Non Cortina... New brakes for the MOT

[Beeper 85]

I took my Peugeot in for it MOT almost 12 months ago. Arnold Clark do/did a video assessment for my viewing pleasure. "The front pads are getting a bit thin and the discs are starting to 'groove'," He said, he also showed where the rear shocks were getting rusty on the bottoms. Finding a cheap pair is like looking for the Holy Grail, they are stupid money and GSF don't have any in stock anywhere! So, back to the discs and pads. "A bit thin" he said, I didn't know just how thin he meant the pads were/are!

 

 Why can't I rotate my pictures? I have them the correct way up in my 'pictures' folder but here, they just go onto their side!

Edited June 27 by Beeper

[martog 149]

Yes, needed to be changed, and now rather than later. 

I ran a couple of mk4 Golf TDI's for about 13 years between them and I had to change the rear pads on them every couple of years yet the fronts would last forever.

I used Juratek brake parts, don't know if you have heard of them but they have been excellent in my opinion.

[sheffieldcortinacentre 759]

On tHose pads w,hen grove. In middle has gone.

My falcon eats pads on average 5000 miles per set.

[Beeper 85]

5 hours ago, martog said:

Yes, needed to be changed, and now rather than later. 

I ran a couple of mk4 Golf TDI's for about 13 years between them and I had to change the rear pads on them every couple of years yet the fronts would last forever.

I used Juratek brake parts, don't know if you have heard of them but they have been excellent in my opinion.

 

When I had my Mk1 Fiestas, an 1100L  first then a 957 (hc)L (much quicker than the 1.1L) I used to buy 1.3/1.6 front pads as they were harder material. The down side was that the discs would wear out quicker!

[Beeper 85]

5 hours ago, sheffieldcortinacentre said:

On tHose pads w,hen grove. In middle has gone.

My falcon eats pads on average 5000 miles per set.

 

On my old GT, I actually had the pads down to the metal once. On a day trip to Rhyl. Luckily my mate in his Mk4 and his G/F tagged along with us, (us being me and my best mate) and he had an old set in his boot which he gave to me and I swapped them over at the side of a Welsh country lane. Ahh, the good old days.

Edited June 27 by Beeper

[TimB 102]

I've had a Citroen C3 1.6 SX Auto 2006 from new 110K mls. It is only on it's second set of pads, has original discs, original exhaust. And that is the Mrs driving most of the miles. 

[disco_monkey79 33]

On 6/28/2026 at 12:53 AM, Beeper said:

 

When I had my Mk1 Fiestas, an 1100L  first then a 957 (hc)L (much quicker than the 1.1L) I used to buy 1.3/1.6 front pads as they were harder material. The down side was that the discs would wear out quicker!

Interesting. My first car was a 1.1 Fiasco Ghia (cos I am classy). It was frighteningly slow on the motorway. Wish I knew the smaller Valencia engine was quicker!

 

I hated motorway driving until I got a new car (Capri 2.0S)

[Beeper 85]

Not all the smaller engines. My sister had a Mk2 Fiesta 950 and literally could not pull the skin off a rice pudding. My 950 was listed on the log sheet as 957(hc) L. The (hc) for high compression! On a run out to buy an ebay item once, near spaghetti, junction I actually had the needle go past the maximum indicated 100mph! After that, number 3 little end would start to rumble a little bit after 75/80! 

[Beeper 85]

Following on from the brakes issue. This evening I decided to replace the back shocks. Remind me, if ever I have a lapse of judgement when buying a car in the future, NEVER to by a French  car ever again! I started the job around half 6, "still plenty of daylight for a pair of back shocks" I thought. Ohhhh nooooo. Gone are the days of my first job, Kack Fit 1982, fitting a pair of Cortina/Escort (or anything else really) back shocks in about 1/2 an hour or less. This one, yes ONE left rear shock absorber has taken me from half 6 'ish' to about 10:15!!!!! I jacked it in due to poor light. Now I have to do it all over again tomorrow for the drivers side. It must be all French cars, because my MOT guy said to me, when I was getting shut of my Trusty (floor very rusty) old Toyota Yaris Verso, "DON'T buy a Renault OR a Nissan!" 

edit; So that's Dacia out of contention.

Edited Friday at 09:45 AM by Beeper