took my blob eye to work back in october and pulled up and the n/s breaks were smoking.....i automatically thought pads want changing,anyway the car was sorn over the xmas period,just gone back to it,took pads off both sides,still loads of life in them, the guy in the shop where i went to order some pads said caliper will be locking up....

now i think about it,i had no grinding noise as if the pads was worn also after the smoking issue it drove fine, if the caliper is locking up is there anything i can do instead of replacing the whole unit?

also my discs are fine no marks what can i clean them up witth as theyve gone a orange due to the weather

 

I suspect you have sticking pistons in the caliper, these can be sorted with a simple service, no need to change the whole caliper.