Technical Who makes the factory Panda brake pads?

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Technical Who makes the factory Panda brake pads?

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Looking for new brake pads so that if we do inspect them and they're 'done' the new ones are ready to go in. And if not, I'll return them.

Rather than go for the same cheap £9 pads again I wouldn't mind forking out for the genuine Fiat ones.

Then it struck me that companies like Valeo etc. Tend to make the original equipment for lots of parts so I'd not mind spending a bit more for what Fiat use from the factory.

I've done around 14,000 miles in a year and I'm probably slightly too dependent on the brake pedal. Not sure if it's normal for pads to wear out this quickly or not. I've assumed the dirt cheap pads probably just don't last as long despite braking well.

The squeal from them is terrible. A 140 mile round trip progressed this from 'brake to silence it' to 'braking sometimes silences it'.

Thanks in advance
 
I wouldn't bother looking for the Fiat ones TBH. I thought they were useless on my car. Wore out in no time. Buy a decent brand such as Brembo or Pagid.
 
Looking for new brake pads so that if we do inspect them and they're 'done' the new ones are ready to go in. And if not, I'll return them.

Rather than go for the same cheap £9 pads again I wouldn't mind forking out for the genuine Fiat ones.

Then it struck me that companies like Valeo etc. Tend to make the original equipment for lots of parts so I'd not mind spending a bit more for what Fiat use from the factory.

I've done around 14,000 miles in a year and I'm probably slightly too dependent on the brake pedal. Not sure if it's normal for pads to wear out this quickly or not. I've assumed the dirt cheap pads probably just don't last as long despite braking well.

The squeal from them is terrible. A 140 mile round trip progressed this from 'brake to silence it' to 'braking sometimes silences it'.

Thanks in advance
Totally agree with wee smurf, plus
Fit new discs at same time as new pads.
 
For stuff like brake pads, Fiat will likely use parts from more than one supplier.

It's all been said already. OEM pads are not the best; decent aftermarket alternatives like Brembo and Pagid are better. You can get Pagid disks & pads for under £45 all in from ECP this weekend. At that price, I wouldn't bother with reusing the old ones.

Getting a good and long lasting result is largely dependent on properly cleaning and lubricating the reaction frames. I'm sure you've seen this thread before, which tells you what you need to do.
 
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Even cheap pads shouldn't squeal just because they're becoming worn... if I were you I'd just strip clean and regrease them just to see if that does the trick. With a high mileage / usage there will brobably be loads of dirt and dust everywhere.

If course if you want to have a spare set ready anyway then go for Pagid or another known make... but I got a great deal off Ebay for a set of Apec pads and discs last year and they are great... they are a respected aftermarket supplier and there are others.

If you changed the discs recently when you fitted your cheap pads then there is no need to put on new discs all over again, despite what "conventional wisdom" says.
 
Brake life is dependent on use.
You can drive hundreds of miles on motorways and use the brakes perhaps 3 or 4 times.
You can also drive around town for 3 or 4 miles and use the brakes a few hundred times!

Brake noises like squeals and groans are usually down to dirt, rust and dust gumming up various parts, so it's good practise to clean up all the parts when replacing any brake parts like pads and discs.

Tins of brake cleaner are cheap enough and a small wire brush is handy.

Certain parts require some lubrication, but you can't use normal grease or oil as the heat from the brakes can set it alight.

A lot will use Copperslip, though it's more of a heat resistant anti seize compound that works best in between metal that is in contact with metal, it works well between the pad lugs and hangers (JR's link) and on the hub face after the old discs have been removed (and the hub face cleaned) to stop the discs fusing to the hub faces.

Ceramic brake grease is designed to withstand the high temps that brakes operate at and lubricate, so if it's available, it's what I would use.
It also works better on the calipers sliding pins (under the two small rubber boots)

It's also worth checking and cleaning the pistons before to push them back to fit the new pads.
When the pads wear, more piston hangs out of the caliper, so more of it is open to the atmosphere to rust or get covered in muck.
Rust and deep scoring will eventually cause them to stick in the bores and jam them.

Others have already posted regarding certain brands of brakes, but it's worth mentioning that on certain auction sites, some sellers will list both pads and discs and they will look like branded items, though a good read will usually point out that it's just the pads that are branded, the discs are usually poor quality, unbranded ones.
 
When the pads wear, more piston hangs out of the caliper, so more of it is open to the atmosphere to rust or get covered in muck.

On OEM calipers, there's a seal between the piston & caliper body to prevent this happening. Before pushing back the piston, examine this seal carefully for cracks & splits. Take great care not to damage the seal when pushing the pistons back, or you'll have exactly the problem John describes. If the working face of the piston corrodes, the only solution is to replace the caliper, and they're not cheap. (Note: some corrosion on the exposed, visible part of the piston is to be expected and won't cause a problem).

There's also a seal on the sliding bolt securing the caliper to the reaction frame; you need to be very careful not to damage this seal when unscrewing the bolt (it naturally tends to twist with the bolt and will tear quite easily). If you do tear it, you might be able to find a replacement for this seal, but not easily on a Sunday morning.
 
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