Brake wear warning light - advice please

[hblewett]

The brake warning light has just popped up on the dash. We are in Scotland and home is south of England 600 miles away even if we were to go straight there - which we wouldn’t plan to do.

The earliest our garage can look at the moho is in 3 weeks time. We may want to do more travelling between getting home and the date it’s booked in. Having never had this occur on any of our vehicles before I wonder what sort of life is left in the brakes? Obviously it’s difficult to give a mileage which will depend on the roads travelled, but any thoughts/experience would be welcomed.

 

[Clivefog]

Picture will help. If it is brake wear only light don't worry you have many (possibly 1000's) miles left.

 

[hblewett]

It’s just the standard orange warning light with a solid circle with two ‘dashed’ lines outside.

 

[Stealaway]

As above Brake Pad Wear sensor ---- no rush, could be 3,000 miles yet

 

[Vipar]

No rush to change. But take care

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[hblewett]

Thanks for the helpful replies - as I hoped but didn’t know, so it’s good to have confirmation that I don’t need to worry.

 

[Geo]

Never seen such poor advice on this forun.

 

[tacr2man]

Its a half hour job to get new pads fitted , plenty of garages can fit pads , even Halfrauds have job to mess it up

 

[bigwood]

I was told a yellow warning light is advisory a red warning light is danger damage may be caused to carry on.
As per other posts it should be ok drive for a while. There should be enough pads left to get you to a garage.

 

[Stealaway]

Its a half hour job to get new pads fitted , plenty of garages can fit pads , even Halfrauds have job to mess it up

Only if their ramps and roof is big enough for a Moho

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[Phill D]

I was told a yellow warning light is advisory a red warning light is danger damage may be caused to carry on.
As per other posts it should be ok drive for a while. There should be enough pads left to get you to a garage.

The Amber to red lights is true on slightly more sophisticated circuits but brake wear is mostly based on the disc wearing to create a simple short across a wire.
I don't believe it has a graded warning.

Personality I would at the very least get a wheel off and look at the pads. Then make a decision on next steps.

 

[Silver-Fox]

Personally I’d drop into one of the bucket “garages” and get them to drop the wheels off and see how much pad you have left.

It’s not a big job to do pads really.

Piece of mind costs little

 

[tonyidle]

There will be very little pad left to cope with heat from a long downhill for example. When thin pad material gets hot it can peel off the backplate. This is rarely a problem from a safety point of view and you'll hear the grating noise. What it does do, immediately, is damage the disc which will then also need renewal. I'd get them changed.

 

[cmcardle75]

Get it sorted. The light is telling you that you can save the £100s to replace your brake discs by spending £10s to replace your pads provided you replace them now, rather then when they start grinding. Every Tom, Dick and Harry in every garage is able to replace them. You don't need to drive 600 miles or wait 3 weeks.

 

[Grummyb]

I deal

Get it sorted. The light is telling you that you can save the £100s to replace your brake discs by spending £10s to replace your pads provided you replace them now, rather then when they start grinding. Every Tom, Dick and Harry in every garage is able to replace them. You don't need to drive 600 miles or wait 3 weeks.

My son works in a garage with 23 other technicians and none of them are called tom dick or Harry so I wonder who changes the pads in his garage

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[Off da Grid]

Big Bill?

 

[Ridgeway]

More relevant for me would be when were the pads last changed ie how many smiles have you done since then ?

 

[Clipgate]

Possibly telling you your maintenance regime needs to be reassessed!
As previously stated very unsolicited warning light, as pads can wear asymmetrically you will be well advised to have them checked physically at the very least.
One question is the light on continuously or intermittently or on brake application, as depending on the year of vehicle it can have alternative warning functions.

 

[Ivory55]

Miles driven is not really a guide. If a car is driven all the time in a city the brakes are used all the time in very little miles, if it’s driven in open country or motorway driving , it can do many miles with the brakes not being used.

 

[Bessy765]

Whilst not classed as a breakdown try phoning your service provider they should have a list of garages local to you. Many garages should be capable of changing the pads, you don’t need a ramp a trolley jack and a pair of axle stands is all you need. If you can find a Halfords or motor factor and buy the pads it may help speed things up.

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[hblewett]

Thanks again - all food for thought.

Possibly telling you your maintenance regime needs to be reassessed!

Mercedes Dealer service at correct (time, not mileage) intervals, last service in January, 3000 miles travelled since. 53,000 miles on the clock.

This has never happened before with either of my Mercedes cars, one owned for 20 years, one (now 32 years old) owned for 14 years. Both of these have been maintained by myself and latterly by a Mercedes independent specialist garage, apart from when the first car was under warranty … make of that what you will.

 

[Landy Andy]

It can also be a failed sensor or wire to it. You will never know until it is looked at.

 

[Ridgeway]

Thanks again - all food for thought.


Mercedes Dealer service at correct (time, not mileage) intervals, last service in January, 3000 miles travelled since. 53,000 miles on the clock.

This has never happened before with either of my Mercedes cars, one owned for 20 years, one (now 32 years old) owned for 14 years. Both of these have been maintained by myself and latterly by a Mercedes independent specialist garage, apart from when the first car was under warranty … make of that what you will.

A quick phone call to the dealer and they should be able to tell you the approx pad thickness (or expected life) in Jan (if they did their job correctly). On service reports i get at VW they always show this.

 

[Emmit]

Only if their ramps and roof is big enough for a Moho

And pads have discs and they ALWAYS??? need changing at Halfrauds or Qwik Flat.
Don't they!!!

 

[Ivory55]

If a brake warning light for new pads comes on , then the garage is terrible don’t know what they are doing. If they change the pads with meat still on them the same people will be saying that the garage is ripping them off and making work etc. God bless joe public, glad I don’t deal with them.

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[RustyRuss]

Nobody has mentioned checking the brake fluid reservoir. Pads might actually be ok!!

 

[Landy Andy]

Different light for fluid level I believe.

 

[Geo]

 

[Vipar]

Gonna cost a packet to get that roof rethatched

 

[Catpirate]

If a brake warning light for new pads comes on , then the garage is terrible don’t know what they are doing. If they change the pads with meat still on them the same people will be saying that the garage is ripping them off and making work etc. God bless joe public, glad I don’t deal with them.

I had a similar situation, the warning was because of low brake fluid. The cause was worn pads, they were still just above the warning setting. Honestly if you are worried best to get the pad thickness checked, topping up the fluid can lead to overflow when you do change the pads and brake fluid is not kind to bodywork.

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