Hi everyone.

First post, so be gentle!

I've got a Fabia vRS, at its 30K service the dealership commented on the discs were rusting and would need replacing at next service.

Reached that milestone and its off in next week, has anyone else found their discs rusting and need replacing, if so, how many miles had you done? Are there any tips for stopping them rusting or is it one of those things?

I'm guessing it will need new pads too?

Any idea on how much this all going to cost?

Just want to make sure that they don't see a "girlie" and think they can pull the wool over my eyes.

Thanks for your help!

There is no need to replace discs if they are rusty....

The only time to replace them is if they are cracked or if they have worn below a certain thickness.

Tip to clear the rust find noone behind you on the road and at 20mph brake hard - or say your doing 60mph foot off the throttle and press the brake pedal a touch so you can feel it braking slowly this will polish them up a treat.

Pads may or may not need changing at 30k its dependant on use.

My pads have lasted 60k and still have well over 50% of the original friction material.

Note changing discs & pads all round is going to cost you a fair bit maybe £300-400+

On my MR2 the vents in the discs are what rusted and why it failed an MOT. The general look of the Discs were good.

Could they be on about this ?????

EDIT: Oh! The previous owner kept it in a lock up for 12 months prior to this. I think thats what caused them to rust so much.

hi mine faild first m o t due to seized rear calipers

On my MR2 the vents in the discs are what rusted and why it failed an MOT. The general look of the Discs were good.

Could they be on about this ?????

EDIT: Oh! The previous owner kept it in a lock up for 12 months prior to this. I think thats what caused them to rust so much.

The cure to this is to use a hammer (not too hard as its cast iron & you could use a rubber hammer) take off the wheel then hammer all the way round on the circumference this will dislodge all the rust then finish it off with a wire brush.

Simple to do no need to take the discs or calipers off, only skill needed is to be able to change a wheel & use a hammer.

What we used to do in the garage was have the car up on axle stands then put the car into 2nd gear with the wheels off so the discs are spinning round next and then use a grinete on the front two discs. We would also do this to the edges of discs where they were pretty worn but still have a good 15k left in them. Dead cheap to the customer quick to do and environmentally friendly due to the fact your using the part until it is properly worn out.

The cure to this is to use a hammer (not too hard as its cast iron & you could use a rubber hammer) take off the wheel then hammer all the way round on the circumference this will dislodge all the rust then finish it off with a wire brush.

Simple to do no need to take the discs or calipers off, only skill needed is to be able to change a wheel & use a hammer.

What we used to do in the garage was have the car up on axle stands then put the car into 2nd gear with the wheels off so the discs are spinning round next and then use a grinete on the front two discs. We would also do this to the edges of discs where they were pretty worn but still have a good 15k left in them. Dead cheap to the customer quick to do and environmentally friendly due to the fact your using the part until it is properly worn out.

I changed my rears on my vRS the weekend and i used one as a frisbi, as it landed a brown cloud appeared above it.

I picked up the disc and loads of rust had come off, it looked 100% better after.

*Please do not try this if you are putting them back on the car*

Thanks for the responses.

I've had a look at them, and it looks like they are disintegrating at the edges of the discs especially on the back ones, the front ones look ok. Could it be rust falling off, or the actual disc cracking??

So, if a bit of rust is nothing to worry about, at worst the back ones will need replacing??

At the last service, I was told they "cleaned them up as best they could" but they would need replacing.

I hope they don't think cos I'm a girlie they can do what they want and I'll fall for it!

Well the cracks are accross the face of the disc (shiney part). Provided they provide the correct braking efficiency then just run them as they are it will not fail the MOT due to a bit of rust on the rim of the discs.

Buy a wire brush (£1 from B&Q) take the wheels off and just rub all the way round spend 10-15 mins per back wheel and thats it.

Dont wasts your money getting the rears replaced have a nice week away in the sun instead.

Note as you state rears I have never worn out rears they (car dependant) do barely any of the braking maybe up to 15-20% at a push.

Can't comment on the rust, as my car gets used all day every day...

but front:

new pads at 33k, original discs lasted to 65k where they were changed with another set of pads... so the discs did two sets of pads and 65k, the pads 33k a set

rear:

original discs still on at 67k, on my second set of pads, both will need replacing at 70k.

one of the reasons my mazda failed an mot was rusted rear discs and the rust causing insufficient braking action.

so a car can fail an mot due to rusty discs.

they were quite rusty though, so rusty in fact they were pitted.

Even if its pitted it makes no difference provided the efficiency is correct.

you must clean them up though.

Update: rather than risk the dealership say something needs replacing when it doesn't.........I took it for an independent view this afternoon.

Discs do need replacing as worn below a certain limit, so looks like new discs, pads, and service, ouch!

Thanks for the replies but I've noticed Sharkrider still has his discs on at 65K, mine are gone at 40K!! Are the discs going to be covered by warranty as surely they should have lasted longer than this??

If not covered could I persuade them to split the cost as I've had other cars and never had to replace the discs at 40K!

Not a happy bunny :-(

Are the discs going to be covered by warranty as surely they should have lasted longer than this??

They're a wear item, and the way the car is used can have a significant effect on how quickly they wear or rust. So I'd say no, IMHO.

If not covered could I persuade them to split the cost as I've had other cars and never had to replace the discs at 40K!

How nicely are you prepared to smile at them? Worth a try as you have nothing to lose.

Clearing up the MOT side of things you can only fail the discs if you think they are excessively scored/pitted or worn;) Severe rusting may however cause the brake effiecency to be down on the rolling road in which case they would fail ...But you CANNOT fail the MOT for having RUST/CORROSION on your discs

HTH

Phil

replaced rears at 7000 miles due to rust which had caused deep grooves i think fronts OK all under warranty

replaced rears at 7000 miles due to rust which had caused deep grooves i think fronts OK all under warranty

So you had them replaced under warranty?

mmm i replaced my front and rear pads with mintex fro under 40 quid. but mines is a octavia 53 plate L & K

Had my fronts changed under warranty on my first Fabia due to corrosion. I told

the dealer that I had poor brakes and they fitted new discs.

i have the same problem with corrosion on disks, took it in to get looked at and was told it is a 'natural' noise..

..sounds a bit grindy if i haven't used the car in a while, but once i start breaking the noise goes away.

if i could get mine changed under warranty then i would.

Matt

The rear discs on my 2003 Elegance estate (130bhp) were badly corroded at 32,000 miles. Just replaced 'em (and pads) this afternoon. Full set of discs and pads for under

Note changing discs & pads all round is going to cost you a fair bit maybe

I had to have mine replace all round at 40K.

Infrequent use of the car, or being parked up for long periods can contribute to discs rusting. My old Citroen Xsara's rear discs were totally u/s when it was just 18 months old, I was a trucker at the time, and left it for a week at a time parked in a yard.

Fabia ones are ok, as i use it hard all the time. In fact just replaced the rear pads at 40k.