Brake pad put in incorrectly

[Learner]

My car is getting serviced and i have been told the brake pad have been put incorrectly ( upside down?). Is this even possible? and been quoted around £170 to fix them.

Should i worry about this? As, it has been working and like this for a while

 

[W1ghty]

Is that an MB quote ? Whoever fitted them should be liable to repair/replace them

 

[bob6600]

Sometimes the inner and outer pads are different and it could be that they have been put in the wrong position, although still not sure how this can happen. It may have the spring clips fitted incorrectly but again you would probably notice I would get a second opinion.

 

[219]

I suppose it is possible ( that they are in upside down ) there are so many shapes and designs .

It is hard to see why it should cost so much ; swapping out brake pads takes only a few minutes , and even front pads for larger cars aren’t anywhere near that price .

Even the front pads for my S Class , I always fit ATE which were factory fitment , are only £60 , and another £20 if I want to renew the pins and clips ; I can do these on my drive in around 20mins per corner ; faster if I had the car up on a ramp , so no way should it cost £170 .

Even if your pads are in upside down , if they aren’t worn right down or worn unevenly, you can just take them out and put them back in the right way up ( could only happen swapping inner and outer pads on each disc .

 

[markjay]

I am assuming that the quote includes new pads, because the old pads would have already been bedded-in and shouldn't really be reused in a different position.

 

[markjay]

The issue with reusing pads that are not new/flat is that they'll never bed-in properly, because their starting point will be uneven pads against uneven discs. I suppose that an indie would consider making the pads surface flat and then refitting them anyway, but this is obviously not something a dealer would do.

 

[markjay]

As for incorrect fitting... I am guessing that incorrect fitting of this sort will cause brake squeal, though I can't think of any other ill-effects.

 

[Learner]

As for incorrect fitting... I am guessing that incorrect fitting of this sort will cause brake squeal, though I can't think of any other ill-effects.

Yes, they do squeal a bit and i am being told that they could snap.

 

[Learner]

The issue with reusing pads that are not new/flat is that they'll never bed-in properly, because their starting point will be uneven pads against uneven discs. I suppose that an indie would consider making the pads surface flat and then refitting them anyway, but this is obviously not something a dealer would do.

The brake pads are new, their was no mention of changing them but fitting them correctly. I will recheck.

 

[whitenemesis]

What model and year C class is this?

 

[219]

The issue with reusing pads that are not new/flat is that they'll never bed-in properly, because their starting point will be uneven pads against uneven discs. I suppose that an indie would consider making the pads surface flat and then refitting them anyway, but this is obviously not something a dealer would do.

That's why I said as long as they aren't worn unevenly ; but since the OP now says the pads are new , there should be minimal wear and I'd just swap them round the right way then see how they sit .

 

[Jobsworth]

On many pads the piston bears on a thin shim stuck to the backing plate. To minimise squeal there is often a semi-circle cut out of the shim so the pad is pressed onto the disc unevenly. There is usually an arrow to show which way the pad should go. I’m fairly sure this is what they have picked up on. It isn’t a safety concern. The brakes will work, you may experience some pad squeal

 

[markjay]

On many pads the piston bears on a thin shim stuck to the backing plate. To minimise squeal there is often a semi-circle cut out of the shim so the pad is pressed onto the disc unevenly. There is usually an arrow to show which way the pad should go. I’m fairly sure this is what they have picked up on. It isn’t a safety concern. The brakes will work, you may experience some pad squeal

That was my thinking as well. The person who fitted the pads simply ignored the arrows.

 

[markjay]

That's why I said as long as they aren't worn unevenly ; but since the OP now says the pads are new , there should be minimal wear and I'd just swap them round the right way then see how they sit .

Agreed, and an indie would probably do that, but as said, this is not something a dealer would do - they go by the book, and the book says that used pads are not to be refitted in a different position.

 

[markjay]

The brake pads are new, their was no mention of changing them but fitting them correctly. I will recheck.

If they are new... who fitted them? As W1ghty said, go back to whoever fitted them and explain the issue.

 

[pmcgsmurf]

I'm confused but that is easy these days.

If the pads are "new" and in the wrong way (orientation), why not just get who fitted them to sort it?

Highly unlikely they are actually in the wrong way as it would be difficult (very?) to do this.
Much more likely that they are "sided" as pointed out and they are in the wrong location.

 

[CrazyCow]

Directional pads are becoming more common now and below is an interesting link that explains it.

DIRECTIONAL BRAKE PADS


If the pads are still as new I agree that it should only be a matter of re-fitting them correctly.

 

[Learner]

It's fixed now, dealer put them back in correct direction, they didn't need to replace them. unfortunately, these were fitted before i bought the car, so don't know who did it. Just wondering though would the MB showroom i bought this from will cover the expense, this was bought at the end of Feb?

 

[W1ghty]

It's fixed now, dealer put them back in correct direction, they didn't need to replace them. unfortunately, these were fitted before i bought the car, so don't know who did it. Just wondering though would the MB showroom i bought this from will cover the expense, this was bought at the end of Feb?

They should cover that cost because you will have 12 months Tier 1 MB warranty an an approved used car ?
Im surprised the MB dealer who has just corrected them didn’t tell you that

 

[whitenemesis]

Just wondering though would the MB showroom i bought this from will cover the expense,

Did they fit the pads?