Brake Pads lasting forever?

[retiredbri]

Hi all, 

Just had a service on Sep 2014 Octavia III 1.4TSI DSG wirh 55,000 miles on the clock.  The report shows 40% wear on the fronts and 50% wear on the rear. I couldn't remember ever having them changed and the Skoda Service record confirms this. Two of the mechanics didn't believe it and checked. They confirmed that  the service record was right and that the wear was correct. They said they couldn't remember such a high mileage  with such low wear before. 

What are your opinions please?  Has a secret "pad replacer"  been around without me knowing it  and without charging me anything?

 

Regards  retiredbri

[aki78]

My original brakes lasted 150.000 km then all pads and discs (front+rear) had to be replaced at the same time.

Mine is a 2.0 TDI with DSG. I am mainly driving on highway, city driving is almost zero. And I am gentle with the brakes.

It depends on the driver too, my colleague's car (same O3) needed new front pads and discs at 90.000 km.

Edited 13 June, 2018 by aki78

[Octy0GG]

35 minutes ago, aki78 said:

My original brakes lasted 150.000 km then all pads and discs (front+rear) had to be replaced at the same time.

Mine is a 2.0 TDI with DSG. I am mainly driving on highway, city driving is almost zero. And I am gentle with the brakes.

It depends on the driver too, my colleague's car (same O3) needed new front pads and discs at 90.000 km.

That's the big difference, when I was a lot younger and driving in a fairly 'spirited' manner I got through brake pads and shoes (and 4 star) at a great rate of knots, disks though would easily outlive three pad changes and hardly ever had to replace drums. Nowadays pads last a lot longer but are brutal on the disks, by the time pads are done disks are usually about ready for replacement as well. Still wouldn't want to go back to asbestos pads but it would be nice if some effective and fade resistant material that was a bit less harsh on disks could be developed.

Edited 13 June, 2018 by Octy0GG
spelling - sure their's still plenty mistakes left though

[retiredbri]

1 hour ago, Octy0GG said:

by the time pads are done disks are usually about ready for replacement as well

 

Thank everyone

So far it has been the best car I have ever owned and pads and disks lasting so long, is a bonus. 

Regards  retiredbri

[Ootohere]

Pity that for many the brake pads outlast the discs these days.

 

40% & 50% wear is very accurate, pity the technician never gave that on the measurement they did then you could check yourself.

So often the advisory is 80% worn when they are @ the upselling.

When measured it is maybe more like 20% pad wear...

 

A good observant driver with a DSG really should not need to use brakes that often, so should get good wear / life out of them, 

and good fuel economy.

Well done.

Edited 13 June, 2018 by Offski

[Stewart7]

Connected with brakes, my car sits on the drive with the nearside facing south, the direction where most of our weather comes from.  I wonder if I'll get more than usual pad wear 'cos after a few days of rain, when I set off, the disks have surface rust grinding away at the pads on first use of the brakes.

 

Thanks for any comments

Stewart

[johnrowley]

Vrs mainly motorway miles just replaced. The lot at 107k miles - only as a precaution not a requirement 

[skippy41]

On 45K mainly town taxi work , still plenty of meat on front and back

[gregoir]

What's the connection between DSG and long life brakes? I'd a DSG Karoq on loan and I had to use the brakes when going into an off motorway  roundabout in D7!

In my manual I'd have been in a lower gear and maybe not used the brakes.

Pad and disc life has been variable over my last few cars. Sticking pistons and salty corroding discs were a big variable. But, even so, pads last much longer nowadays. I never had to change discs in the 70s and 80s, just pads every 5000 miles or so iirc.

[Ootohere]

The DSG is an Automated Manual.    Use the gear shifter or paddles for decelerating / slowing down,  spirited driving or just trucking along, on descents the DSG can do the slowing if you are off the accelerator.   (Coasting function does mess that up a little now...)

and with a dsg and manual down shifts you might very very seldom need to touch the brake pedal, even less than you might with a manual, or the same as you might with a manual. 

[gregoir]

The 1.0tsi that I was driving for 24hrs did not seem to have an eco or coasting mode. I was cautious about using anything but D mode. I inadvertently went into neutral once. Did not have enough time to find, never mind use the paddles. A longer drive would have been interesting and informative. 

Edited 14 June, 2018 by gregoir

[POWYSWALES]

My 2016 dsg got its first service at 18,000 and it was noted the pads had less than 10 percent wear, I asked was that good going and the tech person told it is how they mainly judge how a car has been treated and the people with low brake wear are usually the ones achieving good mpg. A friend of mine has a Audi and every 25,000 has to have the pads changed, but I am not surprised, even a very slight bend that you can clearly see around, foot on brake and drops down a gear, the same slight bends I just back of the accelerator going into the bend and then accelerate out including when I drive my wife's Dacia which I will happily keep in 5th gear if I can keep the speed above 45mph.

[ahenners]

2 hours ago, POWYSWALES said:

My 2016 dsg got its first service at 18,000 and it was noted the pads had less than 10 percent wear, I asked was that good going and the tech person told it is how they mainly judge how a car has been treated and the people with low brake wear are usually the ones achieving good mpg. A friend of mine has a Audi and every 25,000 has to have the pads changed, but I am not surprised, even a very slight bend that you can clearly see around, foot on brake and drops down a gear, the same slight bends I just back of the accelerator going into the bend and then accelerate out including when I drive my wife's Dacia which I will happily keep in 5th gear if I can keep the speed above 45mph.

 

Audi drivers will be Audi drivers.... 

[gregoir]

Bright yellow V10 Audi R8 came noisily up to red lights in Chesterfield today. I watched him pull away and he may have hit 80,in a 30 limit, before braking and lurching over a speed hump. May have a diplomatic immunity. Audis, doncha love em!

[Ootohere]

Or just an Audi Technician / fitter / free wash and vaccumer giving it a road test....

[BoxerBoy]

Gears To Go - Brakes To Slow.

 

Or a line from 1 of my favourite songs - “Nascar driver or Miss Daisy”

 

[Stonker]

4 hours ago, gregoir said:

Bright yellow V10 Audi R8 came noisily up to red lights in Chesterfield today. I watched him pull away and he may have hit 80,in a 30 limit, before braking and lurching over a speed hump. May have a diplomatic immunity. Audis, doncha love em!

The word "Womble" springs to mind 

Plenty of them about these days, unfortunately.......

[BJM]

3 hours ago, Stonker said:

The word "Womble" springs to mind 

Plenty of them about these days, unfortunately.......

 

Why “Womble”.

 

They are the guys in yellow and black Battenburgs who drive down motorways at 48 mph.

[Ootohere]

There is a guy that did John o' Groats to Land's End in 9 hours & 36 minutes in an Audi at an average 90 mph & made it public. 

Watching for just what happens, he seemingly managed to only get one speeding ticket.

http://dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/idiotic-driver-slammed-after-smashing-12613135 

 

 

'Idiotic' driver slammed after smashing record from John O'Groats to Land's End with average speed of 90mph - Daily Record.mhtml

Edited 15 June, 2018 by Offski

[Stonker]

6 hours ago, BJM said:

 

Why “Womble”.

 

They are the guys in yellow and black Battenburgs who drive down motorways at 48 mph.

It a non term of endearment towards the FAD's and other non specific tools on the highway.

 

Normally used when the g/f and her little one are in the car.

 

Black and yellow battenburg, I guess that's the highway agency peep's?

[mrgf]

Brake pads will wear out discs quicker now as they are more powerful then on older vehicles. The stopping distances have shrunk quite a bit, compared to when they were measured "Supposedly" In a Hillman Hunter, back in the day. (Front discs, rear shoes). The pad material has become better, often sintered with metal, etc to produce more friction, to stop the car quicker. More friction = more disc wear. Possibly discs are made of lighter steel, too, rather then solid, industrial grade weighty stuff. This will offer lower unsprung weight to aid slowing but again, increase the wear rate. I have also read, despite what you might think, modern cars are heavier then their older counterparts, due to so many extra items, such as ABS, power steering and a host of other electrical gubbins, catalytic converters, etc. This means more braking force needed to stop them. Nothing is for free!

[KevC_Derby]

15 minutes ago, mrgf said:

Brake pads will wear out discs quicker now as they are more powerful then on older vehicles. The stopping distances have shrunk quite a bit, compared to when they were measured "Supposedly" In a Hillman Hunter, back in the day. (Front discs, rear shoes). The pad material has become better, often sintered with metal, etc to produce more friction, to stop the car quicker. More friction = more disc wear. Possibly discs are made of lighter steel, too, rather then solid, industrial grade weighty stuff. This will offer lower unsprung weight to aid slowing but again, increase the wear rate. I have also read, despite what you might think, modern cars are heavier then their older counterparts, due to so many extra items, such as ABS, power steering and a host of other electrical gubbins, catalytic converters, etc. This means more braking force needed to stop them. Nothing is for free!

 

The increased weight is more due to safety cages, pedestrian impact protection crumple zones etc than any of the other bits you mention but you are right in the general mass increasing.

[Alfashark]

Having had a peek at the pads and running my fingers across the face of the discs on our O3 vRS, the pads are about half worn and with plenty of meat left in them - a faint lip right on the edge of the disc too...  Just ticked over 150,000km.  Gave the local dealer a buzz and they confirmed it had never had pads or discs since new, but every other service and work done was on their records.

 

Our little Mk1 Fabia RS is still on all original pads and discs at the same mileage as the O3, although the rear pads will probably need to be sent off to greener pastures shortly.

Edited 22 June, 2018 by Alfashark

[ords]

On 6/13/2018 at 14:48, retiredbri said:

Hi all, 

Just had a service on Sep 2014 Octavia III 1.4TSI DSG wirh 55,000 miles on the clock.  The report shows 40% wear on the fronts and 50% wear on the rear. I couldn't remember ever having them changed and the Skoda Service record confirms this. Two of the mechanics didn't believe it and checked. They confirmed that  the service record was right and that the wear was correct. They said they couldn't remember such a high mileage  with such low wear before. 

What are your opinions please?  Has a secret "pad replacer"  been around without me knowing it  and without charging me anything?

 

Regards  retiredbri

I have a 1.6 tdi  dsg & had to have the front pads replaced at 45k  to get it thru the mot. I thought that was a pretty good mileage until i read this thread. I'm 50/50 on town & open road driving, gentle on the brakes & shift to a lower gear a lot for engine braking. I took the mot tester at his word & never saw the pads, so don't know if he was just trying to fail it on something. It was also the the first time I was using this garage, but it does have a good reputation for workmanship. Will see how long the new set last.

[shyVRS245]

On ‎13‎/‎06‎/‎2018 at 14:48, retiredbri said:

Hi all, 

Just had a service on Sep 2014 Octavia III 1.4TSI DSG wirh 55,000 miles on the clock.  The report shows 40% wear on the fronts and 50% wear on the rear. I couldn't remember ever having them changed and the Skoda Service record confirms this. Two of the mechanics didn't believe it and checked. They confirmed that  the service record was right and that the wear was correct. They said they couldn't remember such a high mileage  with such low wear before. 

What are your opinions please?  Has a secret "pad replacer"  been around without me knowing it  and without charging me anything?

 

Regards  retiredbri

I have never had new brake pads fitted on a Skoda having said that the longest time and mileage I have owned one is 4 years and 33,000 miles (2010 Fabia Estate 1.6Tdi).