Pete The Biker

My 200OMY Scooby has done about 35,000 miles, and I have noticed that the rear disks aren't as shiny as the front disks - there seem to be marks on the surface of the metal as if the pads just aren't biting. They certainly don't get hot like the front disks do. It's the same on both rear disks.

I am not sure if braking performance is up to scratch as I haven't got another car to compare it with, but I do have the feeling that they aren't what they used to be. The car has been dealer serviced from new. The handbrake works fine.

Does this suggest that there is a problem with some sort of pressure balancing/relief valve, or have both calipers seized (too much of a coincidence?).

The car is still under warranty so that's not a problem, but I do like to know what I am talking about so the dealer doesn't try to fob me off!

Any thoughts would be much appreciated.

Leslie

The only way to get it checked is to go to an MOT garage and get them to check the relative brake perfomance for you on the rollers. I doubt that your rear pads are that badly worn down to the backplates at that mileage. Not impossible I suppose though.

Les

Pete The Biker

Les - thanks for that.

Plenty of depth left on the pads - no problem there.

floppy dave

dude, try the wheels tyres and brakes forum, you will get a better responce in there i feel

Pete The Biker

Cheers Dave - will do

greasemonkey

Sounds like everything's fine. Don't forget that the front brakes do the vast majority of the braking thanks to the weight transferring forward.

If your rears were getting as hot as the rears, there'd be something seriously wrong!

RON

Pete,
I've had a few different upgraded front brake kits, but up to now have never done anything with the rears, (my00), but I have now fitted mintex pads, and the rear wheels now get as much brake dust as the fronts, and the discs are shiny, yours sound fine, it seems that as standard the padas are so hard that they end up not doing a lot.
If you've got upgraded front pads, put the same in the rears, if you haven't, get some!
Ron.

Pete The Biker

Greasemonkey & Ron - thanks for your thoughts.

I had the wheels off yesterday to check things out, and the calipers are fine (I did wonder whether they were seized and not sliding across to centralise round the disc).

I took the car for a short test run, braking heavily etc, and the rear disks were sure hot enough then (ouch!!) but the marking on the surface of the disks was still there - it didnt seem to have polished up at all.

I was coming round to the thought that perhaps the rear pads were very hard (no brake dust at all) or the surface had become glazed in some way. This fits in with your comments Ron, so I think that must be the answer.

If anyone else has any other ideas, I would be very interested!

stockcar

some times with age the pads can go "off", particuarly when they get so little use (relatively speaking)
if your at all worries about this, then a small investment in a new set of rear pads would solve your problem.......
(as a guide we sell O.E. quality rears for £20-£30inc. dependant on caliper)
hope this helps,
alyn - asperformance.com

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

I've got a simlar problem, They just don't clean up

I put it down to lack of use (35K on MY97). But pad's going "off" is a good point. Going to uprate them to match the fronts soon, so I'll keep you posted (if I get round to it )

As a note, I thought I'd point out that the handbrake uses seperate shoes that work on the internal sufaces of the disc, much like a drum brake, so adjusting the handbrake will have no differance on the rear brakes (unless they're binding).

Pete The Biker

Thanks everyone - I shall try cleaning the pads to start with..............

Pete