I have been love-bombed by so many heroic and well-informed SF pals, and I am highly reassured, wiser and probably less likely to be fleeced than at any other time in my life behind the wheel…
I am digesting the feast of tips, pointers, and technical wizardry laid before my feet by so many. Still recovering from the Paris whirligig (though Nanterre is less than 8 km from the centre of Paris its vertiginous pull is felt many km distant, and one feels dizzy for weeks… ).
Thanks again to all who posted, will feed back and close the saga soon!
Not a case of worrying, but if a car is making a strange noise, it is advisable to find out what is causing it PDQ because your life and that of others can depend on it and you may also be breaking the law.
I was assuming that a CT would have been done when the car changed ownership, so the next one would have been done around a year ago. The CT would have reported if the brake pads were near the end of their life. But a lot can happen in a year, even more in two!
Changing brakes pads and discs is not included in regular servicing schedules, though they would have been checked and the owner advised if they needed changing soon, or right away. Peter did not mention that his brake pads had been changed since he took ownership of the car.
I wasn’t aware of a brake warning light, indeed I looked for one and there was nothing on screen. That did strike me as odd… . The on-board computer is very sharp about most ‘faults’ usually…
The same brakes are fitted to many different cars. Some models have brake wear warnings and others don’t. But you can fit pads without the “pad wear thingy” in any of them. So a previous owner could have done that, either through ignorance, or because he didn’t thimk it was important.
I only mention this because I think it is interesting to know a bit about how cars work, not to annoy our good friend Stella!
but I am wondering if other folk do look at the printouts from CT’s giving the results of the braking system… etc etc and question/discuss this and “défaillances” (if any) with the Tester.
It’s something which I actually do… and our Tester is very patient with me.
similarly, with Servicing…
They are the experts and I find it fascinating and comforting to know what is going on… I smile when asking questions and never had any problems or refusals to discuss.
Maybe some do, but from my experience they do little else for the next two years. Every time I go out, I see half a dozen cars with one or more lights not working. If they can’t get an easy thing like that right, you have to wonder if they ever check tyre pressures, oil levels etc. let alone take a wheel off to look at brake pads. Plenty of cars can do 40,000 km or more between CTs. Two years between tests is far too long in my opinion.
I used to work in the car parts and repairs industry. Avoid of course the franchises. I also drive around 60k klics a year for my company so know the options here in France
It depends how much the discs have been scored. I agree with the €400inc tax but perhaps less…
Another chain you can try for a quote is Norauto,…they can be pretty cheap and use good other makes parts and have a guarantee. They also have a Norauto card where you get benefits.
I use their own brand tyres on my Skoda which are actually Ferodo,…and they also come with a Norauto repair guarantee against punctures! Free repairs
However,…be careful they dont talk you into other repairs which are not strictly necessary.
At least with Norauto you will get a good guide on the price bit asl always there are good ones and not quite so good ones!
“Feu au dos” sounds foreign, but actually an old and respected British friction products company that got into trouble as a result of asbestos compensation. The name was bought out by a multinational conglomerate, but who actually makes the tyres is anybody’s guess.
But having said that, I have always found that own brands from respected companies are good quality and value. It would be too damaging to their reputation to sell poor quality products and their considerable purchasing power helps keep the price down.
I think that lines up with my instincts, Stella. Others have said much the same. But all comments have been very helpful and highly instructive. Thanks to all!
Happy birthday Peter!
. The on-board computer is very sharp about most ‘faults’ usually…
, and rejoined 
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