Feeling ripped off

Eddie fh

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Hi all , recently I booked my car in for new pads to be fitted by a merc independent. My b class has done 30 thousand and was under the impression I would get 2 sets of pads to one set of discs . During the pads being fitted mechanic phoned to say discs are just legal and pads will only last half the mileage they should if I leave old discs on .
I used a specialist rather than dealer for price but also with it being still on warranty they were using genuine merc parts .
I payed £300 for discs and pads on front end ; merc dealer wanted £400 fitted.
Even though I can afford it just feel I’ve been taken for a ride and over payed for unnecessarily work/parts .
Most of my commutes are fast a roads and motorways but wouldn’t say I was to aggressive at driving I’ve just change original continental sport 5 tyres at 29000 miles for example.
 

Blobcat

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Did he mention the thickness of the discs?

I had to have a new front set of discs and pads on mine for the mot as massive imbalance left to right (couldn't feel it when driving) discs and pads had lots of life left in them but they were dead.
 
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Eddie fh

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Did he mention the thickness of the discs?

I had to have a new front set of discs and pads on mine for the mot as massive imbalance left to right (couldn't feel it when driving) discs and pads had lots of life left in them but they were dead.
He did but can’t remember what they where , other than close to illegal
 

Blobcat

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He did but can’t remember what they where , other than close to illegal
Then you've not been ripped off, he's doing his job and saving you money in the longer term - yes the discs should have lasted longer but the sad thing these days is they don't.
 
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Eddie fh

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Then you've not been ripped off, he's doing his job and saving you money in the longer term - yes the discs should have lasted longer but the sad thing these days is they don't.
Fair enough bud
 

Atavus

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I’ve never seen any law regarding disc thickness, so I wouldn’t be impressed. Better to talk about disc thickness and get the minimum and maximum from the manufacturer. Scored discs will accelerate pad wear and maybe they should have said that. No wonder people don’t trust garages.
 
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Eddie fh

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I’ve never seen any law regarding disc thickness, so I wouldn’t be impressed. Better to talk about disc thickness and get the minimum and maximum from the manufacturer. Scored discs will accelerate pad wear and maybe they should have said that. No wonder people don’t trust garages.
He did say they wouldn’t last as long possibly only half the life they should , possibly next time it would be more cost affective to put on a budget set of pads with the old discs to get a bit more life from the discs ?
 

LostKiwi

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He did say they wouldn’t last as long possibly only half the life they should , possibly next time it would be more cost affective to put on a budget set of pads with the old discs to get a bit more life from the discs ?
Why compromise on safety?
 

Atavus

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How can you say they’ll last half as long? I expect they just make this up. When the local Mercedes tech was down on figures, he said discs and pads would be the first thing on the list. Safety items were such an easy sell. I like being safe, but that’s not a good excuse to rip me off, IMO.
 
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Eddie fh

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How can you say they’ll last half as long? I expect they just make this up. When the local Mercedes tech was down on figures, he said discs and pads would be the first thing on the list. Safety items were such an easy sell. I like being safe, but that’s not a good excuse to rip me off, IMO.
Mid afternoon I’ve since spoken to a mobile mechanic that came into my business, he said I’d been ripped of , he did say the days off 2 pads to 1 set off discs are coming to an end with thinnner and softer discs .
 

bembo449

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id of asked to see said discs pal , no need to be an expert to see wether a brake disc is worn or not and 30k doesn't seem very long on a car like that
 

malcolm E53 AMG

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Sounds like the advice you are getting from the mechanic is good looking at your mileage of 15k miles a year those discs need to take you to 45k without problems and if they are near their tolerance on wear it’s a good call and yes the pads if replaced now will be half worn when the discs are replaced and scrap
 

om613

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Sounds like BS ... just 30K on OEM discs, on a normal family MB?

I would ask for a photo of the disc wear 'lip', that's seemingly apparent here.

There's a wear limit indicator 'cast in' to it. Plus the min. specified thickness in tec docs.
 

Rory

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There really isn't much wear in discs - from memory I'm sure mine where 28 new, min 26. So only a mm per side. OK, I know there's a gap in the middle for the vents, but is the wear really that critical? I suppose the spec is for absolutely worst case, German autobahn, fully loaded, scenario.
 

LostKiwi

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My mechanic mare and I were discussing this last year.
When he sees s car for a service he looks at the wear and has to make a decision on whether there is enough life left to take it safely to the next service. If not he recommends the part be changed.
When he does an MOT however he can't fail it if it's legal at the time of testing but will then mark it as an advisory if he feels it won't make it to the next MOT.
He has to make a judgement call both times and his intention is not to make money but to reduce the number of visits you need to make and the time you lose doing it.
As above it sounds like you had good advice and if unhappy had the option to say no.
 

Dean Fletcher

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Full set of front brembo disks and pads fitted for £180. Bought them myself from Ecp on the 50% deal and a mechanic fitted them for 60 nicka. Can't go wrong. Seems to be a routine on my car the disks need changed every second time I change the pads. I'd never used same pads after buying new disks.
 

ajlsl600

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clk3202001,sl6002003 with everything regrettably sold ,A class 170cdi auto. NG/TF1800 ML250
the only way to make "modern" discs last is dont be tearing around the place and then hammering the brakes . i would like to see a metallurgists report on disc brake material of 20 yr ago and now . you all know the cynic in me,but that would reveal the FACTS i will have to replace the discs on ML in next yr at 57k miles... i dont think thats great value, the first set on the clk were at about 90k miles
 
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Eddie fh

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My mechanic mare and I were discussing this last year.
When he sees s car for a service he looks at the wear and has to make a decision on whether there is enough life left to take it safely to the next service. If not he recommends the part be changed.
When he does an MOT however he can't fail it if it's legal at the time of testing but will then mark it as an advisory if he feels it won't make it to the next MOT.
He has to make a judgement call both times and his intention is not to make money but to reduce the number of visits you need to make and the time you lose doing it.
As above it sounds like you had good advice and if unhappy had the option to say no.
Yep completely agree definitely had the option to say no and just put pads on
 

mioba

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I think given the fact the garage must have called you and then you accepted the job being done, how can you feel ripped o2ff.
 

McDonald

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A Merc specialist will see you as a repeat customer, so less likely to rip you off. You have no cause for mistrust unless you see malpractice. They understand that you're canny enough to disengage from main dealers, so price is an issue. I think brakes and steering are top priority maintenance, so I'd take the advice given. I wouldn't like the last thought of my life to be, 'Maybe I shouldn't have skimped on the brakes.'
 

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