Brakes

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mugglewump01, Jan 24, 2:10pm
Hi, passed my WoF end of October with 63% brakes according to the sheet. Had to call the AA out on Sunday, turns out my brakes have completely gone and a tag has been rubbing against the thing behind the wheel (sorry, it's a disc thing - not sure of the technical term!) which has caused a groove into said disc. Is this common for the brakes to go so quickly! It's just the rear right. My car is used for town use, not out thrashing it or anything.
Thanks
pandai, Jan 24, 2:23pm
The WOF only tests whether the brakes work or not, the amount of brake pad left isn't really taken into account.They were probably low already when you got the WOF.
carmedic, Jan 24, 2:31pm
The 63% is a measure of efficiency it has very little to do with the useful remaining life of your brakes.
The WoF is a visual inspection only at that moment in time; not a guarantee of the future.
There are many vehicles on which without removing a wheel (not part of the WoF) it??
mugglewump01, Jan 24, 2:41pm
Thanks carmedic. Short of taking my car for regular services and WoF's, what else can I do so I don't neglect my car as you state! It has services regularly, WoF's regularly (obviously) and anytime I feel something go a bit wrong I take it in for a check. It also has regular wheel balances/rotations etc. It would be great if you could elaborate on how I can take better care of something that I rely on so heavily, and know little about.
mugglewump01, Jan 24, 2:47pm
Oh and "he tag is the wear indicator it shouldn??
ct9a, Jan 24, 2:50pm
sounds like some very in competant mechanics that work on your vehicle, glad that NZTA is comming down on such monkeys

the inspector who issued w.o.f. needs this brought to his attention and should have at least checked the inner or outer pad,and spun the wheel on hoist hearing the wear tag.

ring 0800 699 000 and complain.
carmedic, Jan 24, 3:26pm
The bottom line is that your vehicle isn??
mugglewump01, Jan 24, 3:36pm
So would your advice be to switch mechanics!
hounddog2, Jan 24, 3:43pm
Others may disagree but IMO you should do a service every 6 months so try putting this service halfway between your wofs. This way every three months its getting looked at
ct9a, Jan 24, 4:57pm
ah are you thick mate,when i do a wof check i check the brakes
when you do your ordit do you not check them! drum brakes usually have a rubber grommet you are ment to check them!
ct9a, Jan 24, 4:58pm
What a moron, if you are not aware wof's are a visual inspection only. So while it was ok on the day does not mean its ok even the day after

yeah brake pads wear out in 5minutes
ct9a, Jan 24, 5:00pm
Its the owners responsibility to maintain a vehicle

what planet are you on guys,people take there vehicle in to automotive workshops!
it is up to the technicians to perform there dutys correctly and heck if you lot dont check brakes in a wof im highly disgusted what has the trade come to!
ct9a, Jan 24, 5:02pm
BINGO your vehicle is OBVIOUSLY not getting checked properly and why anyone would argue this point over worn pads is beyond me just plain idiocy in my eyes . i and many other familys have to travel nz roads with these vehicles that are not even up to standerds
ct9a, Jan 24, 5:06pm
rear brake pads dont just go like a bulb idiot
rear brake pads wear slower then the front due to weight distrubution under braking load etc as you surely no

luckily im not in noddy land like you and expect evry owner to no when things on there vehicle are worn cause peolpe like you dont VISUALLY see them at wof time
pge, Jan 24, 5:08pm
Find a mechanic you can trust, cultivate a relationship (benign!) with them, and stick to him.

To a degree, carmedic, ct9a does have a point - during a WOF check, my mechanic visually checks my brakes externally, and there have been times when he has pointed out that the pads were getting low, I have had him replace them on the spot.

I do agree, servicing is more than just an oil-change, while it is up on the hoist, a general lookround is a wise insurance measure.
pdc1, Jan 24, 5:14pm
Hi, I sort of agree with what most others are saying with lack of servicing. If you have just been sending the car in for oil changes only, this isn't enough.
I'm not sure I would go as far as switching mechanics. It maybe be that he has been servicing the car quite well but has tried to keep costs down a little for you, and has missed little details such as checking brake pad wear. Unfortunately this has inconvienced you (and not necessarily endangering you).
Maybe get the car checked by someone else that you can trust and get their opinion of what needs servicing and go from there with your decision of changing mechanics. I don't believe it is something for the message board to comment without knowing all the facts, however if you have sent the car in for a service that includes checking the brakes, I would be a bit concerned.
It could be that you just need to tell you mechanic that when he services it to check everything and do anything that needs to be done so it will be 100%reliable till the next service, although this will probably cost.
Good luck.
mugglewump01, Jan 24, 5:19pm
Thanks all, I am going to give them a call and see what happens during their servicing. I had it serviced in October at the same time as the WoF and I assumed the service covered everything. Clearly I was wrong!

And as for the boyracer comment above - definitely not! Bit old for that stuff now, plus I wouldn't even know where to start

Thanks
ct9a, Jan 24, 6:44pm
i issue wofs too have for 8years now ,do you john 456!

and i truely am disgusted in people attitude on here regarding to safety and putting the responsibility onto the owners.
is the trade going backwards!
ct9a, Jan 24, 7:18pm
correct

do you expect a 60+ year old lady to tell a mechanic what to do,no she relies on the professional service of the tradesman!

a customer takes their vehicle to a workshop to make sure everythings ok and expects that shop to no what they are doing
not have them come out and say o well you didnt specify you wanted brakes checked .a week after it was just in !
ct9a, Jan 24, 7:19pm
and as a AVI you must no that it is YOUR autograph on the checksheet,not the owners !
ct9a, Jan 24, 7:21pm
im glad i run my shop to a high standard where everything is looked after ,noted etc and prices given to client before any work further is carried out. the way i thought every shop in nz was run but seems not.
ct9a, Jan 24, 7:23pm
and if your going to be a smart arse and say"at all time" meaning 24 7 haha good on you
cause normal people when something does happen or go wrong and the vehicle is abnormal to operate then they take it to a garage to you guessed it a technician to sort out that issue to maintain to a legal,safe vehicle
carmedic, Jan 24, 11:50pm
What the hell has that got to do with it!

Brake pads are a visual inspection only, preformed without removing the wheels, the VIRM states that they should be within manufactures tolerances. If you can??
clark20, Jan 25, 2:54am
How many times have we heard that the "dealer" is ripping the customers off, I know what Honda was doing to my car and the part I liked is they measured the brake pads every time, so you knew they were being checked and all the other things they do. Yes, it is my responsibility to make my car safe, and I do that by choosing the right people to service it.
carkitter, Jan 25, 5:13am
I took my vehicle for a WoF and was told it failed on low pads despite the technician not removing the wheels. As a former service technician myself I was livid he would check brake wear in this fashion especially since this practice has been denounced by Fair Go. I replaced the pads myself so they made no extra money out of this dodgy practice.

@john-456
Vehicles with drum brakes do not have pads they have brake shoes. Pads are only used with disc brakes.