Have just been online looking at front brake pads for my 2015 Skoda Octavia Scout.  There's quite a bit of choice and quite a difference in prices.  Can anyone make a recommendation? Taking the car to Kwikfit, Halfords, Protyre I've found they are not particularly transparent about what brand of parts they'll use.  A mate has a garage who'll happily stick on what I bring along.

I replaced the rear pads on mine last year and got them from the Skoda dealer.

They aren’t that much more expensive and you get the right ones, and new bolts for the calliper sliders.

I like Brembo, thats what I used on my 2015 Scout. 

 

Not cheap but they are good and I see that Euro have a discount on at the minute (according to the email I got this morning 45% of pads, discs, etc) although it says not performance parts so you'd need to have a look yourself.

thank you ScoutCJB - I just asked a Skoda Garage and they retail at £ 89.34 in VAT - which seems pretty steep to me.  I don't suppose you still have a receipt for you Brembo pads with the part number do you?

 

 

6 hours ago, Wildman said:

Can anyone make a recommendation?

 

ATE standard road pads for me, use them on everything. They have a range of a dozen or so compounds they use as best fit for the particular car not a one size fits all like many pads. I find they just work.

 

Standard Bembo disks or failing that ATE disks to go with them.

Thank you flybynite.  One garage, (in the South West not far out of London), have quoted £100 including the new pads which he said would be Pagid.  I've seen them during my on-line searches but when I put in my Reg they don't seem to come up.  Apologies for my lack of knowledge, but I just wondered if I found out the part number from Skoda, does that then correspond to part numbers of other brands as well.  Or is a part number only specific to each brand. 

Either Pagid or Brembo for aftermarket. Dont buy cheap as most cheap pads give cheap performance. I would google a VAG specialist in your area that uses genuine parts and you will find them to be a lot cheaper fitted than a main dealer.

Edited 15 October, 20205 yr by Ecomatt

19 hours ago, Wildman said:

thank you ScoutCJB - I just asked a Skoda Garage and they retail at £ 89.34 in VAT - which seems pretty steep to me.  I don't suppose you still have a receipt for you Brembo pads with the part number do you?

 

 

 

Ive got a pic of the Discs and pads in box but cant see the part number & the receipt went with the car when I sold it.  Ive just been on Euro using the original number plate and it comes back with 2 options

 

Brembo Brake Pad Front - 10144419A  £82.99 (Teves brakes, 1ZF, Disc 276)

Brembo Brake Pad Front - 10144210A  £78.99 (TRW brakes, 1ZA-1ZB-1ZE, Disc 288mm, 312mm)

 

I've just jumped on MTEC site as thats where i got the discs and it shows 2 fronts (276mm & 312mm) and only 272mm for rear.  In my pic the fronts are bigger than rear so I would think they were 312mm.

Do you have an options sticker in boot?  It may show what code the brakes are on that (i know it does on my A6).

 

The Euro discount has another 5 days on it.

 

Thank you again.  Have the sticker in Boot so will take a look.  All advice massively appreciated.

 

I had the brakes done a couple of hours ago.  As I was driving away in slow traffic I noticed that every time I pressed the brake peddle there was a click on the back left of the car.  I drove it back and the guys who correctly found the noise was coming from the Relay located in the top panel in the boot.  They said it couldn't have anything whatsoever to do with them as they'd only changed the front brake pads.  I had to go and collect my son from the train station so left it at that.  Brake lights work fine.  Is it just a complete coincidence that the noise started after they changed my front brake pads?  What causes a relay to click like this?  The click sounds just like an indicator click which is annoying in slow traffic!  Any ideas - I'm flummoxed!

So deffo a relay, is it one click or constant clicking. Does it look factory or aftermarket relay for a towbar etc.  Have you found its motion related - if you press brake pedal when stationary do you hear the click.

Only thing i can think of thats electrical to that area is the pad wear sensor & wheel speed sensor.

 

What Pads did you have fitted in the end?

Yes that's exactly it - i.e.  it's motion related.  The single click is in time with me pressing the break peddle wether moving or stationary.  1 click per press of the brake not a continuous clicking.  I haven't looked at the relay but I did have a tow bar fitted about a year or so ago.  You mention the pad wear sensor.  When they fitted the new pads yesterday for the front brakes only, could the sensor for the front brake pads affect the relay located at the rear? (The relay is located on the off-side at the top side of the boot).

 

I had Pagid pads fitted in the end, they're not the very best but I think are pretty decent.

So it sounds like its in time with the brake lights coming on then. 

 

I mentioned the pad wear sensor as thats the only thing in that area electrical that they would have touched - I think the pad wear sensor is built in from memory so when they fit the new pads they just connect the new sensor plug on to your existing loom.  Cant think how that would be related to a relay in the rear though but keep it on the radar.  

 

When fitting towbars people either use dedicated electrics (more expensive) that need to be run to the front of the car (as i did with my Oct 2 Scout) or a generic kit that tap into the wires in the boot.  Have you got any pics of the relay and associated wiring - does it look factory?

 

You could try a multimeter and tap onto the wire and see if its live or goes live when pressing brake, that may give some clues.

Thank you for all this.  I'm just wondering if I shouldn't take it straight back to the guys who fitted the front brake pads?  (i.e. before taking a look myself).  There was no click before I took it in and then literally as I drove out of the yard, the first time I hit the brake (going less then 3mph) "click"!  Actually it goes "click" as you press down then "click" as you release.  So it's a double click.  i.e. one click as you press the peddle down, then a second click as you release the peddle - "Click -Click".  Surely it must be related to the sensor, it's too much of a co-incidence?

 

 

 

The brake pad wear sensor connects to the instrument cluster. It's just a loop of wire inside the brake pad material that will eventually get worn away breaking the circuit, there are no relays etc involved. I really can't see how it could be causing the sound described even if the connecting wire is flapping around.

 

Not all brake pads are quite the same size so if they are smaller, they could cause a slight click if they are slightly too small although that should definitely be coming from the front end not the back.

 

 

Are the towbar electronics aftermarket? That could have a relay fitted but I'd expect the factory kit to be solid state with no moving parts. Saying that, changing the brake pads should make no difference to the towbar kit.

 

Might be worth having a passenger try a few seats while you drive to confirm exactly where the noise is coming as they can be deceptive

It does seem very odd.  Maybe it is just a weird coincidence.  Below is a link to a little film which my 13 year son just helped me make to show the noise and location of the noise.  When it clicks I'm pressing and releasing the peddle. Forgetting the fact that I had the front brake pads changed, if this just started occurring, would you say that it's most likely connected to the after market electronics from the towbar?  I can chat to the guys who did the towbar - he's a decent guy who called me back the other day when I couldn't get the towbar to locate properly!

https://we.tl/t-i38WqvapwY

 

 

In my mind, that can only be the aftermarket towbar kit. I wouldn't expect any stock relays in that location as there is no access to replace them without stripping back to the interior.

 

My thoughts are:

- it's always done it but you've not noticed due to things in the boot, tonneau cover, etc muffling the sound

- it's a new issue with the towbar electronics

 

Assuming it's the latter, the towbar electronics might think something is plugged in so is turning on/off the brake light pin on the towbar connector?

 

I'd agree it's worth having a chat with the towbar installer to see if he'd expect to hear it clicking with nothing plugged in

...... yep - I reckon you've probably got that dead right: i.e. that it's a new issue with the towbar electronics.  

 

Just to check, when you say that the towbar electronics "might think something is plugged in"  and this in turn might make it "turn on/off the brake light pin on the towbar connector" can you expand on this - if you have time.  Might this have anything to do with the front brake pad sensor?

 

Have just emailed the guys who did the towbar and will call them so it's great to have some ideas/thoughts about it.  Thank you again.

Sorry, I can't get away from the fact that this happened just after the brake pads were done on Friday and not before - even though I understand the sensor is a loop of wire that gets worn as the brakes get worn and simply connects to existing loom.  The clicking noise is quite loud and I would definitely have noticed it; I get irritated by the slightest buzz from the dashboard, so I'm more than sure this clicking wasn't around before I took the car in on Friday.

17 minutes ago, Wildman said:

Just to check, when you say that the towbar electronics "might think something is plugged in"  and this in turn might make it "turn on/off the brake light pin on the towbar connector" can you expand on this - if you have time.

 

The towbar module is connected directly to the 7 or 13 pin towbar socket. It's job is to figure out which rear lights are on (indicators, tail, brake etc) and then power the relevant pins on the towbar socket so same lights are shown on the light board/trailer/caravan etc.

 

A factory module would typically use silent solid state electronics but aftermarket kits can still use mechanical relays. I believe it's the relay inside the towbar module you can hear clicking as the brake lights turn on and off.

 

The question is, how clever is the module? Does it:

- always turn the towbar socket brake lights on/off

- only turn the towbar socket brake lights on/off when something is connected to the towbar socket

 

If it's the former, it should always have clicked unless the relay has gotten louder/noisier for some reason.

If it's the latter, then something may be causing the towbar module to think something is connected to the towbar socket and activate the brake lights.

 

You can also try putting the indicators on to see if it makes the same noise

 

Thank you.  I'll go and have a look now.  I'll also check the socket to see if there's anything untoward going on.  Again, I think you might well be correct in what you're saying.  I.e. the towbar module thinks something is connected to the towbar socket.  I've only connected the socket a handful of times when towing a trailer and cannot remember if,  when braking, it creates this same clicking noise.   I have a feeling there's some sort of noise when you indicate though (i.e. indicate when the socket is connected (when towing a tailer).  My 13 year old thinks it's that same loud clicking sound.....  

Just checked.  Yep when you flick indicators on it makes the same clicking from the same area.  Obviously this clicking is in time with the indicators.  I wouldn't have been able to hear this when driving as you it's in time with the normal indicator sound you hear when sitting in the driving seat.   In other words it's quite difficult to tell if this indicator click from the same area has always happened or just started to happen along with the new click for the brake peddle.  Just a note: you only have to very slight press and depress the peddle to make it click.

Just one other thought - maybe a stupid one!  I use a powerhose to clean my car.  Just before taking the car to have the brakes done, I hosed the car and always hose under the bumpers and around the wheel arches.  Could there I have created a trip in the socket with water getting in?  That said I didn't notice the clicking on the drive to the garage but of course I can't be 100% sure.

It's certainly plausible there is some crud or water in the towbar socket. Take a look for anything obvious and maybe try plugging/unplugging something a few times to see if it helps.

 

If not, I'd give your towbar chap a ring and see if he expects the relays to click when nothing is attached

thanks again.  i'm waiting for him to call me so I'll let you know.