Brake pad wear - dodgy "mate" content

[numtumfutunch]

OK so a pal runs a local garage down the road
He's someone I see often but more of an LDV vans trophy mate than a champions league or premiership chum
I see him with a group of pals but hes not one of my besties if you see what I mean

Anyway Ive taken our cars to him for MOT's and bits and pieces over the years

9 months ago he MOT'd the family snotter which was around the age it would have needed new pads
He told me he wouldnt pass it - even as a mate!! - until I had the work done, fair enough I told him to do it

3 months after that I had it serviced by another garage who are reputable indies for my car who mentioned that although it had new pads whoever changed them hadnt replaced the wear indicator sensor thingies, bit annoying but no biggie in my opinion, everyone makes mistakes etc etc

So 6 months after this, and 6k miles from when my "mate" told me my pads were an MOT failure Im now getting a warning light telling me they are shot

Obviously Im hacked off that "mate" didnt do the job properly and replace the wear sensor but my main aggravation is that he told me the pads were an MOT failure yet the sensor didnt trigger a warning light for another 6,000 miles

Opinions welcome

[Pesty]

None of that makes sense to me at all.

How is the brake pad wear sensor going off if they are new pads (6k)


The wear indicators actuate when the pads get very low. They are usually built into the pads but not always.


Unless your car has a very unusual system I haven't seen before.

Edited by Pesty on Friday 29th November 22:59

[road_rager]

As long as the wear indicator wasnt set off no need to replace

[zeduffman]

I think you need to spend less time deciding what level of friendship you're at with this guy.

Unless you're desperate for something more, and expecting him to do you a favour is your way of testing the water.

[VinceFox]

You paid someone to change your brake pads?

[Rubin215]

So he replaced the pads but didn't connect the wear sensor; big deal, a lot of people would rather not have it connected so they don't get false warnings.
Now, nine months after he replaced the pads, they are now worn out; big deal, pads wear out with use.

What exactly is the issue here?



Alternatively, did he replace pads all round?

Is it possible that he only replaced on one axle and it is now the other axle that has worn out?

A mate in the garage trade is a handy thing to have...

[DKS]

If they were cheap, nasty pads they may well have worn in 6k miles.
If the wear indicator is a sacrificial one, as long as it's not triggered you don't need a new one.

[littleredrooster]

Erm...not sure you've grasped the way the wear indicators work; they make contact with the disc when the pads are worn, so the light would (may - I'll explain in a moment) indicate that the new pads are shot. They are always relative to the thickness of whatever pads are fitted, so new pads will push them further away from being activated.

It could be, however, that the wire has broken and earthed somewhere causing the light to come on.

[carinaman]

Sticky calipers?

[rallycross]

Put some tape over the brake pad warning light on the dash and ignore it, and next time you see your mate from the mot garage do the same.

[ADEuk]

numtumfutunch said:

9 months ago he MOT'd the family snotter which was around the age it would have needed new pads
He told me he wouldnt pass it - even as a mate!! - until I had the work done, fair enough I told him to do it



Obviously Im hacked off that "mate" didnt do the job properly and replace the wear sensor but my main aggravation is that he told me the pads were an MOT failure yet the sensor didnt trigger a warning light for another 6,000 miles

Opinions welcome

You have worn a new set of pads out in 9 months and 6,000 miles
How is that his fault?

numtumfutunch said:

reputable indies for my car who mentioned that although it had new pads whoever changed them hadnt replaced the wear indicator sensor thingies

Sensors are seperate and if not triggered do not need replacing, thus saving you money

[morgrp]

carinaman said:

Sticky calipers?

I'd be considering this too - most people assume that just because a piston can be pushed back the caliper working fine - not always the case - especially on rear calipers - if they are binding then it will eat the pads fairly quickly

[TheEnd]

Is this on a BMW?

The newer ones have a pad wear sensor, if it hasn't been set off, no need to change it but it usually gets ordered in and done at the same time for the hell of it.


That actually detects if the pads are low, but BMW came up with another idea, which was to guestimate the pad life and tell you to replace them whether they are low or not.
If it's a BMW, then you're at the "hmm, it's been a couple of years, might as well add new pads onto the next service list"

[catman]

Pesty said:

None of that makes sense to me at all.

How is the brake pad wear sensor going off if they are new pads (6k)


The wear indicators actuate when the pads get very low. They are usually built into the pads but not always.


Unless your car has a very unusual system I haven't seen before.

Edited by Pesty on Friday 29th November 22:59

I don't understand your post either. You've said that the wear indicator didn't come on for 6,000 miles, so your mate ripped you off, but had previously said that he'd fitted new pads.

So, you've worn out the new set in 6,000 miles. This could be poor quality pads, sticking calipers, or even your driving. As mentioned by others here, it could be a broken sensor wire.

Tim

[markcoznottz]

'Pal'.

[General Fluff]

I don't get it. I think you're saying that the pads couldn't have been shot at mot time because you didn't get a warning light so he was lieing. None of what you're saying makes sense though.

[Dodsy]

I think i have worked out what the OP means.

Car failed MOT on pads. New pads fitted but wear sensor not connected. Taken to another garage who notice this and reconnect sensor. Brake warning light has now come on after only 6000 miles.

So OP have you had the pads checked to see if its a false reading?
Maybe he fitted some cheap knock offs and the wear detector doesnt work so he left the sensor off for that reason
Or there could be a wiring fault

[General Fluff]

Or the new pads didnt have a sensor so he connected the wires from the old pad and taped it up to stop a warning light. This may have come undone, hence the light coming on.

This is what I did with mine when I bought some track pads that don't have a sensor. You need to have a look at the pads and see the condition for yourself rather than relying on the sensor.

[steve2]

Or did he fit new pads at all?

[jasongtr]

i love the fact that he is described as not a good mate yet the OP expects him to pass his car with worn pads and thus potentially risking is MOT licence 'if' found out. For the cost of a set of pads i can't believe you would even argue the case, and even more so when you described the car as a family car yet are willing to run the risk running it with very worn pads - asking for it to be passed with them sounds like you had no intention of replacing them any time soon or it wouldn't of been an issue - and it clearly was an issue or you wouldn't of put a thread up about it.