Disco fervour

I have a 4-year-old Toyota Corolla 1.6 auto that I love to bits. I have done only 26,000 miles from new. The car is garaged overnight. The car is currently in for its 4-year service. I have been told that the front brake pads will need replacing shortly that I knew about from the MOT. However I have now been told that the front discs should also be replaced at great expense as they are lipping and it would be futile putting new brake pads onto them. Please could you give me your opinion on this? I am not a heavy braker and this seems like a very low mileage for new discs. Is it more related to the age of the car or do those who do a large mileage have their discs replaced every 2 years. Is it in fact better to do a large mileage as with much related to cars? Unfortunately I can't up the mileage just to keep the upkeep down.

Asked on 21 November 2009 by

Answered by Honest John

Paradoxically, it is light braking that wears out brake discs these days. Heavy braking preserves them. The problem is that discs are now softer and sacrificial while pads have metallic content because they can't contain asbestos. The result is that discs rust more overnight and if that rust is not cleaned off by heavy braking, it eats into the discs and the discs wear more rapidly.

Tags: technical issues brakes owning

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