Presumably you didn't get a quote before agreeing to the work, so effectively they could pluck a number out of thin air and stick a row of zeros on if you looked rich enough, unfortunately this type of pricing and attitude seems to be more common at the more fashionable* end of the car market.

It used to be the case that one of the regular factors supplied Textar pads to the german car dealer, i myself have short circuited the dealer pad price by buying the identical pads with same part numbers from the factor (indistinguishable with unlabelled OE pads but the box direct from factor didn't have car makers label) for less than half the price of the dealer supplied parts, had you not fallen prey to their 'panic' report i am sure a few minutes research on the right forum would provide the answers for you.

Your exchange with the service bod might not worry them (they do after all have your hard earned) but these threads once linked to on other forums might well worry them.

* i am staggered by a close friend who once again has bought another of these cars, each previous one proving to be serious trouble so much that he dare not keep out of warranty, it does not compute with me, such is the attraction they hold for some.

Edited by gordonbennet on 08/06/2017 at 19:26

I'm sorry to say this, but if you didn't get a quotation for the job BEFORE authorising the work, then it's your own fault.

Nothing more to be said. You negotiate a price before getting work done. Not after.

Very helpful response. Thank you.

Was the brake pad warning light showing on the dash

NO

...,or were the pads replaced on the advice of the service dept?

YES

And....the job was completed within an hour..I can prove that....call from service manager at 4pm advising replacement required .....Car ready at 5pm. Labour charge £102 x2 +VAT

(parts billed at £244 + VAT including new sensors)

Edited by mcros on 08/06/2017 at 22:51

When we had our Golf in for its 30,000 miles/3 year service the dealer rang and said it needed new front pads. Told then I would sort it. They told me it was a safety issue since it would not get to the next service before running out of pad, told them again I would sort it. One weekend sortly after I dropped a front wheel of to check the pads and they were absolutely fine, loads of material left.

At the 40,000 service they did exactly the same and I told them again to leave them. Still loads of material left.

At 50,000 miles they did the same yet again and yet again I told them to leave them. By this time the pads were down to probably 25% remaining but certainly not worn out.

At the 60,000 service not a mention. At about 63,000 miles I replaced the pads one weekend (they still had material left and all 4 were equally worn). £30 approx for a set of pads (Mintex/Ferodo/Pagid/Brembo?) and a couple of hours on the drive. Would have been quicker with a 4 post lift and a windy gun but such luxuries are not available at home.

But no 2 drivers use the pads at the same rate simply because no 2 drivers use the barkes the same adn we don't all drive in exactly the same conditions.

Sytners price is having a laugh. Seat had fixed price repairs for the Leon I have just swapped, the pads fitted were £125 per axle set.

One last point, I have never needed to replace rear pads on any road car we have owned. Compared to the front they do b***** all (unless you drive round with the handbrake on), Sytner have well and truly robbed you

We bought a Mini Cooper S from Sytners once. After the handover we never went back, it was that bad an experience..

Edited by Avant on 11/06/2017 at 01:03

QUOTE (RobJP)

As I said previously, anyone who just gives a main agent the go-ahead on work without getting a price for said work - especially if it's maintenance work, rather than investigating and attempting to diagnose a fault - is asking to pay through the nose. When the dealer phoned the OP up, informing them of the work that needed doing, it would have been a matter of seconds to ask "How much is this going to cost".

Failure to do so is only the OP's fault. Nobody else is to blame.

UNQUOTE

RobJP - maybe you should not jump to conclusions ......

if you read my original post you will see that at no point did I say that the dealer had not quoted a price before the work was authorised. My point, if you can try and understand it, is that having agreed to the work (faced with the 99% worn statement ...I am not a mechanic but that sounds to me like "dangerous") I told them to go ahead. In retrospect - wrong decision. Thank you for pointing that out more than once.

AFTER I was presented with the itemised bill, showing for example the £200 labour charge, I decided to look at Mini's standard/fixed service pricing policy - when it emerged that Mini UK quote £220 for full pad and sensor replacements on over 3 year old cars I decided to question the pricing logic.

My point in posting the experience here was simply to highlight some interesting pricing disparity across models, the fact that Mini UK believe their "value pricing" is simpy "recommende" pricing and open to change by any dealer who wishes to do so..(which might be of interest to other owners who may find the need to have this work done on their vehicles). and to ask if anyone else with perhaps more technical knowledge could explain why brake pads for the R56 cost less than half those of the F56. ..so far nobody, I think, has come up with that answer ...I suspect it is something like "they are bigger than on older models"

Sadly this then gives others the opportunity to post personal criticism.

Thank you for your interest in the subject.

I consider this post closed, although the forum, I think, doesn't give me the opportunity to flag it as such.

Edited by mcros on 09/06/2017 at 19:48