Sourcing brake discs and drums

[MacAoidh]

Van has left my driveway for the first time since June, and has driven 150m to the nearest MoT centre I could find.

I've got a feeling that they are going to raise the issue of my almost transparent front discs... I seem to remember there was a smart way to source replacements. Do I want genuine VW? Ditto the rear drums, in case there's a problem there also.

I already have replacement pads and shoes (VW) that I never got around to fitting.

The hills around here mean that brakes get a lot of use. In combination with the rabbits etc.

Also, any other jobs worth doing at the same time?

[syncroand101]

Try these chaps:
http://www.brakesint.co.uk/shop.html

In combination with the rabbits etc.

Rabbits are there for running over. Vermin with fluffy tails.

[MacAoidh]

Fair comment about the rabbits, hares are the way to go (you know, it was the Romans who brought rabbits here?)

The brakes site looks mighty suave, but I'm still curious as to whether there's any difference compared to genuine VW, apart from price.

I'm inclined to just let the MoT guys source and fit them, just for an easy life and to not have to pay for retesting.

[T2Andy]

Personally I like to use Genuine VW parts for some things that I class as being critical, Breaks being one of them. Or in not Genuine then at least branded.

[Aidan]

imho I think you'll find that so few actual foundaries make or made our discs and drums that they are oem quality whereever you get them - brembo or unipart or brakes international the drums all look the same and identical to the vw ones apart from the vw casting marks missed out and not stamped with min width. I'd rather change them cheaply than hang onto old genuine ones cos I couldn't afford to replace them. VW prices are 2 to 3 times for brakes and parts for, for no apparant reason. And they don't even have them in stock in the uk half the time. Brake cylinder ATE from GSF is £11, same one in a vw box is more than £20 from VW. Master cylinder, VW £65, ATE £35 same part.

[MacAoidh]

I was in the local Honda dealer recently, with my 1987 Civic. They're decent guys, they know it's going to be scrapped in a year or so. Discs also in need of replacement, they suggested I go for non-Honda discs (difficult for a Honda Main Dealer to say), 'because they won't need to last so long'. So they supplied and fitted non-Honda. In other words, they seemed to think that they wouldn't last as long as the Honda kit. Different grade of metal.

Any metallurgists out there?

[HarryMann]

Grey cast iron... which should always be to pretty well the same specification for road cars, and probably 90% made now by one of half a dozen Chinese factories... I doubt if you'd tell the difference, they should be made to SAE J431 G3000

The grain size within the cast iron might affect the wear rate, but this should be controleld by that spec too.

I think its probably cheap pads that would contribute more to disc wear than the likelihood of disc material being duff. The discs should be 16mm when new, 12mm minimum (which is what some other vehicles (Talbot Express and derivatives) start off at!