Running in the brakes

(petermcmillan snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

They should be fine.

Really?

Just use 'em normally.

Ah. New discs. Fitted 'em yourself.

Did you clean the protective grease off the disks once you'd fitted 'em, before you put the pads in?

I'll correct that - should read "My dad 'thinks'"

I put new discs on my Mk5 Fiesta van many moons ago, and a bit of paper somewhere said that I had to use a special solvent to remove the protective grease from the discs. I didn't bother - just got a rag and gave them a good wipe with some force, thinking that the heat generated from the friction would burn it off before long anyway. Always stopped absolutely fine, including one very scary moment on the M4 between Langley and the M25, where the traffic came to a halt scarily quickly (I skidded but pumped the brakes - DIY ABS and avoided crashing, and yes, I probably wasn't keeping a good enough distance).

Peter

AstraVanMan ( snipped-for-privacy@Whataloadofforeskinbollocks.co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Mmmm. Odds are that Peter hasn't done even that.

No, I did do that. I got some proper brake cleaner stuff.

Good to see irony's alive and well.

Let's hope not.

Peter

they should be perfectly ok after a very short distance in my experience. Deffo should be working well after 70 miles.

(petermcmillan snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

I'd have thought the scraping noises would alert you if they were wrong way round.

If it was anybody but you, I'd agree.

(petermcmillan snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

All over, back to bright dry clean shiny metal, both sides?

Yes, definately.

Oh dear. I'll give them until the end of the week, and see what they're like. I want to change the fluid on the weekend too, I don't know if I'll want to let the brakes bed in first.

Are they OEM discs and pads? There's usually nothing wrong with pattern discs and pads from reputable manufacturers, but IME, some can be crap. I once cooked a set of front brake pads that had been fitted by a dealer before I baught the car. Virtually complete brake failure a couple of hundred miles later, coupled with smoke pouring out from under the front wings. When I took them out, they were completely burnt. Looked more like lumps of carbon than brake pads. If you fitted good discs and pads there is definitely something wrong if the brakes are as bad as you say, after only 70 miles. New discs and pads usually perform well immediately after fitting. The problem is that they tend to get hotter quicker, until they've bedded in. Hence the advice to take it easy until they've settled down, to reduce the chances of overheating and distorting the discs and/or burning the pads. Mike.

What make of pads did you get - normally they don't take 'too' long to bed, but if the material is a very hard compound then it'll take longer.

Assuming nothing else is wrong - like the servo, since thay aren't stopping you too good now - how good/bad were they previously?

Graham

How did you do it?

What make? Did you go for standard pads or some sort of heavily advertised ones that only work properly when the discs are red hot?

Pads barely need bedding in at all - especially on new discs. They both start off machined flat.

The message from "Dave Plowman (News)" contains these words:

Ah, "racing" pads, ideally suited for taking a clapped out Corsa down the chippy.

You're getting better.

Err Peter, I'd pay someone to change the fluid if I were you. It shouldn't cost more than £30.

No :-(. My bedroom cupboard is full of oils, and brake fuild is one of them. I've also just purchased an Eezibleed thing. I don't think it'll be too bad, especially with the Eezibleed.

The discs are Cafco's own make, and they said 'Top Stop' on them. The pads are Lucas' and they were from the same place.

They were brilliant before! Probably the best brakes I've ever had, and I was never short of stopping power. The only potential problem when stopping was locking the wheels. Some other Seicento owners do say that the brakes are rubbish, but I could never understand that. The originals weren't performance ones btw.

I noticed a slight squeak/squeal today when I turn the wheel slightly to the right, but it's barely noticeable. My dad says it's just because they need running in. I've done about 90 miles now.