California beach brake issues.

[Gez B]

Hi Everyone,
I have a question. Our 5 year old California Beach went for a service today at Listers in Coventry. At 25,000 miles It had new rear brake pads and discs. Today after 2 years / 12,000 miles we were told it needed new rear pads and discs. My question is - does that seem right?
We've had the van from new and always used Listers. If the discs only last 12,000 miles we could, with normal holidays be looking at changing them every year. Something doesn't seem right. What are your thoughts?
Thanks in advance.

 

[Emil Silenhag]

Here in Scandinavia (with salt on roads) it’s not uncommon with new rear pads and discs every second year. For some reason the rear breaks wear out faster than expected on all T5 and I guess T6 also. Premium quality is a must, Vw original, Brembo or Bosch. Budget brakes are rubbish..

 

[kurienp]

Hi Everyone,
I have a question. Our 5 year old California Beach went for a service today at Listers in Coventry. At 25,000 miles It had new rear brake pads and discs. Today after 2 years / 12,000 miles we were told it needed new rear pads and discs. My question is - does that seem right?
We've had the van from new and always used Listers. If the discs only last 12,000 miles we could, with normal holidays be looking at changing them every year. Something doesn't seem right. What are your thoughts?
Thanks in advance.

@Gez B , many factors that can affect discs and pads, but 12000 does not sound right as the first set lasted double that (but 12000 is not impossible). Did you ask Listers?

Was the van kept in regular use or was it parked for an extended period? Rust build-up over an extended period can accelerate wear as can salt and other factors. Anything significant that changed in your usage patterns that could have caused that?

If it helps, our first set of rear discs and pads were changed at 26000 miles as well, but I got the Brembo discs and pads off Euro Car Parts during their may bank holiday sale and got them fitted by a local independent. Turned out to be much cheaper and more confidence that the work has been done well.

 

[WelshGas]

106,000 miles. Original rear discs, front discs and pads , front & rear , changed at 77,000 miles.
However, it is a daily driver and a 4 Motion.

Discs mainly wear, not from the action of braking but corrosion from not being used. Severe corrosion causes pitting which increases wear on the pads and reduced braking efficiency.
If the discs are badly corroded then they have to be changed and the pads also replaced.

 

[Gez B]

Thanks for your replies I must admit it has sat on the drive more than normal it has always been serviced by VW and I assume they only use genuine vw parts. Listers answer to me was that I could of had excess weight or driven with the handbrake on. I suppose I will have to take it on the chin. I will get an independent garage to look at it and take it from there

 

[Gez B]

106,000 miles. Original rear discs, front discs and pads , front & rear , changed at 77,000 miles.
However, it is a daily driver and a 4 Motion.

Discs mainly wear, not from the action of braking but corrosion from not being used. Severe corrosion causes pitting which increases wear on the pads and reduced braking efficiency.
If the discs are badly corroded then they have to be changed and the pads also replaced.

Thanks for the reply

 

[Gez B]

@Gez B , many factors that can affect discs and pads, but 12000 does not sound right as the first set lasted double that (but 12000 is not impossible). Did you ask Listers?

Was the van kept in regular use or was it parked for an extended period? Rust build-up over an extended period can accelerate wear as can salt and other factors. Anything significant that changed in your usage patterns that could have caused that?

If it helps, our first set of rear discs and pads were changed at 26000 miles as well, but I got the Brembo discs and pads off Euro Car Parts during their may bank holiday sale and got them fitted by a local independent. Turned out to be much cheaper and more confidence that the work has been done well.

Thanks for the reply

 

[Gez B]

Here in Scandinavia (with salt on roads) it’s not uncommon with new rear pads and discs every second year. For some reason the rear breaks wear out faster than expected on all T5 and I guess T6 also. Premium quality is a must, Vw original, Brembo or Bosch. Budget brakes are rubbish..

Thanks for the reply

 

[Elmo3]

Sounds ludicrous to me. Ask a local mechanic to check them. I’d be amazed if there was anything wrong, you’re still doing 6K a year.

 

[Gez B]

Sounds ludicrous to me. Ask a local mechanic to check them. I’d be amazed if there was anything wrong, you’re still doing 6K a year.

I am going to a mechanic I trust. No more overinflated prices just to get a main dealer stamp.

 

[Big Bloke]

Just had our brake pads changed for the 1st time at 56k miles, discs are still original. Owned by us from new and is our daily drive, along with a T5 van which I also get about 50k miles from a set of pads.

 

[Kernowboy]

Yep, brakes are a money spinner for garages. ‘Just 1mm left on the discs’ may actually mean that they are less than 50% worn so always get a reading and compare to the published spec. 12k on a set of discs is nothing, unless there is another issue affecting their wear. Either way, I’d use another garage in the future.

 

[jeff]

Had my discs and pads changed last year 50,000 miles and 13 years they were only 75% worn. Owned from new. As you can see sat on driveway a lot.

 

[flying banana]

I've got 30k on my 2016 ocean. Just changed rear pads myself . The discs were rusty but generally sound. On the mot they recommend I changed them (vw) . I just cleaned them up with a wire brush before fitting new brembo pads. Recent mot with VW and this time they never even mentioned the rear discs. Odd eh. The reason the rears wear quicker is because during braking of heavy vehicles obviously most of the work is done by the fronts. This keeps the front discs cleaner than the back. The rust then wears the pads more than the fronts. With lockdown and low mileages this is becoming more common

 

[Bigted]

Just had the rear pads on my beach (15 plate) changed for the first time as the warning came up on the dash - 45k miles. Discs were fine.

 

[Ozzy Pete]

Obviously driving style makes a great difference with wear. Short journeys or congested roads your discs and pads will wear out much faster than long journeys on motorways.

 

[scottk]

When I was working away a lot, my brakes were changed annually. I live on the coast and the sea air was causing corrosion which built up when I was away. Doing about 8k miles pa at the time. Since working from an office, the brakes are lasting about 45k.

 

[rod_vw]

I'm sorry to say brake disc corrosion and consequent pad ware are almost always due to the way in which the vehicle is used.
If the vehicle stands long enough for a film of rust/corrosion to build up on the disc the next time that the brakes are applied that rust/corrosion is polished off taking a small amount off the surface of both disc and pad. Obviously the worse the rust/corrosion the more material is removed from the surfaces.
Now a vehicle that stands for considerable durations and is then used for a few longish holiday trips suffers from the above much more than one that is used very frequently but over all may be covering the same annual mileage.

My T6 is now six years old and has covered 60,000 miles, our 'normal' annual mileage is about 15,000 miles but 2020 & 2021 have been exceptions. It is used almost daily and is usually driven deliberately to dry the discs & pads after washing.
At its last MOT I asked the examiner to be critical of the brake situation as he had better visibility with the vehicle on a ramp than I did without removing the wheels. He asked me to come into the MOT bay and look at the front pads which were only about half worn, due to the lack of visibility the rears were still not verifiable but certainly not badly worn.
Due to the unverified situation of the rear pads the MOT highlighted them as an 'advisory'. That being so I decided to change the rear pads regardless and on removal were by no means in need of changing although I did change them.
Price for Brembo pads from Euro Car Parts was £42.79 (£35.49 today with current discount) My part is https://www.eurocarparts.com/p/pagid-brake-pad-101441318 but will vary on other variants/years of Transporter.
The only 'special tool' required is a piston wind back tool, mine is this one https://www.eurocarparts.com/p/amtech-brake-piston-rewind-tool-553773570 which I have had for years.
Pad ware sensor(s) came in the pad kit and is only needed on the right side although two come with the kit.

 

[hirsty]

My Beach is also low mileage / infrequent use (I live in city centre & walk most days) so has had frequent disc & pad changes as per many posts above.

I’d also add I’ve been told that in normal use with light braking much of the work is done by the fronts, with the rears only coming into play under heavier braking & with greater loads on board, which exacerbates the corrosion issues.

We overlook that these are commercial vehicles underneath, designed for non-stop daily use under heavy load - they often don’t do as well when given an easier life & packed with fragile domestic accessories.

 

[royalv2]

Our 2018 Beach has circa 25K miles on it but has sat on the drive for most of the last year. At it’s first MOT it needed pads and discs changing; pads beginning to crumble and damaging the discs apparently. (I’d have been very sceptical of this but the wife took it to an old friend who’s always been straight with us to date). For what it’s worth the brakes do feel better now as a result (entirely subjective I appreciate).

 

[Wildcamper]

Had our van from new. After 27000 miles I had the brakes checked over, 30% worn front and 50% rear. The fitter at VW commercials said that it was not uncommon for the rear pads/disks to wear faster than the front.

 

[Ozzy Pete]

Our 2018 Beach has circa 25K miles on it but has sat on the drive for most of the last year. At it’s first MOT it needed pads and discs changing; pads beginning to crumble and damaging the discs apparently. (I’d have been very sceptical of this but the wife took it to an old friend who’s always been straight with us to date). For what it’s worth the brakes do feel better now as a result (entirely subjective I appreciate).

If this is correct then VW should look for new suppliers of their brake products. Brake pads should not “Crumble” after only 3 years. That may happen if it was sitting in water with the brakes submerged but certainly not sitting in someone’s driveway. I know brakes are consumables but certainly not that Consumable....

 

[WelshGas]

If this is correct then VW should look for new suppliers of their brake products. Brake pads should not “Crumble” after only 3 years. That may happen if it was sitting in water with the brakes submerged but certainly not sitting in someone’s driveway. I know brakes are consumables but certainly not that Consumable....

I very much doubt if Brake Pad manufacturers carry out R & D on brake pads being left outside in all weathers without being used for prolonged periods. They, like most vehicle parts, are designed to be used or stored in climate controlled conditions.
On my vehicle the pads were changed at 77,000 miles at 90% wear Front and Rear. Front discs had scoring on inner surface. I elected to have those changed electively. I have a 4 Motion and brake wear, pads & discs seems to be more equal Front to Rear unlike FWD vehicles. Likewise with tyres.

 

[Ozzy Pete]

I very much doubt if Brake Pad manufacturers carry out R & D on brake pads being left outside in all weathers without being used for prolonged periods. They, like most vehicle parts, are designed to be used or stored in climate controlled conditions.
On my vehicle the pads were changed at 77,000 miles at 90% wear Front and Rear. Front discs had scoring on inner surface. I elected to have those changed electively. I have a 4 Motion and brake wear, pads & discs seems to be more equal Front to Rear unlike FWD vehicles. Likewise with tyres.

Pad manufacturers look at all aspects. Weather (Wet, cold and Heat).
They have to make sure that they will not delaminate in wet cold conditions as well as super high heat caused by friction.
Once I had a calliper malfunction which caused the pad not to release which caused the disc to glow red hot but once it cooled down and the calliper was fixed the pads worked perfectly.
Brake disc and pad manufacturers test their products to destruction
As it’s the only way they know the limitations of their products.

 

[WelshGas]

Pad manufacturers look at all aspects. Weather (Wet, cold and Heat).
They have to make sure that they will not delaminate in wet cold conditions as well as super high heat caused by friction.
Once I had a calliper malfunction which caused the pad not to release which caused the disc to glow red hot but once it cooled down and the calliper was fixed the pads worked perfectly.
Brake disc and pad manufacturers test their products to destruction
As it’s the only way they know the limitations of their products.

I’m sure they do , but the majority of vehicles are driven on a regular basis unlike many Campervans and Motorhomes that may stand idle for months on end and not all are parked undercover or in a garage.