Brake Pads

[H48HPE]

Im going to renew my disks and pads soon. my question is:

Is there much difference between different brands of brake pad? or are they all much the same thing?

Andy

[MGTurbo]

There is quite a difference between brands. Stick with Unipart, AP Lockheed, Lucas, Mintex etc. EBC are not very good, anything cheap won't cut it. Ferodo are slightly better than EBC, but only just.

Gareth

[H48HPE]

Thanks gareth, Im a bit of a unipart fan so Ill get a set of those, I had the chance of a set of ferodo pads but ill stick with unipart.

Andy

[H48HPE]

another question ive got on similar lines is:

When my dad had a maestro the brake pad wear light used to come on when you applied the handbrake as a test. on my car it doesnt illuminate when the handbrake is applied. The bulb is ok ive checked that. Ive read on another thread that you need to have pads that are designed to opperate the light. if the pads that are on now are not ones made to illuminate the light when they reach minimum thicknes would that stop the light coming on as a test? or is the system just broken?

andy

[MGTurbo]

Wire to the brake pad is broken or corroded.

Gareth

[E_T_V]

Yup it is a crap design and never seems to work reliably. If none of the warning lights come on when you apply the handbrake the switch is duff just like mine..

[H48HPE]

the other two lights come on so the switch at the handbrake is ok.

if the pads have no effect then it must be the sensor/wiring playing up

it would have been just my luck to have been messing around trying to fix it when it wouldnt work anyway because of wrong pads so I thought id check to get the whole picture first

andy

[Simon]

Gareth's correct, I had the same problem when I took my car over but a change of pads brought all 3 warning lights back into play nicely. Which reminds me: must replace my pads too!

[Jolly_MG_Maestro]

My pad wear light worked fine when the pads wore down although I only let it go no worse than just a flicker, replaced my pads with unipart ones as they come with the sensor, Ferodo ones are crap and don't always come with the sensor and seem to last no where near as long.

Paul

[Simon]

Originally posted by H48HPE
Im going to renew my disks and pads soon. my question is:
Is there much difference between different brands of brake pad? or are they all much the same thing?


...So, off I go to my local MG Rover dealer to get a set of Unipart brake pads for my Maestro, on recommendation. I've had Halfords pads- they don't last long and they are inclined to squeal. Ferodo ones last longer and have inbuilt shims, so are quieter. In the past I have fitted Girling pads, these are really good but were very expensive even though I bought them from a trade only cash and carry. So back to my post...Unipart brake pads for the Maestro. Part number GBP 90317AF. Price?


Wait for it....






....this is going to hurt....









...Ready?






£71.42!.....





Plus VAT!



But the good news is that they include shims and caliper bolts.

Well I've learned my lesson, stick to Halfords is my revised recommendation.

Question is, have I "been done" I haven't fitted them yet so I could get a refund in theory.
:eek:

[Alan the Vanner]

Owch!!!
And I thought Toyota ones were expensive!:eek:

[H48HPE]

I found this thread, near the end Mat C says he picked a set up for his MG from MG-R for £29.30 and because they were from the dealer id suspect that they were unipart.

http://www.maestro.org.uk/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=658&highlight=brake+pads+dealer

Andy

[E_T_V]

*cough* *Splutter*

How much!

Err refund time I think (minus the 10% coz they are arses when it comes to returning stuff)

Personally for everyday driving one pad is much the same as another. If I had the choice I'd go for ferrodo (or EBC for my bike).

The greenstuff pads are ok, mintex are alright too.

Not sure if cars have them yet but sintered pads are excellent on my bike. I just tend to buy whats on the shelf. Last set of pads cost me 14 quid I think and 25,000 miles later they are still serving me well and don't squeal.

A tip to stop squealing is to coat the back of the pad/shim with copper grease and also a dab on the ends of the pads where they bear on the caliper helps too.

[Andy]

WOT!!!! for unipart pads sure u dident get the disks as well wot a price er refund

[Simon]

Yes that's the price all right, I double checked with two other dealers and it checks out. The dealer must have been having an off-day because the parts person gave me the wrong thermostat (what does 13H 7604 fit?) and the wrong 'stat gasket as well (metal gasket covered in spongy rubber material, nearly the right shape but not quite).

No wonder people go to Halfords!

[Beaker]

Take them back and demand a refund or get them changed. The main dealers are useless.

We tried to get some Opporto Red paint the otherday only to be told it is NLA :( Also the lead for headunit (R960) to cd changer (DC082) is NLA apparently and thats not even that old :(

I would have bought cheaper brake pads from somewhere else. £72 :eek: Could get a new maestro for that price.

Lindz

[H48HPE]

Also the lead for headunit (R960) to cd changer (DC082) is NLA apparently and thats not even that old

Cant you make one up? is it some sort of fancy cable you need. connectors must be availble from somewhere. if not there must be another way of connecting it.
post some details up and someone may be able to help.

as for the brake pads, it appears that you have to pay that if u want the quality, id be tempted to find out what an independant unipart retailer is charging though.

Andy

[E_T_V]

I'm going to try to make up a lead but I need one to copy from first.. :D

[Simon]

Try this link:

http://www.incardiscount.co.uk/acatalog/Shop_CD__BUS__Leads_25.html

I am assuming that you have the 22DC082 CD changer (the black 6 cd changer with the window in the sliding door) This has a DIN type connector, the head unit *should* have an ISO connector for the other end of the cable on the back of it.

Do not confuse this with the later RC026 etc types that work from different "software" and need a different data bus cable, the one with the blue end.

[Beaker]

£38.95 :eek: Must be gold plated connectors at that price.

Thankyou very much for the link it is always helpful to know where to get it from seeing as the lead is NLA from Rover.

Wonder what is so special about the lead for them to charge that much. Surely it is just a case of buying the DIN and ISO connectors and working out which colour connects to which pin.

If Dan is unsucessful making one, looks like it is the £38.95 option.

Lindz

[Simon]

It seems I always find things at "Bargain" prices these days!
*Sigh*
:(

When available at MG Rover dealers, the cable was under part number XQL 10037 and was £30.74 incl VAT.

[Austin-Rover]

I think i have tracked down the lead required for the DC082 Changer from a user of the forums at mg-rover.org.uk (At least i hope its the right one, and its at a much more acceptable price of £20 too!)

[Beaker]

Well if you do manage to obtain a lead RD, I hope we can get a quick look at it so we can copy it.

Lindz

[Simon]

Returning back to brakes, I fitted my "Bargain" Unipart pads on Saturday (They cost £60 all in, eventually after discount)but before I did, I inspected the discs first. They looked a little thin to me, so I measured them...8mm! Did you know, the min thickness for Maestro/Montego solid discs is 11.5mm. Got a pair of discs (Brembo manufacture) for £20. When I removed the old discs and compared them to new, the new units were about twice as heavy! Back on the road an hour or two later, the brakes felt much more reassuring than before. Asbestos free brake pads really do wear brake discs down.

Worth checking on yours, I'd recommend.

The factors didn't have ventilated discs in stock-they had the calipers but I didn't have a set of EFi calipers as exchange units, so bang goes my brake upgrade for now...

[mgdavid]

just bought a set of pads for MG 2 litre on eBay for 8.50 incl post - bargain or what :-)

[talkingcars]

Simon - is it worth buying some used efi discs to do the exchange.

James

[mgdavid]

Simon, if you want a pair of EFi calipers off a scrap car, as cores for exchange, drop me an email pronto...