This is one reason I am glad I am reasonably knowledgeable about cars. 1,000 miles ago someone told my mum she'd need new discs & pads on the front of her (05) Micra in 1,000 miles. So a little worried, she called me up and I went round today to see. Took both front wheels off to inspect properly (steels & trims) There was at least 4mm of meat left on the pads, and the discs had a small lip but nothing to get worried about. I told her they'd go at least another 5,000 miles (The car has only done 22k miles since new)

I didn't like the idea of her being told to change something so early. She only passed her test 2 years ago and is a total newbie when it comes to cars (except fluid level checks which I taught her to do) I get the feeling garage types will try to prey on this when it comes to servicing / MOT, etc. The car is in to the local Nissan dealer for servicing very soon. I told her that if anyone mentions front brakes to give me a ring!

or tbh if they mention anything else too....

When I read the thread title I thought she had been trying to buy Lap tickets for the 'ring off Ebay :P

When i had my toledo serviced at 20k they (main dealer) said it needed new pads and discs on the front, so i went with it but doubt it needed the discs doing. They also said it will need new pads and discs on the rear in 5000 miles. Never went back there for service and the rear discs were still fine after 50k miles.

A few years ago my niece took her Fiat Panda in for a couple of tyres in a Kwikfit place, came out with 4 new shocks as well, and i'm sure it didnt need them.

I only use a couple of local garages I trust for any work on my cars.

My dad's mechanic told him his car needed new front discs and pads last year (it's a 1998 BMW 523 so parts are expensive) and quoted him about £400 for the job.

When I told him I'd order the pads and have them sent to him to fit, he said "Oh it's okay, I've had another look and they'll be okay for a while yet"

2 years on and they're still fine.

You just can't trust anyone these days...

your dad needs a new mechanic lol

I had this with the MX5, told we needed new pads for the front. I said leave them as I will change them.

Bought new ones without checking them and found feck all wrong with the old ones when I went to

change them :(

They just prey on peoples fears :(

Its like a broken record when you get serviced/mot at big dealers,

"Aw you are going to need new pads and discs"

"Had to replace your indicator bulb, that will be a fiver"

"Window wiper was torn, so i just replaced it"

Some garages go a head and change things without asking. If you didn't ask for it don't pay for it , guy tried it with me with window wipers that i had checked 10 minutes before my mot.

You should see the list of "faults" Audi identified on my A4 when it went in for a cambelt, the only thing that was actually correct was that my tail gate and bumper were "incorrect"... well I know that since they were a different f*cking colour!

I took my old A-Class for an MOT, it failed on braking effiency, needed new discs and pads. Fair enough.

I looked at the discs and they looked fine to me. The mechanic said you should NEVER replace pads without replacing the discs. :eek: !st time I've heard this one.

Needless to say, I've not been back.

When I ran my own cars for some reason I needed a new CV boot about three times in a row when my car went in for it's MOTs at a certain garage. Might have been a coincidence but I don't advise anyone to go there anymore and i've never known anyone need a new CV boot from my current favoured place!

This is one reason I am glad I am reasonably knowledgeable about cars. 1,000 miles ago someone told my mum she'd need new discs & pads on the front of her (05) Micra in 1,000 miles. So a little worried, she called me up and I went round today to see. Took both front wheels off to inspect properly (steels & trims) There was at least 4mm of meat left on the pads, and the discs had a small lip but nothing to get worried about. I told her they'd go at least another 5,000 miles (The car has only done 22k miles since new)

I didn't like the idea of her being told to change something so early. She only passed her test 2 years ago and is a total newbie when it comes to cars (except fluid level checks which I taught her to do) I get the feeling garage types will try to prey on this when it comes to servicing / MOT, etc. The car is in to the local Nissan dealer for servicing very soon. I told her that if anyone mentions front brakes to give me a ring!

In my experience garage's point out things that will need attention before you see them for the next visit, which they usually put at 10k miles or a year, so the brakes would need doing within that time frame. It does depend on how they worded it though.

I got a little report when my car was serviced with repair and timeframe required (or when to check it, eg weekly or monthly) without any pressure to use them, just asked me to book it in when I wanted the work doing, so I've managed to spread the cost over a few months.

Bloody winds me up stuff like this and I hear it all too often - either from people at work, or through friends etc

Annoying it's almost always after they've gone ahead and had the work done....

Steve

I took my old A-Class for an MOT, it failed on braking effiency, needed new discs and pads. Fair enough.

I looked at the discs and they looked fine to me. The mechanic said you should NEVER replace pads without replacing the discs. :eek: !st time I've heard this one.

Needless to say, I've not been back.

Other way round; never replace discs without replacing pads, because the part-worn pads won't bed in to the new discs.

In my experience garage's point out things that will need attention before you see them for the next visit, which they usually put at 10k miles or a year, so the brakes would need doing within that time frame.

They'll also warn when things such as brake discs are below spec for wear, no matter whether the item still technically works or not...

Rob.

Other way round; never replace discs without replacing pads, because the part-worn pads won't bed in to the new discs.

I agree, not what he said though.

I'm sure just about everyone has had this sort of thing happen at some point.

I had the Skoda dealer in Halesowen charge me for screen wash when it was full to the brim before I dropped it off. After a fairly loud complaint in front of the queue of customers I got that knocked off the bill and a free bottle of screenwash.

The worst I had though was when the same dealer (now closed , thank ****) changed my cambelt without mentioning it to me. This was at a 60k service and it was definitely an 80k interval as confirmed by Skoda , but the staff in the dealership refused to hand over the keys until I paid.

Tempting as it was to vault the counter and beat them to death I settled for paying up then complaining to head office ,with a threat of the small claims court included. One full refund later I was much happier.

:)I run a small independent workshop/MOT Centre. If I'm working on a car and discover that it needs extra work doing I invite the customer into the workshop so that I can show them excactly which parts need replacing/repairing and why. I have nothing to hide!

There is a lot of rougues out there, I had a fleet car into workshop (Not naming names here) now one of my many task's at work is to look after the fleet. (My branch only) anyhow I had a Saab 9-3 1.9TDi 150 go in for service approx 12k after I had it serviced last in that service I had brakes changed due to the fact they were down to the metal. Well i was then contacted and informed they needed brakes, I said no they don't and had a driver collect the car. Whenit returned to the yard I quizzed the driver he said that they were sharp as hell, and on inspection there was many a thousand miles on them. Suffice to say they have been reported to relevant people within the corporation. I can not see them having the contract renewed when the contract runs out...lol

Well, the Nissan dealer is trying now to get Mum to give her Micra a level 3 service. It only does about 3,000 miles a year so I am not convinced it needs it. From what I gather, level 3 includes a brake fluid change, but I don't think brake fluid needs changing that often on a low mileage car? Does brake fluid deteriorate in a static state as well as when being used? :confused:

I'm going to read her service book a.s.a.p, but the pessimist in me says the dealer is trying to coax her into something that is not essential at all for her car to be in top condition, mechanically.

Hope this info helps,

Most automotive professionals agree that glycol based brake fluid, (DOT 3, DOT 4, DOT 5.1) should be flushed, or changed, every 1-2 years.[1] Many manufacturers also require periodic fluid changes to ensure reliability and safety. Once installed, moisture diffuses into the fluid through brake hoses and rubber seals and eventually the fluid will have to be replaced when the water content becomes too high. Electronic testers and test strips are commercially available to measure moisture content. The corrosion inhibitors also degrade over time. New fluid should always be stored in a sealed container to avoid moisture intrusion.

Yes, the brake fluid does deteriorate with age not mileage, and so it should be changed.

Thanks for the info - for a main dealer, I would hope to have a little more faith, and at least I should in this case. Still not sure that now it's out of warranty, a level 3 service could be undertaken elsewhere for less than £210. I'm pretty sure it will just be brake fluid change and the usual oil & filter.

The local garage I use does the same as Dave does (qv) unless the job is so minor as to not be worth the effort.

Also 4thed? about brake fluid deteriorating with age rather than mileage.

Jason, when your mother's car is due for a service then take it in for her, if they see you and your knowledge then they most likely wont con you. Ive always told garages i want to know what work is to be performed and they will need to ring for authorisation before performing it and if they do without my authorisation then i wont pay for that bit.

A game i use to play was pretend to be totally thick and not know where the oil and water was on the car etc, then after it had been in the service go through the list and check against it on the car, caught them (vauxhall dealer) out on a few things like no new oil filter. The look on their faces when you suddenly can rip their invoice apart.

See if there is a local reputable sole trader who can do the car as i find these small places much much better and more honest as well as cheaper.