MOT advisory, opinions?

[mikesndbs]

Hi guys

Long time no chat.


I recently had a MOT done on my Leon.

It threw up a MOT advisory that I'd like your opinion on please.

'Front brakes only just met the front brake imbalance requirements. It would
appear system needs adjustment or repair'

Also referring to the front brakes but not on the advisory was N/S/F
Calliper thread weak.


And not part of the MOT but just started to notice this:

my fuel gauge has been playing up a bit occasionally not working.
Re starting the car usually cures the issue but I scanned it and got the
following:
"Fuel level sensor (G)
Sporadic open/short circuit to positive.


Ran these issues past JKM.
They say I'd need to replace front discs and pads to sort the brake imbalance (£198).
Discs are only 2 years old however!
And to sort the gauge they would do diagnostics that start at £66!

So a big old bill there.

What do you think?

Cheers

Mike

 

[Viking]

Discs aren't time related for replacement, they're wear related. Once you've worn a certain amount off the thickness then they'll be flagged up as needing replacement. From memory, the wear limit on the rears is 2mm and on the front it's 3mm. So if you've lost more than 3mm then your discs should be replaced, along with a set of new pads of course.

 

[mikesndbs]

Discs aren't time related for replacement, they're wear related. Once you've worn a certain amount off the thickness then they'll be flagged up as needing replacement. From memory, the wear limit on the rears is 2mm and on the front it's 3mm. So if you've lost more than 3mm then your discs should be replaced, along with a set of new pads of course.

Hi, yes I accept that but I have only done about 7000 miles on them and am a gentle driver as well!
Could be a bad set I guess?

 

[Viking]

Well, if you're asking a garage to fix them then they'll generally err on the side of caution and recommend replacing discs and pads as a starter. It's generally cheaper and more convenient to just fix the problem rather than diagnosing it and then mucking about with repairs etc. only to find that it's not a viable fix anyway. Once you start paying for labour it's generally best to pay for new parts and cut down the labour charge than pay more labour to fettle old parts.

 

[Slimy]

I thought a brake imbalance is normally caused by a sticky piston? It might be worth checking your pads to see if one side is worn down more than the other.

 

[csd_19]

Could also be seized caliper guide pins - caliper won't move as intended so you'll only get braking from the piston side of the caliper.

 

[mikesndbs]

All good points chaps thanks

Any idea about the fuel level sens? seems to me like a lose wire or someting simple. Trouble is I don't know where to look to check?

 

[LCRnorwich]

In terms of the brake imbalance it could just as simple a strip and cleanout of the brakes (assuming that the MOT test stations brake rollers are working properly), if your happy that the brakes have plenty of life left in them its got to be worth 1 hour of your time to have a quick strip and clean. ;-)
We often have customers cars that fail on, or have an advisory due to brake imbalance, we always recommend they start with a clean and strip, and if when we've got the brakes apart we can then advise as to wether need any pads or discs.

Hope that all made sense?