyres over and have the summers back on. It's a biannual ritual tyre/wheel changing and I've evolved a routine, which I've followed for years. However, this morning, while flicking the gravel and other detritus out of my winter tyres and especially the sipes, by going around them with a flat bladed screw driver (I found a small screw and a nail in a couple), my neighbour asked me what I was doing. I explained about cleaning and storage etc., but he didn't look convinced, and I too began to reflect on whether I was being just a bit...erm... too 'anal' here After the gravel and bits are removed and the tyres thoroughly checked, I usually run the hose over the tyres and rims and give them a once-over with a scrubbing brush, before allowing them to dry over night and then bagging them up, having chalked the positions of the corners that they came off of on the car. Those on steelies (the Fabia), have a proper wheel/tyre trolley on which they're stored horizontally, while the others, off the Subaru, are not on rims and so stored vertically, and I give then a quarter turn every month or so, on the shelf they sit on. All in cool, dry, dark storage. But really? Is it worth the hassle? I'm lucky that I'm now quite time-rich (no bunch of young kiddies or other demands for my attention). After all, if I didn't have winter tyres, I'd probably have a set of tyres on my car for the duration of their wear (several years) and not give them a second thought apart from tyre pressure checks and a few visual once-overs. Maybe I should just chill, and bung them in the garage?

Wow! That Yeti looks really neat. The vehicle I've swapped the alloys for steelies is a white Fabia, which belongs to my partner. I think the black wheels against the white paint work with black seals around the windows and black mudguards looks tasty. However, my partners going to have the final say and I think I'll be slapping the hubs on again soon (anything for a quiet life) - tsk! Sadly, I had to swap my trusty Yeti for a Subaru Outback, which has had to have new winter tyres put on the 18" alloys as it's a 3 month waiting list for Subaru OE steelies to be shipped from Japan.

Thanks for your replies guys. There is a sort of 'gangster' aesthetic about the black steelies, but I think you're correct re protection. As I said, I tend to cable tie the hubs onto the rims which means I have to cut and replace them after a few hundred miles when I re-test the torque on the wheel bolts (I know, I know...but I'm a bit OCD on those issues) and an element of laziness was probably also behind my question All the best.

I've just dusted off the winter steelies and swapped them over to replace the summer alloys. Usually, I cable tie some plastic hub caps for their debatable aesthetics. However, a question has popped into my mind. Do hub caps actually protect the steelies and their wheel bolts from the worse of the salty, winter roads or, conversely, do they act as a haven for corrosive crud? Anyone have any thoughts or experience either way that might address the question? Thanks in advance.

Ah, you've really made me chuckle. Thank you. I always find it amusing when the pompous, self-important and self-righteous find their indignation so piqued that they utter such nonsensical dribble as "...(bluster, waffle...) less than zero!". And an exclamation mark to boot - priceless Nighty Night - enjoy your cocoa.