Dear all Panda experts,
Ok, so today I heard a growling noise from the right front of my 2008 1.2 60hp Panda 169 and sure enough, when checking, I discovered that the outer most pad was completely gone (ok, half a millimeter or so to go), while the inner one was not worn at all. I would guess this means a serious case of stuck caliper(?) Is it necessary to change both calipers when this happens? Does anyone have any experience in buying the more inexpensive replacements on eBay? Very tempting considering the price difference...
And also, would changing calipers be a DIY job, or best left to "the experts"? I am somewhat mechanically inclined and come equipped with a fair amount of tools!
BR
/M

Don't panic.
The caliper may be seized, but more likely, just tight on its mountings. Just last week had to clean mine up.

The carrier rusts. This causes the pads to become tight in the carrier, so they don't move away form the disc, so wear more than they should.
So remove the pads, and ensure the carrier is cleaned of rust.
The caliper moves on a pin at the top, which should be sealed and movable.
At the bottom, it slides on a cheap steel pin. This rusts. new ones are available as part of a kit for not much money.
Push the piston back into the caliper, gently, should move ok, obviously not easily as you are displacing fluid and it is moving in a tight seal. Then with new pads in pump the pedal gently until the caliper piston is out and pushing the pads against the discs. When the pedal is released, you should be able to turn the disc. The pads may touch the disc, but offer no resistance. Only if the piston is seizing do you need new calipers.

Many thanks for the quick reply! So it is first of all a cleaning and lubrication job, then replacing the slider pin at the bottom and try with new pads?
I noticed that the caliper on the left hand side moved feely on the top pin. Not sure about the right hand one... Will check again later.

Yes it is a simple maintenance job, quite rewarding if you do it carefully and gain confidence. Get everything nice and clean then reassemble, do one side at a time! Make sure you don't strain or twist the brake hoses when you remove the caliper and move it about. Also think about derusting and painting the brake backplates, they are not well protected with paint.

And paint your calipers GOOOOOLD !!!

Ok, I'll give it a go this weekend I'm still questioning the general condition of the caliper and its intern mobility since, as I mentioned, one of the pads is gone and the other is in as new condition (when it comes to the material that wears down)

Read this post which explains both the problem and the solution.

Fortunately you're unlikely to need a new caliper (they're not cheap).

Great! Thanks so much for the link! I see rotary wire brush and copper grease in my future As well as savings. When googling around for new calipers, I realized that a new set would make up a significant part of the car's total value...

Full of energy and confidence I just could not wait until the weekend to get the job done! Started this PM after work and did quite a bit of wire brushing and cleaning as per the link that Jrkitching provided. I have now reassembled all of it and taken the car for a spin to make sure it stops And it does! Thank you all for tips, tricks and advice.
/M

When I bought new Brembo discs and pads, I also got a kit to renew the sliding bearing. These are available on eBay and not expensive.