Recommended front brake pads?

[robdav]

Hi all,

Dealer noticed my front pads are 85% worn (after 2 years / 20,000 miles) and wanted £235 to replace them. I'm happy to do that myself and was wondering if anyone can recommend a decent set of pads?

TIA

Rob

[Breezy_Pete]

Have you looked at them yourself? 

Sure they are not actually 85% remaining?

[robdav]

@Wino - not yet, came in from picking up the car to jumping on conference calls. I'll check them later. Good thought though, why should I take their word for it huh?

[Breezy_Pete]

17 minutes ago, robdav said:

why should I take their word for it huh?

Good question. It's very much in their interests to be ambiguous about which they mean.

 

One of my neighbours recently asked me to check out a similar report on his front brakes. Garage said the discs were both (just) below minimum thickness, which they quoted as Xmm.

Only thing is, everywhere you looked online for that size disc, the minimum thickness was given as 1mm less than X... So no action required for a year or two, probably, maybe more. 

 

Edited 21 July, 2020 by Wino
wrote more, meant less

[robdav]

@wino - why doesn't this surprise me? this is why I wouldn't take my car to a tyre company to ask them if my tyres need replacing!

[mrgf]

On CP4LESS, Brembo pads for the Kodiaq are listed at the upper £70's mark and with the discount code, early £60's. That was the higher priced pads, BTW,

Assuming you have the ability (You say you can do them), That £235 will buy the pads, new discs (On some models)  a trolley jack, axle stands, a rewind tool for the calipers, wheel chocs, and a few beers after completing the task!

[robdav]

thanks @mrgf much appreciated! I'll go have a look. 

 

[fuzzz]

I had troubles with brakes...metal to metal and awful grinding noise. Dealer replaced rear brake pads and disks....370euros. Thougjt it good be good idea to change front disks and pads aswell...bit 600euros for front pads and disks are insane. Almost 1000euros for SKODA... f.u.c.k. that. My friend changed 2018 600SL mercedes pads and ventilated disks...cost 1050euros....wtf the skoda thinking...producing bull**** and cheap cars but repair costs like you have BMW or MERCEDES. This is not logical

[robdav]

to be fair to Skoda they, like many other dealerships, are there to make money. They need to cover their costs including the price of labour and parts as well as paying staff, rent, heating and lighting and many other expenses. You will still pay over the odds at a dealership be it BMW, Ford, Skoda, or Kia but unless everyone starts to push back and not pay their prices they will continue to charge high prices. 

I'm happy that I am able to undertake such things as changing break pads and can therefore avoid paying the dealer but I appreciate that not everyone can do, or are willing to use an indy which typically would charge less. 

oh and before I forget they wanted to charge me £14 for 1 litre of Adblue (I have loads at home and still have 1100 miles before it needs topping up) and £183 for a replacement tyre which when pushed told me it could be repaired for £25. 

so all in all and not counting the free service I had the trip today could have cost me close to £500.

[silver1011]

If your front brake pads are 85% worn after 20,000 miles then either you're really hard on the brakes or there is a fault somewhere.

[robdav]

So just to bring this topic full circle.... 

I dropped the car off at a local Indy in Reading about an hour ago to have them replace the pads. I don't have time at the moment to do them myself. I asked them to check if they needed doing as i was not confident in the statement from the dealer.

 

I just got a call from the Indy... pads are only 50% worn and do not need replacing. 50% over 20,000 miles is reasonable and not unexpected but 85% as sliver said would have indicated erratic driving or a fault which isn't the case. So on the back of this I will collect me car and then go round to skoda and provide them with some feedback. 

 

 

[Breezy_Pete]

2 minutes ago, robdav said:

provide them with some feedback. 

 

Any chance you could video this? 😁

[robdav]

@Wino - lol... yeah maybe. My wife is coming with me. She, at times, can make hulk look like a pussy cat!!

[Ootohere]

@robdav

You were not pushing back and causing Skoda Dealerships to have to raise prices, you did what many need to do because people trust their lives and others to Honesty from Main Dealerships & sadly that is often just not there, instead it is up-selling.

 

 

Re that price they (who was that, a service desk receptionist?) said they wanted for 1 litre of Adblue @ £14 when they put it in.

I am giving them the benefit of doubt that the person that told you that was thinking it could cost that to fill it up.

 

Skoda Fixed Pricing Servicing / Maintenance has it at £1.50 a litre at participating dealerships.

 

Edited 28 July, 2020 by Roottoot