My 2003 corolla apparently has 85% worn pads according to the dealer at it latest service. This will be its second set in 2 years/ 40 K miles. He quoted £126 which I think is expensive on top of everything else ( service/ MOT £270).
Kwick gaurentee theres for as long as you own the car and have quoted £84. Where's the catch??
Edited by Pugugly {P} on 13/10/2007 at 11:23
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I'd take the car to an independant garage for a quick check - you may well find they don't need doing at all.
The problem with kwik fit is you'll go in for a set of brake pads and get told you need discs, pads, suspension and tyres all round
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I don't know where the catch and their website says to ask the centre manager for the terms and conditions but I would take a guess that it will be something like this:
Firstly £84 for a set of brake pads isn't cheap. You can probably pick up a cheap set for around £10-£15 from a local motor factors and Kwik-Fit won't even pay that much for them through their suppliers. The pads probably only take around fifteen minutes to fit each side so at £84 there is a lot of profit in the job, even if it is £84 for front and rear they are still well into profit with the job.
Secondly it is only the pads that are guaranteed for life, they will charge you accordingly for any discs that you require at their top draw prices for cheap components and if they say your discs are knackered then you will be obliged to have them changed to keep your pad guarantee valid.
Thirdly just because the pads are guaranteed does it mean that they will always replace them completely free of charge or will you have to pay for the fitting regardless? I only ask because it doesn't say and they might sting you to pay for the future fitting, but not the actual pads.
Finally they are running on the assumption that brake pads take a relatively long time to wear out and that people change their cars regularly. Hence they probably only expect to fit say 50% or less of the cars again with free pads in the future. They figure that a lot of the cars will have been sold on. Even if they do return for free pads, then expect Kwik-Fit to find some other work that needs doing at the same time.
At the end of they day they are doing this scheme to make money. As many other things in life you don't get something for nothing, so don't fall into the trap of thinking that it is a goldmine for the car owner. Why not just take your car to a decent independant garage who will change your brake pads for a damn sight less than the main dealer and Kwik-Fit, and should do a decent job of it too.
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Way over the top at either. Find a good independent or mobile mechanic and you'll get a much better price and probably get a better job done. I paid a good mobile mechanic £130 to replace the rear discs *and* pads on my 406. £90 for bits and £40 labour.
I get nervous going to these fast fit places to replace just the rear silencer or something.
GB
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>>Kwick gaurentee theres for as long as you own the car and have quoted £84. Where's the catch??
Could the pads be so carp, they know that come the first emergency stop the car'll be written off?
Edited by bathtub tom on 13/10/2007 at 15:17
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My Toyota dealer said at my 20k Yaris service that the brake pads were 'amber' on a scale of green to red. Now at 72k miles, and they're still going strong.
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I dont think Q F are any worse than anyone else, but I would rather have M/D parts than Q F.
They check the disc before they fit the pads so if the discs are not within man limits they want you to replace them as well as the pads,iirc they dont offer this warranty if they dont change the discs as well(assuming they are needed)
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Front pads on my 2005 1.6 Corolla were 20% worn at 19,500 miles according to the dealer.
Local running involves lots of hills, lots of traffic, the rest of the mileage was on long trips on motorways, A roads etc and averaging 40 to 45 door to door. Maybe the O/E pads were improved for the 2005 model, or maybe I don't use brakes very often :-)
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ON my old mid 90's Corolla, pads were worn in 25k Miles. Dealer just said about new brake compounds etc. Anyway eventually found tiny hole in piston rubber which caused some small amount of corrosion on top of piston, meaning brakes were binding slightly when hot.
If you are going through pads, worth checking for slight binding.
A Honda mechanic also reckoned some forms of asbestos-free brake pad compounds
"age" with the constant hot/cold brake cycle far more than the old type of compound.
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Misterp just a suggestion get a haynes manual, go to a good factors buy good pads (ferodo mintex or similar) and put em on yourself, Japanese cars are usually very easy to work on even if their made in Burnaston.
If the discs look grooved or have a massive wear lip get some new ones and have a go at fitting em as well, i bet one of your mates is a bit handy and would at least drink your beer whilst overseeing you do it.
You then know its been done right and you know the quality of the parts youve fitted.
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