car dealer refused to help
Discussion
TooMany2cvs said:
I'm somewhere in the middle. There's no way the life of a set of rear pads is as short as 10k. They were clearly monumentally thin at this "service", and simply weren't checked. Urine is being extracted by somebody somewhere.
If the vehicle has been offroaded in mud - especially pay & play type days - due to the extra abrasion of the mud it can be considerably less than that! Doesn't do the discs much good either.andburg said:
Please see all responses above.
The squeeling suggest its time for replacement so there may still be a lot friction material left, it does not suggest the pads are now completely worn to the metal. Some pads are designed to do this, an may only have been 50% worn at the time of purchase. Add on the fact that the dealer did not do the MOT/service himself so is not responsible for what is or is not written on the MOT certificate and it becomes even more apparent.
Please see and read the OP's post and then feel free to change yours The squeeling suggest its time for replacement so there may still be a lot friction material left, it does not suggest the pads are now completely worn to the metal. Some pads are designed to do this, an may only have been 50% worn at the time of purchase. Add on the fact that the dealer did not do the MOT/service himself so is not responsible for what is or is not written on the MOT certificate and it becomes even more apparent.
andburg said:
Please see all responses above.
The squeeling suggest its time for replacement so there may still be a lot friction material left, it does not suggest the pads are now completely worn to the metal. Some pads are designed to do this, an may only have been 50% worn at the time of purchase. Add on the fact that the dealer did not do the MOT/service himself so is not responsible for what is or is not written on the MOT certificate and it becomes even more apparent.
The OP does state that a garage he uses took the pads out and found:The squeeling suggest its time for replacement so there may still be a lot friction material left, it does not suggest the pads are now completely worn to the metal. Some pads are designed to do this, an may only have been 50% worn at the time of purchase. Add on the fact that the dealer did not do the MOT/service himself so is not responsible for what is or is not written on the MOT certificate and it becomes even more apparent.
cjb44 said:
....one pad had no material at all and was bright where it had rubbed on the disc, the other three pads had a maximum of 1/32" of materail......
First off I'm not sure what materail is, especially when it comes to brake pads.
More worryingly though is the fact that the garage apparently were not concerned to find only four brake pads on a car that should have a total of eight! - Now that's a bit scary!
On a more serious note, this part is a little bit worrying, coming from a garage:
cjb44 said:
.......they also confirmed that in their opinion pads should last longer than the dealer had said and indeed it should have been picked up on the MOT.
They obviously know very little about the MOT test then!All the MOT test checks when it comes to the brakes (From: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/car-par... ) :
2.11 Brakes
These will be inspected to check:
1) Their condition, including inappropriate repairs or modifications
2) Their operation and performance (the efficiency test) - the wheels and trims aren’t removed as part of the test
3) The anti-lock braking system (ABS) and electronic stability control (ESC) (where fitted)
The MILs or dashboard warning lights will also be checked for the ABS, ESC, electronic park brake and brake fluid warning lights.
So the wheels are not removed and the thickness of the pads is not checked for the MOT.
(As others have mentioned, a decent service of the car should include checking the all the brakes and pads, but how many dealers who "service" cars before selling them carry out a proper service? - Especially if they have their own mechanic working for them?)
The OP states he has been around cars for 50 years as if that makes him some sort of expert on them, and yet doesn't seem to understand that brake pads are a wear and tear item, and that there is no guarantee on a second hand car how many miles it's been since the pads have been replaced, or that the pad thickness's are not checked on the MOT.
As others have said, for the sake of £70, is it really worth all this fuss? - I don't think so somehow!
fourfoldroot said:
My wife's fiat panda has just had new front pads. I bought it three years ago fully motd and serviced. It's only done three thousand miles since then. Same mileage, different time span. Should I complain. Nope.
You should complain to your wife and make her change them.This could have consequences of course.
The testers manual states-
Reason for rejection: A brake lining or pad insecure or less than 1.5 mm thick at any point
However, there is no VOSA approved and calibrated device with which to measure said pad and in 99% of cases you can't even see a rear pad. For a tester to fail a brake pad it would have to be literally metal to metal
Reason for rejection: A brake lining or pad insecure or less than 1.5 mm thick at any point
However, there is no VOSA approved and calibrated device with which to measure said pad and in 99% of cases you can't even see a rear pad. For a tester to fail a brake pad it would have to be literally metal to metal
OP, if I'd had a proper service done (at a garage I trust) then I'd be quite cross if they didn't warn me the pads were thin. On a used car "service" however I'd consider myself lucky if they even changed the oil filter and therefore, whilst disappointed, I don't think I'd be shocked if the car turned out to need brake pads 3,000 miles later.
So, whilst frustrating, I don't think I would DARE ask the dealer for a contribution to the new pads, in fact I'd be embarrassed.
On a side note, and I'm not suggesting OP is in this camp, a mate has a used car forecourt and had a customer who bought a 12 year old Galaxy, they brought it back a month or two later as the exhaust came loose due to a failed bracket. He fixed it but asked that she bought the new bracket, so total cost to her was about £40 (personally I don't think it's unreasonable to ask for a contribution to a 12 year old bracket that failed due to corrosion).
All was well for the next 9 months, until she sent a complaint and left a s
tty review on Google that the tyres had worn out on the edges and it must be due to his lack of carrying out a four wheel alignment as part of his PDI, and therefore he should be buying her some new tyres. I st you not.
So, whilst frustrating, I don't think I would DARE ask the dealer for a contribution to the new pads, in fact I'd be embarrassed.
On a side note, and I'm not suggesting OP is in this camp, a mate has a used car forecourt and had a customer who bought a 12 year old Galaxy, they brought it back a month or two later as the exhaust came loose due to a failed bracket. He fixed it but asked that she bought the new bracket, so total cost to her was about £40 (personally I don't think it's unreasonable to ask for a contribution to a 12 year old bracket that failed due to corrosion).
All was well for the next 9 months, until she sent a complaint and left a s
tty review on Google that the tyres had worn out on the edges and it must be due to his lack of carrying out a four wheel alignment as part of his PDI, and therefore he should be buying her some new tyres. I st you not.
The choices when buying from dealers are like this ,
Well known and recommended dealer ,specialist in the type of vehicle you are looking for ,the type of business that wants you and your family to buy many vehicles from them over the next 30 years .
They will have a proper workshop with good quality staff trained to main dealer standards ,they will give a detailed condition report on all aspects of the car.
They will welcome independent inspections .
Second hand Traders.
Just a showroom /yard selling cars .
All repairs/services done by a back street garage ,a service will be an oil change and if lucky air oil and fuel filters .
Any warranty given will be via the cheapest option available, any problems after purchase will be referred to the warranty company .
The first option will be very marginally more expensive than the second .
Which too choose?
Or go to a main stealer ,they do vary in quality and can be a bit of a faceless pass the buck merry go round .
But it sounds like the OP bought a car for a substantial amount of money without getting it inspected. TUT TUT.
All this agro for a set of pads !
Well known and recommended dealer ,specialist in the type of vehicle you are looking for ,the type of business that wants you and your family to buy many vehicles from them over the next 30 years .
They will have a proper workshop with good quality staff trained to main dealer standards ,they will give a detailed condition report on all aspects of the car.
They will welcome independent inspections .
Second hand Traders.
Just a showroom /yard selling cars .
All repairs/services done by a back street garage ,a service will be an oil change and if lucky air oil and fuel filters .
Any warranty given will be via the cheapest option available, any problems after purchase will be referred to the warranty company .
The first option will be very marginally more expensive than the second .
Which too choose?
Or go to a main stealer ,they do vary in quality and can be a bit of a faceless pass the buck merry go round .
But it sounds like the OP bought a car for a substantial amount of money without getting it inspected. TUT TUT.
All this agro for a set of pads !
Gassing Station | Speed, Plod & the Law | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff