had my front brake pads replaced back in november along with two new front disks as they were scored.

was on the dual carridgeway yesterday going round a corner to find a hyundai getz traveling at 60mph in the outside lane! i had to brake quite hard in order to match his speed as i was traveling about 80mph. when braking i heard a grinding noise as if the discs were being scored...

can brake pads wear out this fast? the brake pad indicator on the dashboard is not lit up so they shouldnt be worn out surely?
am i worrying about nothing or is it worth removing the wheels to check the discs for scoring and the pads for wear? if so what am i looking for? could the rear drums have worn out too?

Grinding noise = problem.

Brake pads should last longer than a few months with normal driving, i would just quickly take the front wheels off and check the disks for scoring and check that everything is installed correctly.

When checking the discs, there may be an indentation (a couple of mm.)all the way around the disc where the pads have been working, but if they are very uneven with large/deep indentations then replace them.
Make sure the pads have plenty of life in them aswell (5+ mm.) This also goes for the rear drum pads aswell, althogh these rarely need replacing as the front discs are the main braking force.

Also check that the brake pad indicator sensor wire is OK as mine was severed when i last looked.


Have you got standard 15inch wheels on or bigger?

thanks for your help,

where should i check the sensor wire? i take it that its located near the pads?
ive only done 7,000 miles since they were replaced and also havent heard any grinding for 2 days now...

i have the original steel 14" wheels on the car but i am replacing them with 15" alfa romeo alloys later today. i will check both pads and discs for wear when i do this.

check rear shoes

if the brake shoes are worn out, can i assume they sell new ones at clarks?

there's always one

all pads and discs in excellent condition...
drums also pretty good

must have just been the grinding of PUNK i was listening to