New disc brakes and rear pads

[Avante]

Since buying my Fabia about a month or two back I knew I had to replace front and rear disc brakes and rear pads, the front discs are scored and the rear pads no longer exist, I now have a rusty tint on my rear wheels .. nice!

I've been shopping around and can get front and rear discs, and rear pads for less than £100, but fitting them is something I've never attempted before. I went to my local kwikfit and they refuse to fit anything not supplier by themselves, so I'm looking at around £400. My local garage said they will fit the parts I buy for £120 but that's still about £220 to get my brakes sorted - I was wondering if it is worth trying to fit them myself, is it easy enough? What tools are required? Or should I go to my backstreet garage and pay for them to fit it?

[mikey vrs]

If you have never fitted/replaced brakes on a car then no you shouldnt do it yourself,£120 is about right from a garage (maybe a touch expensive,you may get it a bit cheaper from another garage if you shop around) in your text you say "Front & rear discs & rear pads" you have got new front pads as well havent you?

[Avante]

If you have never fitted/replaced brakes on a car then no you shouldnt do it yourself,£120 is about right from a garage (maybe a touch expensive,you may get it a bit cheaper from another garage if you shop around) in your text you say "Front & rear discs & rear pads" you have got new front pads as well havent you?

The pads on the front are fairly new according to my service history, I've examined them and they appear to have a lot of life left. Is it worth replacing the front ones too even if they don't need replacing yet?

[mikey vrs]

You should always fit new brake pads when you fit new discs,there are the odd exception to this but i was tought this a a mechanic many years ago when i started out as a apprentice,if you discs are scored then you pads will be so change them. Dont cut corners with brakes.

[Avante]

You should always fit new brake pads when you fit new discs,there are the odd exception to this but i was tought this a a mechanic many years ago when i started out as a apprentice,if you discs are scored then you pads will be so change them. Dont cut corners with brakes.

I appreciate the advise! I'm new with cars as I've only been driving since January and I'm young still, early days but I'll learn as I go. I'll try one last garage local to me and I'll get it booked in for an MOT to see what else needs doing lol - I've noticed a couple of leaks myself and have semi-sorted a misfiring problem. All's well.

[mikey vrs]

If your wanting to have a go yourself it would be a good idea to buy a Haynes manual for your car,that will give you a guide to help you repair your car,do you have any mechanic friends? they could assist you with your brakes & let you have a go but they can over see it & check its all done ok.

[Avante]

If your wanting to have a go yourself it would be a good idea to buy a Haynes manual for your car,that will give you a guide to help you repair your car,do you have any mechanic friends? they could assist you with your brakes & let you have a go but they can over see it & check its all done ok.

I own a Haynes book - but I've only started my toolkit recently so it's fairly limited at the moment, so to do it myself I'd have to buy tools also. I have no mechanic friends, I've a friend who is a tyre fitter and that's as close as it gets lol. I've friends of friends but no means of contacting them directly, I'll hunt around see what I can do. Many thanks again, I've so many questions but I'll open another thread for that, don't want to muddle this thread about with loads of different topics.

[Avante]

I'm going to ask my local garage if my calipers also need replacing, I can see they say they will so another hefty bill lol.

[Avante]

I'm going to ask my local garage if my calipers also need replacing, I can see they say they will so another hefty bill lol.

Never mind I have a friend who has spares going providing I need them. I've got a friend of a friend fitting discs and pads next week too. Happy.

[Avante]

Quick question, is it worth me upgrading my brakes to the vrs ones? If so how much could I pick some up for? I'd look into prices but I'm at work currently - or should I pick up some standard ones for my model Fabia?

[giandougl]

Quick question, is it worth me upgrading my brakes to the vrs ones? If so how much could I pick some up for? I'd look into prices but I'm at work currently - or should I pick up some standard ones for my model Fabia?

With your mechanical inexperience at the present, suggest stick to essentials.

MOT will/ should pick-up the point whether your calipers are working correctly with a poor braking efficiency report.

This time, suggest get someone knowledgeable / garage to affect repairs necessary.

Later ask on this site what tools are required to the job yourself next time perhaps?

[Avante]

With your mechanical inexperience at the present, suggest stick to essentials.

MOT will/ should pick-up the point whether your calipers are working correctly with a poor braking efficiency report.

This time, suggest get someone knowledgeable / garage to affect repairs necessary.

Later ask on this site what tools are required to the job yourself next time perhaps?

I'm taking it for a MOT test soon, gonna fit new brakes and pads firstly but thought I'd stick 16 black vrs alloys on whwhile I'm doing that.

[VWD]

As said- if you are not sure- then brakes are not a good place to start. Another cautionary tale - when I had my calliper fixings heli coiled, the machine shop told me that most VAG cars have the fixings as a weak point, and it's dead easy to damage the fixing threads.

[Avante]

As said- if you are not sure- then brakes are not a good place to start. Another cautionary tale - when I had my calliper fixings heli coiled, the machine shop told me that most VAG cars have the fixings as a weak point, and it's dead easy to damage the fixing threads.

Alright, I appreciate the advice - I'll stick with standard for now, I'll consider it when I actually need better brakes.

[VWD]

most of the old hands are trying to be helpful . I have just noticed in one of your earlier posts you mention the dreaded KF place. Think about it. if you want a decent bit of food, cheap- you'd go to a decent cafe etc, not a fast food place. Same with work on car. Changing front pads is easy - the hard bit is first pushing the old pads back and then refitting the calliper bolts without damage to the threads. Rear drum shoes- one of the easiest I've done in almost fifty years of car DIY.But then I started out with an advantage- firm I worked for when I  started car ownership had it's own garage, with a foreman who was only too happy to pass on his knowledge. I can appreciate your problems on the brake performance- on my 75 bhp odel, the brakes leave a lot to be desired .Great in the short term- but from a bit higher in speed, a bit lacking in anti fade properties.

[Jim H]

Quick question, is it worth me upgrading my brakes to the vrs ones? If so how much could I pick some up for? I'd look into prices but I'm at work currently - or should I pick up some standard ones for my model Fabia?

 

I believe to upgrade your discs to 288mm ones (on vRS) not only will you need new callipers but also new hubs. It is therefore easier (and cheaper) to buy better quality standard sized pads and discs than to go bigger.

[sepulchrave]

I believe to upgrade your discs to 288mm ones (on vRS) not only will you need new callipers but also new hubs. It is therefore easier (and cheaper) to buy better quality standard sized pads and discs than to go bigger.

 

This, a thousand times this.

 

I have the exact same brakes on my car but with Brembo Max discs and Ferodo pads on the front and they are powerful and progressive, I changed the all brake fluid out at the same time. As with so many things you get what you pay for, I fit cheap rubbish to the back brakes because they don't do anything and the discs rust out so quickly anyway.

[DanHarper]

If you have never fitted/replaced brakes on a car then no you shouldnt do it yourself

 

In that case no one should ever replace the brakes on their car! :P

[sepulchrave]

The pads on the front are fairly new according to my service history, I've examined them and they appear to have a lot of life left. Is it worth replacing the front ones too even if they don't need replacing yet?

 

Don't bother touching the front brakes then, just get the rears replaced because you need a special tool to do the rears, just get the cheapest quote to do the back brakes only because they don't really matter.

[mikey vrs]

In that case no one should ever replace the brakes on their car! :p

Yes your correct......until they either have some training like i did when i was 16 & wanted to fix cars...i.e get a apprentiship in a garage or attend a college course/evening class,every job i did unsupervised was fully checked over afterwards or as i suggested to the op if he had a mechanic friend he could help him change his brakes so the op can learn but still have the job done safely.

[giandougl]

Rear brake rewind tool required to wind/ push the rear caliper/s back into the housing..

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3-8-Drive-Brake-Caliper-Piston-Rewind-Tool-Wind-Back-Tool-Left-Handed-Garage-/181693861466?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item2a4dcc4e5a

 

Can be adapted with a bit of juggling to also push the front caliper/s back into their housing.