(G) Front brake pads

Hi, Just left my Stilo Jtd with a Fiat Dealership, who advised my front pads need changing, as they are very low. FIrstlyI checked them out before hand and must of had about 3mm of pad left. Secondly no brake indicator is flashing on the dash. They wanna charge £105.00 for changing the front pads inc parts...Isn't that a bit much? Thinking of changing myself, but not sure how difficult they are to replace, can anyone comment?

Also been looking around, and a set of fiat front pads cost £40.00. Or shall I spend less on a set of Halfords , not sure if any good...
please advise..thanks

£105 is a good price for a Fiat dealer. Trust me! I run the parts depts in 2!

3mm is considered Very low! They wouldn't last you much longer..

They really aren't difficult to replace the front pads a relatively simple job even for beginners.. Its entirely down to how confident you feel with spanners..

Thanks for the reply. I have changed pads on a uno turbo, that was a piece of piss. How about pads, are the halfords/other brands worth buying, or shall i stick to fiat ones?

Go the bit extra and get uprated ones. I'm using Road & Race pads from OMP and they're great, any many others here use Greenstuff. Front pads are a piece of p*ss to change. Funnily enough, my front pads were near enough metal on metal and still no warning on the dash. I think the the cable on the sensor ispretty crap and frays quite easy.

Personally, I'd stick with OEM pads and do it yourself OR go to a good brake specialist (and get a warranty).

You can get quite a few issues with squealing and the like with non OEM pads, especially on the cheaper brands

You only have to ask yourself one question "Did the car stop OK before?"

Thanks guys for the info..

Instead of messing around, and got fiat to do it !! I know the job is done properly , and they use OEM pads. I do quite a lot of mileage, so better to be safe than sorry..and no gonna save huge amounts of dough buying non OEM!

I fitted Mintex pads, they are superior to OE pads and are far cheaper.
A set from my local auto factors is about £15 and they are easy to do and take only minutes to change.
A good coating of copper slip on sliders and the pad backs is useful too.

So, I disagree with Nick that £105 is a good price. Maybe it is for Fiat, but in the real world it's not.

done mine a few weeks back, i payed £25 from A1 store. I had the squeeking brakes problem on my last set (mintex) but i found my original pads and whiped of the metal backing that were on there, with a bit of copper slip between the back of the pad an the plate put them on alas no squeek anymore.
The job is dead easy to do took me around 15 mins a side, hardest part was pushing the caliper cylinder back, but in comparision to other cars even this was dead easy. Just make sure you take your brake and clutch reseviour cap off it makes things much easier.
I wouldnt advise doing brakes unless your a competent diy mechanic, if your unsure leave it to someone who knows best, but they are dead easy!!.
roy