Brake discs

[Garylucy123]

Can anyone help, I have had many prolems with my renault dealer culminating in them powder coating my alloys due to them damaging them. But since then I have noticed a judder when I brake the car has just been in for it's first MOT and they say i need new discs and pads cost £550. Is this normal after 3 years and 40000 miles or could they have been warped when the wheels were replaced.

[davelowe]

Not sure I quite follow what you are saying. Renault damaged your alloys? How and under what circumstances??

In any case, the figure you have been quoted is ridiculous. The rear brake discs and pads are about £120 and the front about £50. Fitting should take around 1.5 hours being VERY generous.

If you could explain the history of the car (model/year) - I assume its around a 2006 plate, someone will be able to help.

All I would suggest - without any other information - is that you get the car checked out thoroughly by an independant garage - any number of things could be wrong with it. Waiting until the 3 year warranty is up then landing that bill is taking the michael.

[Garylucy123]

I know tell me about it, my alloys had the paint damaged on three occasions when the wheels had to come off for servicing or tyre replacement. Eventually they got so bad they took them of to be powder coated after i got the car back that is when I noticed the judder. The car is a 225 lux with the cup chasis on a 56 plate.

[davelowe]

Hmmm I don't know anything about the mechanics of the 225 - or the costs of the parts, but you could look them up. I was basing my estimate on the dynamique / privilege models. That said, the whole situation is decidedly odd.

As for the judder, have they replaced the discs or pads before? The estimate sounds like it includes rectifying something that they haven't mentioned and might have damaged themselves. If they are so incompetent that they can't remove and/or store the wheels without damaging them, what hope for anything else?

I'm sure someone will give you some legal advice - there is at least one person on here who knows all about it. I think (but I don't know) that you can have the car repaired by any garage provided they use genuine Renault parts and are VAT registered without effecting any warranty. You might also be able to claim part or all of the repair costs too.

I would take it to another dealership for a second opinion (it's certainly worth the retest fee to find out) and you can legally drive the car without an MOT provided it is only directly to a pre-booked MOT test.

Maybe the discs were replaced before and not seated properly or the pads were not put in correctly. There are lots of bog standard things. They could have botched the powder coat job, or if the wheels were so damaged they needed a re-coat, they could even have swapped them for 'some out the back' instead.

I'm out of ideas, but I hope someone else gives some input, because they shouldn't be able to get away with such shoddy work.

[zerocool]

chances r they have taken it out and ragged it and warped the discs its not something u can damage when changing the wheels.
the price is not far off the mark i priced up a set of renault pads and discs this morning and the pads were £115 and the discs were about £200.

[Andyab]

The rear discs on my 55 plate RS Megane are below the wear limit, it's only done 30,000mls! Me thinks the rear calipers are semi seized causing premiture wear. Mine hasn't suffered juddering though.