I have owned my car since March 07 and its got 35k on the clock. Lately iv noticed the brakes seem pretty rubbish and at slow speeds you can hear them grinding and high speeds they seem to fade? I had it serviced 5000 miles ago and asked them to look at the pads and they said there is loads of life left on them. How long do pads normally last for a normal driver? And does the cold weather have anything to do with them?? It feels and makes the same noise as when you have washed your car and apply the brakes for the first time at a junction (normally a second of panic) Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks

normal driving , the pads can last a lot of miles , especially the rears

i would find a long, quiet road and do some 60mph to zero hard braking runs , the pads may just need bedding in/de-glazing

normal driving , the pads can last a lot of miles , especially the rears

i would find a long, quiet road and do some 60mph to zero hard braking runs , the pads may just need bedding in/de-glazing

I have tried some hard braking but I think you may be right about the pads needing de-glazing as Im very soft with the brakes and just use the gears to slow down.

Just been outside to look at the pads and it seems to me they are fine but i dont know what im looking at! on the caliper there was a 7-8mm piece attached to the caliper and then bout 12mm pad thing on the disc. I assume that fine or is there another layer to the pad and so thats whats causing the grinding and squeeking now and then?

you are quite light on the brakes , if you have that much friction material left after 35k miles

i would say that the pads are deffo glazed up

Using the gears to slow down is not recommended these days, in older cars it was but you safe loads of fuel and stress on the car by staying in gear whilst slowing down and then selecting the appropriate gear once back at the right speed.

It does not sound like there is anything particularly wrong with the pads themselves though.

I would glaze bust the discs and pads with glass paper, and agree brakes to slow, gears to go.

my vrs rear brakes have been noisy since new i think its quite a common thing .some 60-0 braking does help but it always comes back!

Noisy rear Fabia brakes can be cured by giving the caliper slide pins a decent coating of white PTFE grease or copperslip. Removing rust from the rotor wear lip also helps. Another option is to turn the stereo up a bit

Using the gears to slow down is not recommended these days, in older cars it was but you safe loads of fuel and stress on the car by staying in gear whilst slowing down and then selecting the appropriate gear once back at the right speed.

It does not sound like there is anything particularly wrong with the pads themselves though.

Sorry i mean im not always dabbing the brakes like some people do and just lift off the accelerator when slowing down in gear. I dont change change down gears to slow down. Maybe i should start using them more! lol thanks for your replies though

Around 30k its usually new pads atleast and if you've got the standard 288s on you will prob need new discs too. I would recommend upgrading to 312s as they dont cost much more but you will feel the benefit plus they will last longer because you dont have to brake as hard.