My '03 blobeye STi is in for a service at the moment. I have had to spend a lot of money on this car recently and I'm a bit hard up as a result. Consequently I am questioning the prices my dealer is giving me and once I look into the prices they quote, I am starting to feel like I am being taken for a ride.

My rear discs and pads need replacing. The dealer quoted £327 (presumably plus VAT ie just shy of £400) which I thought was rather a lot. Having had a look on eBay there seem to be plenty of people selling rear disks and Mintex pads for £80-100.

My question is this. How hard is it to fit these? Until recently I have left everything to my dealer but I'm fairly handy with a spanner. I clearly don't want to risk cocking it up and killing myself (when the brakes fail I mean, not actually doing it) but I wouldn't have thought it was really that hard. Is it?

Alternatively, what would be a reasonable price to pay to have them fitted if I buy them and give them to a local mechanic?

 

If you are handy with a spanner they are quite easy:

• Jack up car and place on axle stands
• Remove wheels
• Wind in handbrake (through hole in the back of the hub - up to wind in iirc)
• Unbolt calipers then twist to make enough space for the pads to come off
• Remove pads and push back pistons
• If discs don't come free from hub wind in M6(I think) bolts into threads in the disc centre
• Reverse process to put it all back together
• Gently bed in over 50-100 miles

Check out Godspeed for a decent set of road discs and pads - might be a bit more than fleece-you-bay specials but they will be decent quality

 

That's not a bad price. Allow around £200 for decent rotors & pads (cheap is not a good idea for brakes), +1 for Godspeed, method as above.
I've just done mine and it's a straightforward job if you're methodical. It's important to really slacken the handbrake adjuster right off using a flat screwdriver through the hole in the back plate. You'll need to prise out the rubber grommet first. Don't try to force the rotor off or you'll damage the handbrake shoes or mechanism. Allow a morning or afternoon for the job. Or let your garage do it!

 

We're abouts are you?

 

I got my Blob brakes from Godspeed on here mate, sure Ian will sort you out!

 

Ilkley.

 

Pm sent

 

godspeed grooved disks and Kevlar pads, I didn't think replacing the rears would make any difference to braking and just bought the grooved for the look of them but the difference was SO noticeable.

Cost about 150 for disks and pads delivered