Hi all recently purchased a skoda fabia 2 estate 2008 and done ov 66000. Absolutely love the car but im having problems with the brakes. Generally there not to bad untill u have to brake harshly ov bumps. It feels like there grinding or something n become next to useless. Now i want to change both discs n pads on front together but have no clue on the size required or what manufacturer is best. Any help from any 1 i would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Have you given them a good once over? If the discs look in good condition they may just want a strip down and make sure that none of the pistons have seized, all the guide pins slide in and out easily and that where the pads sit in the carriers are free from corrosion (I always thoroughly wire brush the contact areas and grease with copper slip). At the same time you can check the disc guard to see if they are all secure and not rattling about.

 

May be a good idea to change the brake fluid as well if it hasn't been done recently or at the very least I like to bleed a bit out of each one as the fluid that sits in the caliper is the bit that will have most contaminants in it due to dirt passing the seal.

I usually order from either eurocarparts or carparts4less. They deliver free and carry the same stock so its just a case of seeing who is cheaper at the time and looking out for promo codes as they ALWAYS have promotional prices. NEVER- EVER pay the listed price unless you like giving away your hard earned beer tokens!

 

I used to use Pagid but have recently switched to Bosch but both are perfectly good for normal road use.

 

Your grinding might be due to excessive wear, down to the rivets or wear indicators, which make a horrid noise to make you away of them being low. You will almost certainly damage the discs if you keep on using them in this instance but discs are only around £20 per disc. (You will need a pair and they usually sell them singularly... Pads will come as a complete set of four). 

 

As an aside, you should really be planning your braking a little better anyway and avoid harsh braking over rough, uneven surfaces. Brake up to (Say) The speed bump, off brakes over said bump then brake again on the flat, level surface. 

 

Both these websites ask for your vehicle registration, as will most dealers, repairers now and by this, they can supply the correct fitment for your vehicle, in most instances. 

 

If you are able to undertake the work yourself, this is the best option as the parts will cost less then just getting the pads done in a tyre/brake fitting centre. The discs are usually only held on by a single screw or perhaps two, after removing the road wheels. If they show no sign of wear, replace them every two or three brake pad changes, if in doubt, change them anyway!

 

Oh, BTW, you can pick up brake piston reset tools on eBay or similar which make the job of fitting newer, thicker pads sooo much easier then trying to prise the pistons back in with a G-clamp. This tool should cost around a tenner and last a lifetime.

Edited 30 May, 20179 yr by mrgf

brake discs looked scored quite abit but pads dnt look to bad. I do avoid harsh braking but when ya live in bradford its not that easy most peeps around are nuts. Had my other car 3 weeks before i got tboned. Frist pic is driver side 2nd is passenger with pads showing.

Thank you all for helping

Yeah, I'd bin them. Think a bit before replacing the pads. They might be fine but they might re-score the new discs. I think I'd fit new, keep them ones and re-fit next time round so the pads and discs wear a bit more consistently. Either that or just bin the pads too but thats a little wasteful. Don't forget to copper grease the sliding caliber pins and the back of the pads. Re-fit any anti-squeal shims if necessary making sure not to grease the fronts of the pads or the discs.  There is a tool you can get for helping undo the calliper bolts as its quite fiddly getting a tool to fit otherwise. Its a bit like an allen key, with a plastic grippy handle.

Thank u mrgf. I have 2 kids in car. 1 is a baby so on that note i will just change both pads n discs. I rather know that everything is at its best. Especially given how many nutters i have to deal with every day lol. Now i jus need to decide whats going on. I have looked on ebay and found some delph, brembo, bosch. But it says on some no wear sensor which concerns.

Replace both pads and discs as a set, never ever re use old brake pads with new discs as it causes more problems. Pads and discs can be got at fairly cheap prices for brand names.

 

We at work tend to use pagid products as they are good quality and long lasting.

10 minutes ago, DLS84 said:

Thank u mrgf. I have 2 kids in car. 1 is a baby so on that note i will just change both pads n discs. I rather know that everything is at its best. Especially given how many nutters i have to deal with every day lol. Now i jus need to decide whats going on. I have looked on ebay and found some delph, brembo, bosch. But it says on some no wear sensor which concerns.

 

Brembo are also very good, some manufacturers sell the sensor's seperately

I agree with the changing together but pads are ok if inspected but they will run different grooves and need bedding in etc. I only suggested re-use as a later resort. Most people will either stick them straight back on new discs, causing them to wear quicker too or bin them as they are too low a value to store. Really last resort to re-using but people do and if they are fairly new, CAN be re-used. (I wouldn't, what does that tell you)? 

 

I have seen some with wear sensors and they usually cost around the same price. If you have electric the sensors, you need them if you don't have the wiring, you (Usually) Just cut off the wiring as you'll have no-where to plug it in anyway. Basically, it just creates a circuit that will warn you when it gets low, via a dash warning light. Some have a bit of something imbedded in the pad that makes a horrid noise as the pads get low again so it puts you off driving till you get new ones fitted.

38 minutes ago, mrgf said:

I have seen some with wear sensors and they usually cost around the same price. If you have electric the sensors, you need them if you don't have the wiring, you (Usually) Just cut off the wiring as you'll have no-where to plug it in anyway. Basically, it just creates a circuit that will warn you when it gets low, via a dash warning light. Some have a bit of something imbedded in the pad that makes a horrid noise as the pads get low again so it puts you off driving till you get new ones fitted.

If you have the wiring you will need to short out the harness as it works the opposite way round. The circuit breaks to bring the warning up on VAG based cars.

 

Easiest way is to remove the wiring from the old pads and solder them together and plug them back in and ty-rap out of the way

Edited 30 May, 20179 yr by SuperbTWM

Big thanks for all replies and help. Im defently going to replace both pads n discs. Im now not to worried about sensors but i have noticed a brake pad warning light on start up so i guess it has wiring. Going to do checking up on prices now and brand names. My mechanical skills are limited so my plan is to buy the parts n get my local garage i used before to fit them for me.

Found some delphi pads and discs for £50 which look ok with 2yr guarantee. But as i dont know my car well yet as ive had it only 4 weeks im unsure on size n thickness so i guess tomoz i will take a wheel off and get a tape measure.

14 hours ago, SuperbTWM said:

If you have the wiring you will need to short out the harness as it works the opposite way round. The circuit breaks to bring the warning up on VAG based cars.

 

Easiest way is to remove the wiring from the old pads and solder them together and plug them back in and ty-rap out of the way

I meant if you have no wiring on car, cut off sensor from pads. If you have the wiring on the car, fit the ones with sensors and connect.... Be daft not too!