Jun 13, 2019
Top-performing brakes are not only important to your car but for your own safety, passengers safety and of the safety of the other road users too. Brake pads are one of those annoying “wear and tear” items that really do seem to wear out fast.
Today we want to take a look at how to know your brakes are effective, when is it time to think about brake pad replacement and finally, how much will this cost?
Fortunately, brakes are one of the features that are closely inspected during your car’s annual MOT and services. Some garages also offer free brake checks throughout the UK. So, with so many options to monitor your brake performance, there really is no excuse for your car to be running with insufficient braking power.
If poorly maintained brakes are found to be the cause of an accident, you could be liable. Therefore, it’s always best to be organised and prepared for when the time comes to replace your brake pads.
You don’t always need to be a professional mechanic to determine a problem with your brakes. By using your own eyes, ears and hands - you can easily keep track of your brake power. For example, if your car is pulling to one side when you brake or if the brake pedal feels spongy when you press it, this could be a sign that your brakes need to be checked. Rattling or grinding can also be an indication that something is wrong. Make sure you don’t delay, take your car to a qualified technician for a professional opinion!
Cars today usually have disc brakes at the front, where most of the braking force is applied and drum brakes at the back. As the brakes are applied, wear occurs to the brake discs as the pads are applied to them.
A grinding noise is a common sound of a naked caliper (meaning your brake pad has worn away) scraping against the disc, causing scoring and damaging the disc. This requires immediate attention.
Most commonly, brakes that are flagged up during an inspection or MoT are down to brake pads, discs or fluid.
It’s impossible to say how often these parts will need to be replaced. Due to a wide variation in driving styles and other factors such as vehicle weight, some cars will travel up to 70,000 miles without needing brake parts replacement while others will make it to only 25,000.
When the time comes, what can you expect to pay? To give you an idea, at MyCarNeedsA.com we’ve gathered together some brake pads price estimates for carrying out the job on a few of the UK’s popular cars:
|
Make & Model |
Job |
Price |
|
Ford Focus |
Front Pads |
£75.89 |
|
Renault Clio |
Front Pads |
£138.00 |
|
Mercedes Benz C Class |
Front & Rear Pads |
£209.99 |
|
Vauxhall Insignia |
Front Discs & Pads |
£180.00 |
|
BMW X5 |
Front Discs & Pads |
£354.97 |
|
Volkswagen Polo |
Rear Discs & Pads |
£120.00 |
|
Fiat Bravo |
Rear Discs & Pads |
£161.17 |
|
Honda Accord |
Rear Discs & Pads |
£199.00 |
|
Volkswagen Golf |
Front & Rear Discs & Pads |
£360.00 |
|
Audi A4 |
Front & Rear Discs & Pads |
£398.00 |
The average cost for all types of Brakes jobs in 2019 is £171.
Using generic parts will lower the cost of changing brake pads and discs only slightly as it’s the labour that makes up the bulk of the cost.
No matter how well you look after your car, if you are travelling the average annual mileage of 12,000 you should budget for brake pad replacement every 2-3 years which may help you avoid the cost of most expensive brake disc replacement.
Are you in need of Brake Pad Replacement? Get quotes from local garages and mechanics in your area today with MyCarNeedsA.com. All you need to do is give us your reg number and a few details about your car, then we’ll do the rest.
GET QUOTES
