Dave25

Getting the P1 it's 30k service today at Bell & Colville, and on task for them was to take a look at the brakes - I felt that the pads were going as they were grumbling under heavy braking and thought it was the pads.....

However, reading on here it seems it may be the discs - they've just called to say the discs are badly cracked ( from heat, they say ) and that they need to be replaced. I'm getting the Prodrive upgrade on Saturday so they say it will be OK till then if I take it easy.

Question is - the pads have lasted 30k miles so can I expect the discs to be replaced under warranty? ( Car is 18 months old! )

The car's never been on a track, treated resonably well!

Thanks,

David.

DominicA

Disks should easily last longer than 30k, even when they're knackered they SHOULD NOT be cracked. Warranty job me thinks!!

Dave25

Just picked the car up and went through it with the service guy - he agrees ( and has put on the service docket ) that it is the disc getting too hot and warping when hot - hence the grinding I was getting. There's still a good 5-6 mm of pad left.

The discs definately show signs of heat damage - cracks running from the inside to the outside of the disc. He also said that you could see the heat damage as the caliper was also losing it's colouring - going white in places.

Not sure what to do now! The calipers are fine but it's the discs that are the problem. I will probably just sell the calipers with the remaining pads - the discs will have to be junked. Though would be nice to get brand new discs to sell on...... Thoughts?

David.

russell hayward

If the Alcon disks you are getting last anything like 30k, you will be very lucky.

They will not usually be replaced under warranty either, so be prepared for £600 replacement cost.

I think I would have bought the AP setup in hindsight.

Hoppy

Dave, your problem is the OEM discs. These are not up to the standard car, let alone a P1. Since you're under warranty, push for replacement Prodrive discs and pads (Ferodo DS2000 = good). I'm a Prodrive fan (maybe a bit costly, but good) but why they let the P1 out without any brake upgrade is beyond me.

Cracked discs are dangerous. But there's nothing wrong with your calipers. The discs are the problem. If you don't go on track, the Prodrive jobbies should do the trick. Let us know how you get on.

Cheers,

Richard.

Jools

Dave,
I had done less than 12K on my MY99 wagon, when I noticed the same cracks you describe. I went back to the dealer and listened to all the crap about driving too fast and too hard, but stuck to my argument about the brakes being fit for purpose, etc.
If the car is designed to accelerate and go as hard as it does then it must be able to slow down and stop quickly as well. You could argue that one goes hand in hand with the other, I did. I also pointed out that if I wanted to be a Sunday driver I would have bought a Mondeo or a Vectra, not a bloody Subaru!

The dealer asked for a couple of days to discuss the problem with Subaru and in the mean time the passenger disc cracked from the inside of the disc to the outer edge. At the outer edge, the disc was open 5 mm.

When I arrived back at the dealer at nearly closing time, I asked what the feedback from Subaru was. Still waiting they said!. I then showed them the passenger disc and began expressing my concerns...the discs were replaced immediately under warranty, with no further questions. The mechanic even had to work overtime. (Within a couple of months, I soon upgraded the brakes myself)

Therefore, I would dig in and demand that the old discs are replaced under warranty. The fact you are upgrading the brakes is a side issue and not related in any way to the primary issue; That is, your standard brakes are cracked with tiny heat fractures and, without doubt, they will fail, if not changed out...

Turboteeth

I've had standard P1 discs on my MY96 Wagon for less than 2 months after the originals both became badly warped but they have already started to groan under heavy braking!!!

I drive my car hard, but even so this must suggest that standard P1 brakes are not really up to the job...