My 1.6 diesel Fabia 2 has just reached 3 years old. So the warrantee has finished. I like to tinker with my cars and usually carry out various checks to keep the car running smoothly. I like to check the brakes in the late summer/early autumn so I am confidant the car will go through the winter without problems.

 

My car has drum brakes on the rear axle so there are only 2 disks to check. Checking the disk brakes is fairly easy. There are 2 allen key headed studs on which the calliper slides. These unscrew and there is a spring clip which pulls off. The calliper can then be lifted and rotated so that it can sit on top of the disk upside down.

 

Imagine my surprise on pulling off the inner pad to find 2 sheets of greasy kitchen paper towel stuffed into the piston! This was on the nearside wheel. When I checked the offside wheel there was a 1cm cut in the outer weather seal. This was only visible once the piston was extended by pressing the brakes a couple of times.

 

I have removed the unwanted paper towel and have now ordered a set of piston seals. The cut on the offside seal is hidden in the folded seal as the pads are barely worn but I don't want the piston to rust and will replace the outser seal as soon as the replacement part arrives.

 

I have had the car from one year old and as far as I am aware it had previously been the property of 2 Skoda dealerships. I have had the car serviced twice by other Skoda dealerships. I am not making any accusations but I am glad I carried out my check before the callipers were damaged further.

 

My driving style is rather slow so the brakes don't get used heavily. I am not sure if the paper towel would have caught fire had I braked hard from a fast speed.

 

So my messages is - if you feel confident or can get help from someone who is - check your brakes at least once a year and don't rely on your friendly dealership.

 

 

.

Edited 18 September, 201312 yr by ryno

    :think:

Incredible.....but not really surprising if a dealer has had a go at it....

 

The more checks the better, its just finding the enthusiasm to do these jobs.

 

I suggest you strip the drums off and clean them or my experience is you start getting problems if neglected. On my Mk1 Fabia they went untouched and seized up at around 100,000 miles due to the accumulation of brake dust and leaking slave cylinders.

 

BTW are the caliper bolts definitely allen headed or are they the 12 point XZN that VAG seem to love? (an allen key might initially fit but will easily damage an XZN bolt.

Edited 18 September, 201312 yr by xman

Totally agree with doing your own maintenance checks as no one cares about your own car as much as you. Even main dealers can rush things and make mistakes.

I always do my own brake pad , disc and fluid maintenance for peace of mind.

Just to confirm. My car has VW/ATE callipers (some have Lucas/Girling which are a bit different). The 2 pins that hold the calliper on have 7mm allen key socket heads. A standard 7mm allen key will work but Halfords sells a special key with a proper handle. Once the pins are loose I find a socket with a 7mm allen hey head makes removal quick and easy. This is also available from Halfords.

 

The pins on the VW/ATE brand callipers do not have hex or torx type heads.

 

I ordered the replacment seal from these people:-

 

http://brakeparts.co.uk/

 

I have used them before for a repalcement calliper on a previous car. A set of seals (2) costs £9.

 

While I am doing this work I am going to fit new pads. The current ones are fine but they eat the disks leaving black dust everywhere. The new pads are made using kevlar and cause very little damage to the disks. Also, they last a very long time. I would expect 70,000 miles from a set. But I drive quite slowly:-

 

http://www.ebcbrakesdirect.com/car/parts_pad.asp?part=pad&make=SKODA&model=Fabia&year=1.6+%28ATE+Front+Calipers%29+%282007-%29

 

I have used them on my last 3 cars plus my daughters 2 cars.