Front brake pad replacement

How do front brake pads work?

Brake pads are a key component of any vehicle’s braking system. They’re flat parts made of semi-metallic, organic or ceramic materials, with a metal backing. When you use your brakes, the pads hydraulically squeeze the brake discs, slowing your car down through friction and pressure. The pads absorb some of the biggest forces involved in daily driving.

Most cars have two pads per brake disc, although some high-performance models can have more.

How often should front brake pads need replacing?

As a rough guide, your brake pads should last for 50,000 miles, but there are a number of variables, including driver behaviour, the weight you carry, speed and the type of pads used. Not to mention that nearly 20% of MOT failures are caused by faulty brakes.

The law, vehicle regulations and your MOT

Incorrect brake operation, damaged or excessively worn discs or pads are considered unsafe for your vehicle performance and will cause your car to fail an MOT.

The cost of replacing front brake pads

The typical cost of replacing front brake pads is around £100.

For example, a BMW 116d M Sport would have a dealer price of £133.13, yet Fixter will carry out the same work for only £107.10—a 20% saving!

Changing the rear brake pads on a Fiat 500 C Lounge will cost you £120.59 with your dealer, but only £99.17 with Fixter—a superb saving of 18%!

When you choose Fixter to find you a great deal and a premium mechanic to carry out your rear brake pad replacement, you can expect to save around £20–£25 from an average dealer price. That’s a typical saving in the region of 15–20%.

What happens when we replace your brake pads?

• Our efficient and fully qualified mechanics will inspect the brake system for signs of wear, damage and breakage.
• They will establish which brake pads need to be replaced and fit new ones as necessary.
• You will also be advised of any other parts that may need to be replaced for the best operation and health of your vehicle.
• Once the brake pads have been replaced, our mechanics will test it thoroughly to ensure the correct operation of the new parts and make any adjustments required for premium performance.

What causes your brake pads to stop working correctly?

While your brake pads will keep you safe over thousands of miles, they won’t last forever. Eventually, the abrasive surface on them wears down, and they will need to be replaced, ideally while you still have around 25% capacity of the pads left.

Given that they take most of the load, front brake pads will probably need replacing first. They also have a bigger surface area to increase friction.

To make your brake pads last longer:

• Try avoiding driving at high speeds so that you’re less likely to need to brake quickly and heavily, which puts extra pressure on the pads.
• Anticipate traffic and hazards ahead so you can brake steadily and gradually.
• Heavy loads also put stress on brake pads – don’t carry unnecessary weight.

Symptoms of malfunctioning brakes

Your brake callipers make unusual noises

A loud screeching or grinding noise when you apply the brakes is a clear indicator that new pads are required.

When your car pulls to one side under braking

If only one brake is working correctly, it can cause your car to pull in the direction of the functioning brake.

The car vibrates under braking

Your brake pads could be warped if the pedal vibrates when you press down on it.

The brake pad is worn down

Look through the wheel’s spokes for a visual check—the outside pad is pressed against a metal rotor, and you should be able to see at least 3mm of the pad.

Your brake warning light on the dashboard is illuminated

If any of your dashboard warning lights are illuminated, the sensor that detects problems or worn out parts and components has detected an issue and activated the system.

Vauxhall

Vauxhall Motors Ltd. is a British car brand owned by German manufacturer Opel. Initially founded in 1857, but didn’t begin to build cars until 1903, the brand is officially over 160 years old.

How popular is Vauxhall in the United Kingdom?

Their popularity can be easily quantified by the 3.9million Vauxhall cars on the road in the UK today.

Vauxhall: A car for every need

By their own admission, Vauxhall has a car for the school run, a trip to the shops, a cross-country holiday, being the face of your business or delivering a van-load of goods. With such a wide range of vehicles, they’ve got every avenue covered.

A forward-thinking company with traditional values

Throughout their extensive history in the automotive industry, Vauxhall has featured predominantly in all areas. It produced the first sports car, also the first car to achieve over 100mph, it has launched award-winning models and consistently introduced pioneering technology.

Their core brand values claim to be:

• Ingenious—offering brilliant mobility
• Progressive—as forward-thinking and innovative
• Approachable—being authentic and simple

The UK’s 3rd best selling car of 2018: The Vauxhall Corsa

Competing with Ford Fiesta and VW Golf for the top-selling car in the UK, the Vauxhall Corsa has become a household favourite—and why not? Their supermini hatchback is stylish, nippy and economical to run. Neatly finished inside and out with a host of modern technology and features, you’re getting plenty of car for your money and all backed with Vauxhall’s reputation for building cars that go the distance.

Vauxhall’s reliability and reputation

Vauxhall ranked joint 11th place with Mazda out of the 30 car brands in the What Car? Reliability Survey in 2018. Their reliability efficiency score of 94.6% wasn’t too big a jump from top of the tree marque Suzuki, who scored only 3% more at 97.7%.

Recent Vauxhall recalls and reliability issues

Various recalls have been made on Vauxhall models throughout their motoring history. The following are a list of the most recent in the UK and Europe.

30/12/2016 – Vauxhall Meriva (2009–2011)

It is possible that the steel cable for attaching the seatbelt tensioner on the outer side of the seat may suffer fatigue

11/11/2016 – Vauxhall Adam (2014–2015)

Cracks in the steering box’s rack and pinion may lead to breakage and to steering failure

26/03/2016 – Vauxhall Zafira (2005–2014)

The resistor of the heater fan motor may not perform as intended

13/05/2016 – Vauxhall Vivaro (2013–2014)

An incorrectly installed passenger airbag module may increase the risk of injury in the event of an accident

13/05/2016 – Vauxhall Movano (2015)

An oil hose may be incorrectly crimped

06/05/2016 – Vauxhall Mokka (2015–2016)

Water ingress in the electronic brake control module control unit may cause a short-circuit

13/11/2015 – Vauxhall Mokka (2015)

A faulty steering column torque sensor can lead to a loss of steering assistance

All recall information sourced from gov.co.uk data.