My Furby has been to the garage today and I've been informed that I need new brake discs and pads front and rear. Firstly I'm bl**dy annoyed as the car has just under 38,000 on it and it is my understanding that both the front and rears were replaced not too long before I bought the car so they ought to be less than 3.5 years/10,000 miles old (neither I or the previous owner were high mileage drivers). To me that is crap longevity.

Anyway, I just wondered what people's opinions were on replacement options - I've been quoted over £300 for genuine VW replacements at an independent VW specialists and not a lot less for Febi/Bosch type copies. Is this the best option or is it worth going for a premium brake brand like Brembo? Would it cost a lot extra for this? The main problem is longevity to rusting. I don't drive particularly "spiritidly" but am not an OAP neither. Cheers for any thoughts.

I got Brembo discs and (I think) Febi pads for about £150 4 years and 30000 miles ago from GSF. They still have plenty of meat left, but they sometimes pull slightly erratically at slow speeds. The originals did also which is why I changed them, I think it's probably to do with the way that the pads leave deposits on the discs. It did get an advisory at MoT, but it's no big problem, I would get them again,

My Furby has been to the garage today and I've been informed that I need new brake discs and pads front and rear. Firstly I'm bl**dy annoyed as the car has just under 38,000 on it and it is my understanding that both the front and rears were replaced not too long before I bought the car so they ought to be less than 3.5 years/10,000 miles old (neither I or the previous owner were high mileage drivers). To me that is crap longevity.

I would be very surprised if you needed a complete new brake set-up after 38,000 miles. I'd be very tempted to get a second opinion.

£300 fitted doesn't sound outrageous for 4 complete sets of discs and pads though.

I would be very surprised if you needed a complete new brake set-up after 38,000 miles. I'd be very tempted to get a second opinion.

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i'd agree with that , especially if they have previously been replaced before

parts shouldn't be more than £100 , so an hours labour on top of that

There is pad material left but the discs are scored and very rusty all round - this isn't cleaned up by sharp braking actions. I get terrible scraping noises when the brakes are in use, the handbrake sometimes binds whilst parked and I think I get some scraping sounds from the discs when travelling at speed.

You haven't braked hard enough. There's no rust that hard braking won't cure.

:iagree: - Corroded discs provide poor bite for the pads, and are frankly dangerous.

:iagree: - Corroded discs provide poor bite for the pads, and are frankly dangerous.

I agree, and I've never worked out how a good bit of hard braking would ever end up cleaning up what is an unserviceable ex brake disc. Once serious deep old rust has set in, only skimming the discs will clear them - but that is not cost effective with new disc prices and seeing as the skimmed disc will look like new but be quite thin!

My wife's 2003MY Polo 1.4 16v has lasted 6.5 years and almost 60,000 miles on the original discs and pads - same quality as Fabia ones, and she travels on hilly roads and so also not driving like an OAP. As has been said many times, the rear discs service life tends to be limited by under use and not wear, but I'd expect the front vented discs to last until they are at their minimum service thickness as long as the callipers/pads were maintained properly. Oh, but I do have the replacement discs and pads and will replace them during the summer when my wife is on holiday, before the next MOT later on in the year.

Edited 7 May, 200917 yr by rum4mo

I live in the country and unless I use genuine VW stuff on my MK4 Golf the discs and pads don't last that long and certainly less time than you are suggesting. I don't do a high mileage but I think the constantly wet, dirty roads, generally damp conditions etc take their toll. I had ATE power discs on teh front a one stage from Euro car parts but they only lasted about a year and warped. The OE euro stuff was crap too, didn't warp but didn't last any time either, even had the pads sepatating from the metal backing due to corrosion, which I think was downright dangerous. I think the metal must be meant to be soft to give better braking but the downside in a wet country is they don't last. If you have corrosion on the inside of the disc, where you can't really see it, you will never get rid of it. The only corrosion you will get rid of is the surface stuff that builds up over a couple of days off the road but if yours are scored etc I would probably say just change them, buy the best quality you can and do drive it spiritedly, not like a lunatic (that's for me) and try to keep them as clean as you can, might as well use them, I have yet to ware out a set by over braking. May also be worth checking that the fluid has been changed and if not do that too as that is quite important when you have ABS to keep teh system in tip top condition and avoid a spongy pedal. Hope this is of help, cheers.

I live in the country and unless I use genuine VW stuff on my MK4 Golf the discs and pads don't last that long and certainly less time than you are suggesting. I don't do a high mileage but I think the constantly wet, dirty roads, generally damp conditions etc take their toll. I had ATE power discs on teh front a one stage from Euro car parts but they only lasted about a year and warped. The OE euro stuff was crap too, didn't warp but didn't last any time either, even had the pads sepatating from the metal backing due to corrosion, which I think was downright dangerous. I think the metal must be meant to be soft to give better braking but the downside in a wet country is they don't last. If you have corrosion on the inside of the disc, where you can't really see it, you will never get rid of it. The only corrosion you will get rid of is the surface stuff that builds up over a couple of days off the road but if yours are scored etc I would probably say just change them, buy the best quality you can and do drive it spiritedly, not like a lunatic (that's for me) and try to keep them as clean as you can, might as well use them, I have yet to ware out a set by over braking. May also be worth checking that the fluid has been changed and if not do that too as that is quite important when you have ABS to keep teh system in tip top condition and avoid a spongy pedal. Hope this is of help, cheers.

I live in wet dreary Scotland too, I'm a bit surprised to hear that you had a bad experience from ATE Power Discs, I fitted my first pair to a B5 Passat V6 about 3.5 years, 35000 miles ago, and have just replaced them with another set. Mind you the B5 platforms have "rear" mounted front callipers so the brakes can suffer wash-out in salty wet conditions - which is a bit nasty, the Power Discs were fitted to solve that problem - which they did, but your Golf has, I think "front" mounted front callipers - so at least you could live without them.

I was going to buy more Power discs but couldn't find then and Euro Car parts where I bought them had stopped doing them by that time. In fact I was hoping at one stage to get the rears too but never managed that either. I am quite convinced now that the genuine items are the best quality but I do get a main dealer discount which helps. I am interested in what you say about front/rear mounted calipers, I often wondered what the difference was, Cheers.

I was going to buy more Power discs but couldn't find then and Euro Car parts where I bought them had stopped doing them by that time. In fact I was hoping at one stage to get the rears too but never managed that either. I am quite convinced now that the genuine items are the best quality but I do get a main dealer discount which helps. I am interested in what you say about front/rear mounted calipers, I often wondered what the difference was, Cheers.

If you are feeling like getting what you want, ie Power Discs, there is a way to get them! I emailed ATE's EU sales base and asked why ECP, their only UK distributor was saying that they can't get hold of ATE Power Discs - their answer has that that was not true, the complete range are still available and still in production - and the ATE people gave me the email address of the main buyer for ECP. I emailed them and they assured me that my local ECP manager would be in touch within a few day - they didn't, but when I went into the branch and asked for my discs they handed them over - they had previously taken an order, and I'd paid for these Power Discs and as the guy walked away from the counter he said that EBC now made them - which confused and annoyed me - that was why I just started banging off emails - and it worked! So, if you want them, they are as available as ever, it just that ECP seem to want to push EBC now!

In my experience, unless you get served by a Polish person, you will just get given any old thing - I've had too many wasted journeys - even when buy simple brake discs, so now I tend to go on-line to the parts manufacturer's website and note down all relevant information - I've even been back to pick-up replacements and the guy cursed the fool that chenged them and would not hand them over (he knew better) and as it turned it he (the wise one) re-ordered the parts that I was returning. All I can say is "the things that I and others do to save money and still get genuine parts" - but what a lot of time and fuel can be wasted. I tend to try to get my parts from GSF when I'm across near Glasgow - but still go with lots of parts details and not just reg number + VIN + car model.

On the issue of front/rear mounted callipers, I'd guess the designers get restrained by space and have to use what there is space left for! I think that it is more important in the case of the front brakes as they do most of the work - but tread warily in winter wet salty roads if you ever end up driving a car with "rear mounted" front callipers. I don'tthink that ATE do Power discs for the rears of many cars - their site kind of inferes they do - but I don't think that is true and there is less need for grooves on the rear discs - or maybe that could be a solution for the rusting up of the under used rear discs.

Edited 13 May, 200917 yr by rum4mo