I seem to be going through brakepads every 3 months..

I dont brake sharp, i always gauge ahead slowing down correctly so could it be something to do with the pistons?

My brakes always seem to make dodgey noises every new set..

The only thing i say i do is i drive around in 5th gear alot so i am braking more when going downhill etc.

Do you live in a hilly area?

Firstly you have a gear box which is very good at slowing you down on hills junctions etc

What is you fuel economy like? Might suggest binding brakes
If you are changing front pads a lot and not rear shoes/pads then you could have a big imbalance in the brakes
Finally what condition are the discs in? Why have you not had to change them?
My current pads and discs are now at least 4 years old so they really don't need changing that often

I do live on a big hill, going to work i go down the hill, going to my gfs i go down a hill..

Also she lives on a hill as well.

I have brand new discs and drums that i bought and fitted last year so they should be in good quality.

The front pads are changed more than the rear id say id go through 2 sets of front to 1 set of the rear.

I do now change into 3rd going down hill so i hardly have to brake but thats only recently.

What brand pads?

Agree with fingers there. Cheap pads are cheap for a reason! See how you get on using the gear box more to slow you down. MPG will be affected if they're binding and the trim's/alloys will get hot.

Ensure neither the front or rear brakes are dragging

And when going downhill - dont keep the brake pedal at a constant pressure to maintain speed

Try pulsing gently
i did that when on holiday - sure the person behind you might wonder what your doing

But i'd go for some nice Mintex or Ferodo Pads - Reasonable price and decent quality

And again - yes gearbox does help
If you roll down in 5th - the engine is going to help on minute level
Say you roll down in 3rd - the rev's will be alot higher, and the engine will retard the spark and reduce fuel consumption to prevent it increasing bonus


Ziggy

Would expect at least 25000 miles from pads. Are they wearing evenly?

i have my punto almost 2 years now and havent changed the front pads, and ive put nearly 30k on it.

Still at least 50% left on them...think there mintex pads

cheap pads can be hard pads and wear the discs down before the pads go

never known anyone wear pads down that quick before

my guess is they came off the internet and were made of discarded cornflakes

brakes should be bought from trusted places

i had some ferodo pads, they werent worn out - but when a front flexi burst all over 1 side i replaced the pads and disc's
nothing wrong with except they'd just had brake fluid over them, they were decent pads and decent wearing

with mintex and QH disc's from my local autoparts store = Super braking

Mixtex £13 from local store
Ferodo £20 - £25 from halfrauds

ziggy

Currently using Ferodo pads all around and have brand new discs and drums purchased late last year from car spares.

Always buy my car stuff from carspares, not online.

Noise seems to be coming from the front right wheel when braking as i pulled handbrake up ealier while doing 20mph and the noise didnt appear so when apply brakes it did.

It seems to be like a when you slide your trainers against a skirting board making that vile rubber sound.

Thats what it sounds like every revolution of the wheels while braking.

Only had the pads on 4 months. Would say ive done maybe 2K miles max.

Warped disc?

colinf1 said:

Warped disc?

Click to expand...

I should hope not, discs are still shiny. the brakes are squiling a bit now as well so will investigate tomorrow.

Will be pissed off if theres no pads left again.

Do you put a bit of copper grease on the back of the pad when you fit it? Prevents the screeching

Yeah i always use copper grease, Hasn't squealed up until now.

Just seems weird that i could be shredding through brakes.

Ive got 41.8 MPG around town, i do have a bit of a blast occasionally but pretty sure the pads shouldn't just crumble away.

*cheap pads
*seized pistons
*seized sliders
*scored discs

Most common causes...try pushing the piston back it would go fairly easily back...push the caliper back and forth making sure sliders are free...check disc inner and outter surface for distortion or scoring marks...if all is fine just use some good quality pads mate

EDIT: I drive me punto very hard and I only go through pads every 6 months lol something must be wrong mate will be the calipers or distorted discs....as for noise your meant to have the edges of the pads at an angle most people use a bit of emery paper to give the edges an angle stops noise and squeaking specially the rear shoes

Im pretty sure when changing them last time, you have to proper push the piston back hard to make room to fit the new pads.

I had to put some pliers in the piston to manage to move it back. Wasn't easy at all.

Could it be the piston? If so how much am i looking at for new front pistons.

The back brakes seems to be ok, there lasting at least double maybe triple the front pads life.

The pistons are not too expensive, I think about £10-15.

You'll need new piston seals and dust covers too (1 of each per side).

Getting the old ones out can be fun.

You can send the whole caliper off for refurb if you can afford the time...

Is the wear even on both of the pads? If not, then the sliders might be seized. What condition are the rubber seals in?

Just get another caliper from scrappers for like a tenner mate...push the piston back first make sure it's fine before you buy it...job done

I vote driving style. I see people on here saying 25k - 30k miles to a set of pads? My re-mapped 2006 Grande Punto 1.9 MJet had 76,000 miles on the clock when I part ex'd it with half the pads still left.

Unlikely to be stuck pistons as they would almost certainly not stick at the same rate... One side would be worse than the other... or 1 pad would be more worn if the slider was stuck. Looks like the OP is using a decent make of pad too & has just fitted new rotors. The economy indicates that there probably isnt a brake binding problem.

I vote driving style or locality (hills etc)