Brakes4life

need_my_wedge

need_my_wedge

Has Now Found His Wedgie
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Sep 3, 2007
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Kingdom of Fife
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Having replaced the pads and disks in one car just last week, and now need to do the other, I was looking around for the best (cheapest) place to do this. Whilst not the cheapesr place to replace the pads, I came across Halfords Brakes4Life offer (https://www.halfordsautocentres.com/advice/brakes-advice/brakes4life) basically buy and replace a set of pads with them, and they will then supply and fit all further brake pads for life. Even if you change the car, they give you 30 days to register the change, and will then continue the offer on the new car. Now far be it for me to question how they make any money on this, but I am wondering if anyone on here has taken up the offer and made use of it?
 
It’s just the pads or shoes their covering, after you have paid for the first set. I find I need a set of discs with every second set of pads, which according to the t&c’s you have to pay them to have done to keep the lifetime warranty thing going.
It’s a very clever marketing plan, but I would wager thy aren’t doing this out of pure kindness, and will allow their fitters to find a nice number of brake faults that you must pay them to rectify.
 
Given what I have just paid Mercedes for a set of pads, this could have been interesting. I get the impression that my car will tear through brake pads.
 
murphthemog said:
Given what I have just paid Mercedes for a set of pads, this could have been interesting. I get the impression that my car will tear through brake pads.
Click to expand...

Funny enough, the car I sorted last week was a Mercedes, and had to do pads and disks :eek:. Fortunately, we have a really good independant Mercedes garage in MK. They are all ex-Mercedes trained engineers and mechanics, they use Mercedes genuine parts, do a great job, and are way cheaper than Mercedes. The first service was over £100 cheaper than Mercedes, same with the brake replacement.

They also do work on other models, and will do my other car, but I found the Halfords offer and was just curious.
 
Just out of curiousity....when is a genuine part not a genuine part?
Merc won't atcually make the brake pads, but will use a third party to build them to their spec. Those parts will come in a box marked MB, with the price to match. That same third party company may sell those same parts in their own non-MB labelled box at a cheaper price. So which is the genuine part?

Personally I tend to use EurCarParts, and for brakes and discs I go for Pagid.
 
Bunkermagnet said:
Just out of curiousity....when is a genuine part not a genuine part?
Merc won't atcually make the brake pads, but will use a third party to build them to their spec. Those parts will come in a box marked MB, with the price to match. That same third party company may sell those same parts in their own non-MB labelled box at a cheaper price. So which is the genuine part?

Personally I tend to use EurCarParts, and for brakes and discs I go for Pagid.
Click to expand...
Maybe my phrasing was incorrect. I meant that they use Mercedes spec parts that will not invalidate warranties and such.
 
need_my_wedge said:
Maybe my phrasing was incorrect. I meant that they use Mercedes spec parts that will not invalidate warranties and such.
Click to expand...
It's ok, I wasnt having a dig.
You see that term "genuine parts" all the time, but the pads will be to the size and dimensions the car manufacturers spec or else the parts wont fit:)
 
murphthemog said:
I agree with your way of thinking, but Mercedes charged 4 figures for a full set of brake pads. That is a lot of cash.
Click to expand...

When I had my brakes done the other week, I needed the disks as well. When I whistled at £260 for brakes and disks, they showed me an Audi R8 up on the ramp having the same treatment at ....... £2600 :eek::eek:
 
murphthemog said:
I agree with your way of thinking, but Mercedes charged 4 figures for a full set of brake pads. That is a lot of cash.
Click to expand...

They quoted me £1250 for front discs and pads on my old C43.

Bought discs for £350, pads for £110 and fitted them in an hour. And Merc would be none the wiser that they had been changed.

And those were genuine Merc parts (drilled and grooved discs) obtained via a mate in the trade.

The rates the dealers charge is something I have said for ages needs to be investigated and regulated. Total con preying on those that can't and those that won't. In my opinion of course.
 
Yep, agree completely. I was over a barrel, as I was buying the car, but it was not yet mine. It had gone to Mercedes for a service (paid for by the owner) and it's first MOT (slightly early, but I wanted it done before buying), which required brake pads (payable by me, as agreed in advance with the owner). Complicated stuff.

CLS63AMGS, so never going to be cheap, but didn't think it would be that expensive.
 
The AMG models suffer from scant aftermarket part availability. Another way they get your pants down.

I am looking to get the C63 in March and know I will need to go the self fit route for pretty much everything to prevent being shafted by the dealership.

I have always advocated people to do a basic car maintenance course on things like safely changing oil and filters and doing discs and pads as if more people do for themselves maybe the dealers will be forced to actually be fair with their pricing.
 
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