hi guys...iv'e been told that my 2008 ford fiesta titanium needs new front discs and pads. the milage is 14,900. i don't think the car should need these at that low milage. any thoughts.....
mickcoulson
mickcoulson
disks and pads
- Thread starter mickcoulson
- Start date
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Depends on how it's been driven.
The pads could easily have gone in under 15K if the brakes have been heavily used - lots of stop start driving in traffic for example.
And the discs could be scored if the pads wore out a little while ago and their metal backing has been grinding away at the discs.
The pads could easily have gone in under 15K if the brakes have been heavily used - lots of stop start driving in traffic for example.
And the discs could be scored if the pads wore out a little while ago and their metal backing has been grinding away at the discs.
At that mileage Mick there's no way the pads would be worn out, but there is a good chance that the discs have got a good rust covering on them, which is causing the concern - especially if the car has been standing around a bit.
I have to say, the discs can't be successfully cleaned up, and you wouldn't use old pads with new discs!
John
I have to say, the discs can't be successfully cleaned up, and you wouldn't use old pads with new discs!
John
thanks john, but the car gets used every day, i was there when the guy said it needed new pads, but from what i saw the pads looked to be at least 1/4 inch thick ( i'm a feet and inches bloke ) mickAt that mileage Mick there's no way the pads would be worn out, but there is a good chance that the discs have got a good rust covering on them, which is causing the concern - especially if the car has been standing around a bit.
I have to say, the discs can't be successfully cleaned up, and you wouldn't use old pads with new discs!
John
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Certainly, Inky is correct -we don't know how the car has been driven but at 15k miles the brakes would have to be used nearly constantly!
No matter. Its the thickness of the friction material thats left on the pads thats important - the steel backing plate will be around 5mm thick I guess and the friction material, when new, would add another 12mm or so.
Looking carefully you should be able to see whats left but its a lot easier with the wheel off!
John
No matter. Its the thickness of the friction material thats left on the pads thats important - the steel backing plate will be around 5mm thick I guess and the friction material, when new, would add another 12mm or so.
Looking carefully you should be able to see whats left but its a lot easier with the wheel off!
John
I think the OP would be quite within his rights to ask why.
As has been said, you'd have to try pretty damned hard to wear out a set of pads in 15,000 miles. besides, a lot of cars these days have pad wear warning lights on the dash. Does the OP's car have those? If they're not on, it would indicate that they're not excessively worn.
It's possible that a caliper has seized, resulting in only one pad doing all the work. This might have allowed one face of the disc to rust - so it might need new discs and pads. It's possible, but unlikely. Other causes might be damaged or overheated discs, but the car would have to have been used extremely hard for that!
As has been said, you'd have to try pretty damned hard to wear out a set of pads in 15,000 miles. besides, a lot of cars these days have pad wear warning lights on the dash. Does the OP's car have those? If they're not on, it would indicate that they're not excessively worn.
It's possible that a caliper has seized, resulting in only one pad doing all the work. This might have allowed one face of the disc to rust - so it might need new discs and pads. It's possible, but unlikely. Other causes might be damaged or overheated discs, but the car would have to have been used extremely hard for that!
I wouldn't rely on the pad wear warning light if I were you. I've seen cars where they've been left off when the pads were changed. On my old BX the warning light came on once then stopped working as the end of the sensor got ground off.
I was shocked looking at the front discs on the 97 Micra when it had its first new tyre. Thats a clue that its been carefully driven for its 17,000 miles!
The pads were only about half worn but the disc has about 1.5 mm wear on each side.
Thats about the same amount of wear I find on my cars when they have done about 100k !
Does Nissan use particularly soft steel on their discs?
To follow the tight service tolerances that manufacturers advise the discs were probably already due to be changed! At 17k miles!
Tony
The pads were only about half worn but the disc has about 1.5 mm wear on each side.
Thats about the same amount of wear I find on my cars when they have done about 100k !
Does Nissan use particularly soft steel on their discs?
To follow the tight service tolerances that manufacturers advise the discs were probably already due to be changed! At 17k miles!
Tony
Although the density of pads and discs must vary to some degree, the fact that we now have to use asbestos free pads is a great contributor to disc wear. The good side is that new ones are cheap as chips anyway so long as you steer away from the main dealer network. Nissan are no different from any other manufacturer here.
Have a look at the deposits on your wheels when you wash the car - as well as the usual pad dust you'll find tiny rust particles that come from the discs. Its also these that happily stick into your paintwork!
John
Have a look at the deposits on your wheels when you wash the car - as well as the usual pad dust you'll find tiny rust particles that come from the discs. Its also these that happily stick into your paintwork!
John
Burnerman";p="1993115 said:Although the density of pads and discs must vary to some degree, the fact that we now have to use asbestos free pads is a great contributor to disc wear. The good side is that new ones are cheap as chips anyway so long as you steer away from the main dealer network. Nissan are no different from any other manufacturer here.
Have a look at the deposits on your wheels when you wash the car - as well as the usual pad dust you'll find tiny rust particles that come from the discs. Its also these that happily stick into your paintwork!
John
iv'e noticed john when i wash the car the front alloys are nearly black
mick
Yes, pads have got a great deal harder in the last 20 years or so. They're now of similar hardness to the cast iron discs. It's not uncommon to have to replace discs and pads at the same time nowadays. They also make the discs so thin that it's usually not worth putting them in a lathe and skimming them any more either. That said, at least your brakes still work after going through a flood!
I worry about some of the cheaper replacement discs too. They can be incredibly cheap but I once had one crack on my wife's Xantia. Not a catastrophic failure, but a bit worrying nonetheless! I now tend to only go for branded braking components. No necessarily OE, but if there's no manufacturer's name and batch numbering (or something that looks like a batch number), I tend to walk away. If a company can't implement basic traceability, the rest of their quality control is unlikely to be up to much anyway, I think.
I worry about some of the cheaper replacement discs too. They can be incredibly cheap but I once had one crack on my wife's Xantia. Not a catastrophic failure, but a bit worrying nonetheless! I now tend to only go for branded braking components. No necessarily OE, but if there's no manufacturer's name and batch numbering (or something that looks like a batch number), I tend to walk away. If a company can't implement basic traceability, the rest of their quality control is unlikely to be up to much anyway, I think.
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