IMMEDIATE ATTENTION - Replacement Brake Pads

[Tim Green]

Well my Gen1 is nearly 4 years old and has done 19 000 miles and the disks do not look anything like the pics shown here, they just look normal. I suspect a bad batch or a bad alternative supplier.

 

[Gadget Geek]

Might have been supply chain issues post lock down etc.

 

[Bricktop X PWR]

Just thinking out loud............

The Marvel R is a similar size to a ZS isn't it?

Might be worth trying to find out the exact dimensions (if not done already)

As we all know, discs and pads are usually standardised across manufacturer ranges to cut costs.

These prices are more like it.

 

[bigmac1euro]

This thread worried me. Gen1 27k Miles (2020) - Discs look perfect. Maybe it was a bad batch because those discs are extremely bad.

 

[Lovemyev]

Just thinking out loud............

The Marvel R is a similar size to a ZS isn't it?

Might be worth trying to find out the exact dimensions (if not done already)

As we all know, discs and pads are usually standardised across manufacturer ranges to cut costs.

These prices are more like it.

View attachment 21623

The ICE ZS has a manual handbrake but the ZS EV has an electrically operated hand brake.
The wheel / bearing hubs on the ZS EV are different from the ICE model also.
The ZS EV wheel / bearing hubs are taken from the previous HS.
This maybe because of the additional weight that the traction battery adds to the EV model.
The rear disc’s are of a solid construction and not vented.
These disc’s may have not been used on another MG model and that is why there is no third party parts available as of yet for the rears ???.
Third party front discs and pads made by Borg & Beck are available for the HS model for certain.
If MG are the sole supplier of the rear discs for the ZS EV models ( at the moment ) they are clearly cleaning up on what they are charging for these items.
A very basic unvented disc / rotor should be relatively cheap, but without any competition from third party suppliers, the dealers are going to milk it for sure.
Surely there must be a clear opportunity for a third party manufacturer to start knocking out these disc’s??.
At service or MOT time, these are going to become an instant magnet for creating revenue.
Customers are going to become very unhappy about being asked for hundreds and hundreds of pounds to prematurely replace these items so early in the cars life !.
The pads will have very little material used but will be discarded anyway.
This is not great for the wallet and is extremely wasteful also.
Regen braking is a brilliant feature for helping provide revenue for the dealerships !.
Annual service on an EV is relatively cheap compared to an ICE car, but not if you are replacing all of discs and pads every other year.

 

[gus]

I must admit this thread reminded me to use Kers 1 a bit more often, I have an unrestricted road nearby that I travel on regularly so I get above 50 and hit the brakes hard (when nothing behind me) and drop to about 5, I have being doing this for the last week every other day and must admit I have really noticed an improvement in braking as the week has gone on.

 

[Lovemyev]

I must admit this thread reminded me to use Kers 1 a bit more often, I have an unrestricted road nearby that I travel on regularly so I get above 50 and hit the brakes hard (when nothing behind me) and drop to about 5, I have being doing this for the last week every other day and must admit I have really noticed an improvement in braking as the week has gone on.

You don't really need to slam on the brakes hard, just applying a constant light pressure will keep the discs surfaces clean from rust.
If the rust is allowed to continue to build up ( due to the lack of use ) then that is when the deep pitting starts.
If you going down a steep decline, with nobody tailgating you, then this is ideal.
Light pressure applied to the footbrake until you can just feel the pads starting to drag on the disc's is fine.
Or turning down the regen strength a couple of times a week is a great idea.

 

[Tim Green]

Thinking about those pictures of severely degraded discs made me wonder whether there was a problem whereby the brakes were not releasing properly, allowing the discs to overheat and lose their surface? There is no reason for the driver to know about this, although there would probably be a smell. But it could be an intermittent problem.

 

[Tonych]

Thinking about those pictures of severely degraded discs made me wonder whether there was a problem whereby the brakes were not releasing properly, allowing the discs to overheat and lose their surface? There is no reason for the driver to know about this, although there would probably be a smell. But it could be an intermittent problem.

I had the same thing on a Yaris years ago - completely wrecked the discs as the brakes werent releasing fully

 

[Lovemyev]

I think this is fairly unlikely to be the cause TBH.
If the pads were dragging enough to produce heat, you would likely feel it when the handbrake was release on an incline.
The car would stand stationary.
Heat would be produced and you would likely catch a smell when leaving the car.
The wheel would get hot and the heat would probably cause the disc to warp.
You would feel this through the steering wheel when braking at speed.
Lack of use combined with road smuts is the cause I am pretty sure here.
I guess you could make the point that the disc material could be of a better quality of course.
My concern is that after these items have been replaced, unless something changes somehow, is going to happen again and again !.

 

[Kithmo]

I was thinking maybe the discs got hot and then were quenched by going through a deep puddle causing them to crack.

 

[Tonych]

I think this is fairly unlikely to be the cause TBH.
If the pads were dragging enough to produce heat, you would likely feel it when the handbrake was release on an incline.
The car would stand stationary.
Heat would be produced and you would likely catch a smell when leaving the car.
The wheel would get hot and the heat would probably cause the disc to warp.
You would feel this through the steering wheel when braking at speed.
Lack of use combined with road smuts is the cause I am pretty sure here.
I guess you could make the point that the disc material could be of a better quality of course.
My concern is that after these items have been replaced, unless something changes somehow, is going to happen again and again !.

Not necessarily the case as I found with the example I outlined above. I had no idea the calipers were sticking as it was constant but not severe - it just made the car seem under powered

 

[Lovemyev]

If the pads were dragging enough that it effectively reduced the cars performance and therefore it’s fuel economy, then heat had to been generated surely .

 

[Tonych]

If the pads were dragging enough that it effectively reduced the cars performance and therefore it’s fuel economy, then heat had to been generated surely .

Quite - which can damage the discs