Hi all

Just took Alfonso for his first service and have been advised that the rear brake pads are worn down to just a slither and will need replacing for £120!! I thought that front brake pads wore down much quicker than the rear. Am I wrong? Is there something wrong with the car if they have worn down this quickly? I questioned the garage and was advised that the mechanic will take another look !?!

They also told me that part of my right window washer is missing and that to replace it isnt covered during the service as they have no part to send back. Just worried that the wool is being pulled over my eyes!

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

How many miles have you done in the car? As that sounds mad to me for it's age!

I've done 17000 miles.....and no issue with the front pads!

emmyw said:

Hi all

Just took Alfonso for his first service and have been advised that the rear brake pads are worn down to just a slither and will need replacing for £120!! I thought that front brake pads wore down much quicker than the rear. Am I wrong? Is there something wrong with the car if they have worn down this quickly? I questioned the garage and was advised that the mechanic will take another look !?!

They also told me that part of my right window washer is missing and that to replace it isnt covered during the service as they have no part to send back. Just worried that the wool is being pulled over my eyes!

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

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Gulp !! No way should they wear out that quick unless the handbrake is left on or they are both binding.
Have you noticed a smell, excessive heat or slugish movement from your rear ? !!

Discs or drums?

Either way, they shouldn't go before the fronts. I've known drums last the life of the car (mine have done 60,000), since they carry far less of the load than the fronts.

Either this is a mistake, or they have been binding. This can't be your fault - unless you run with the handbrake on - but there is a warning light....

Jake - not noticed any trouble with my rear end

Ulpian - its just the pads that need replacing. I definately dont drive with the handbrake on and as you say there is a warning light. Sorry for my ignorance but what is binding?

Binding is when the pads don't detach properly from the drums/discs on release of the pedal/handbrake.

Basically, the pads stick on. Since they are sticking and not under pressure the wheels can still rotate, and wear down the surfaces.

When I say the drums can last the life of the car, I mean the pads on the rear drums. I am still on my original rear pads and they were fine at the last service. This is normal by the way.

If the actual drums themselves ever needed replacing I'd be surprised.

Thanks guys - just waiting for them to call me back. In the meantime I called another Fiat garage who have agreed that this is very bizzare and not heard of. They have advised that if my garage still maintain they need replacing, just to pay for the service and take my car elsewhere to check the brake pads.

Good. This is a fault of some sort and not your responsibility.

Hi there

Was your service done at a Fiat dealership??

Rear brake pads when new are a lot thinner than front brake pads as they do 75% less braking. Sometimes mechanics think they are worn even when they are not. This also sometimes happens when they inspect the brakes without removing the wheels. I would seriously question this.

Secondly, my jet bar vanished from both my front washer jets. It should still be covered by warranty despite the bar not neing there as that's why they are faulty!! Fiat are aware of washer jet problems (and they were on a lengthy back order when I got mine) so I can't see Fiat expecting them to be returned with the spray bar intact!!

Again, I would question this with the dealer - these should be replaced foc.

Best of luck sorting it

Well, I'm really not getting anywhere with the Fiat dealership in question. They maintain that the rear brake pads are 90% worn due to 'normal' wear and tear and refuse to accept that this is unusal on a car thats a year old. I also brought to their attention that the rear brake pad check isnt even required by Fiat in the 18000 mile service and that in itself should prove that Fiat arent expecting wear and tear of 90% to the rear brake pads by the time of the first service! When I confronted them with this they said I should be grateful that they checked it for me when it isnt even on the service checklist - completely missing my point.

So, I left there just paying the service fee and am taking Alfonso back to the orginal dealership I got him from for a second opinion this weekend (who have been the only ones to agree that this situation is a bizzare one). I also called the Fiat customer service line who arent willing to help me as they class this kind of repair as 'normal' wear and tear! Again, this isnt really answering my concerns which are that there is some underlying issue with my car.

I've left the issue with the washers for this weekend too and am hoping this will be fixed free of charge.

I just noticed the recent post regarding the recall due to the rear brake issue, sorry for my ignorance but could this have anything to do with my problem?

Quick update in the ongoing rear brake pad saga. Took the car back to the original dealership this morning who have advised that the rear brake pads have rusted and seized to the callipers causing the wear and tear. As this is still classed as wear and tear it isnt covered under warrenty!! They have admitted that this is a fault with the car but I have to pay for it. So now I really dont know what I can do other than pay to get it fixed....but if this is a fault and Fiat have made brake pads that rust how often will I have to fork out for this?! :bang:

If I were you, I would get some advice from someone like http://www.consumerdirect.gov.uk
explain the situation to them and see if you have any legal rights regarding this. It seems to me that if something has seized up and caused excessive wear, it isn't normal, as they haven't performed as they are designed to if they've seized. That just seems like common sense to me!

Other points of view are available and will soon be expressed I'm sure!

Get them done at Kwik Fit or somewhere that offers a lifetime replacement.

emmyw said:

I just noticed the recent post regarding the recall due to the rear brake issue, sorry for my ignorance but could this have anything to do with my problem?

Click to expand...

No, recall doesn't even included rear disc braked versions.

emmyw said:

Quick update in the ongoing rear brake pad saga. Took the car back to the original dealership this morning who have advised that the rear brake pads have rusted and seized to the callipers causing the wear and tear. As this is still classed as wear and tear it isnt covered under warrenty!!

Click to expand...

I have came across this many times, being exposed to the elements the rear pads collect all the crap of the day. As mentioned they wear slower than front (and are naturally thinner in appearence) however that said if there is a fault (or one is found) then you could have a case but the onus is on you to pay upfront (considering the mileage on car) for the inspection. Garage wont do any work unpaid.

I would go to another dealer as the answer to the washer problem is just total lack of knowledge/procedure.

You've done 17000 miles before the first service, so they cannot suggest that lack of use has caused the pads to seize up; this is a higher than average mileage and I believe there is something wrong with the design. T says this happens a lot because of the position of the rear wheels - they certainly do pick up the crud - but what of other makes/models; anybody know?

I shove my car through a car wash and this flushes a lot of water over the brakes, and I wash the wheels separately beforehand anyway to get into the crevices. I have drums so it isn't relevant really, but I wonder of this sort of regular flushing might help your disc calipers in future?

Use a jet wash on the wheels every so often to blast off the crap.

Other makes have same issues.

I suspect the rear pads are not as worn as suggested, any pics to confirm this?

What happened in the end?