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I have been told that the front brake pads on my Nissan Micra are 80% worn after 2 years and 49,000 Km, which I assume is reasonable.

I believe that this is a 30 minute job so the price of $328 quoted by the Nissan dealer to replace the pads and skim the discs sounds rather excessive to me.

Is there a cheaper option and if so, how do I find a reputable car service centre that I know won't rip me off?

Also, where is the best place to have new tyres fitted? Am I best to stick to the bigger tyre stores or are others recommended?

Stephen

From the "Ask Jack" archives - 4 February 2010

There are often cheaper options however they can come with compromises. We have to assume the pads the Nissan dealer is using are either genuine or Nissan approved so there should be no issues with performance, brake squeal or excessive brake dust build up around the wheels.

Annoying brake squeal can be particularly frustrating and sometimes almost impossible to eliminate with some cheaper options. The low budget pads can also wear twice as fast so in the end you end up paying the same.

I would question whether the discs actually need machining. This is not a direct criticism of the Nissan dealer as most garages and brake specialists make this recommendation. For small cars which have travelled low kilometres I sometimes think it is unnecessary. And it does all add to the final cost.

Most tyre stores are fine but once again they often try the 'on-sell' of wanting to check and adjust wheel alignment. If the car steers straight (not drifting to one side of the road) and the tyres are simply worn out and show no signs of uneven wear, then I would question the need to pay for an alignment check.

I believe that you can get brand new discs and pads fitted using OEM or approved parts from a reputable workshop below $300.

It pays to get a quotes from a few reputable car workshops around your area for reference.