Omega Owners Forum

Omega Help Area => Omega General Help => Topic started by: Mr Hagon on 11 January 2011, 13:42:42

Title: Brake wear sensor triggered; pad life left?
Post by: Mr Hagon on 11 January 2011, 13:42:42
The brake wear sensor triggered this morning on the way to work and kindly informed me via the CID.

Do I have to change them immediately, or do I have a few miles left before they're worn out completely?
Title: Re: Brake wear sensor triggered; pad life left?
Post by: henryd on 11 January 2011, 13:47:49
you probably have a few miles left as the wear ridge on the disc will trigger the sensor,having said that you should change them as soon as you can as the pads cannot dissipate the heat generated under heavy braking
Title: Re: Brake wear sensor triggered; pad life left?
Post by: geoffr70 on 11 January 2011, 13:48:04
You'll have plent time to get new pads and put them on. You get alot of warning.
Title: Re: Brake wear sensor triggered; pad life left?
Post by: Mr Hagon on 11 January 2011, 13:59:42
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You'll have plent time to get new pads and put them on. You get alot of warning.
Ta, I'll inspect visually and keep an eye on them.  I'm seem to remember on my previous Omega the sensor triggered and I got a good while longer.

Service will be due in a few months so if they last that long I might do the pads at the same time.
Title: Re: Brake wear sensor triggered; pad life left?
Post by: sandune on 11 January 2011, 14:02:17
Hiya you will have plenty of time about 5mm off pad left, if you're doing the job yourself ,also get the sender as they usually break when you extract the  oldone to get access to remove the old pad. :y
Title: Re: Brake wear sensor triggered; pad life left?
Post by: Mr Hagon on 11 January 2011, 14:04:46
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Hiya you will have plenty of time about 5mm off pad left, if you're doing the job yourself ,also get the sender as they usually break when you extract the  oldone to get access to remove the old pad. :y
Yup, will do, the sensor broke when the pads were changed on my previous Omega  :P.
Title: Re: Brake wear sensor triggered; pad life left?
Post by: Andy B on 11 January 2011, 16:17:19
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Hiya you will have plenty of time about 5mm off pad left, if you're doing the job yourself ,also get the sender as they usually break when you extract the  oldone to get access to remove the old pad. :y
Yup, will do, the sensor broke when the pads were changed on my previous Omega  :P.

The sensor is already 'broke' it's worn through & triggered the low pad message.  :y :y
Title: Re: Brake wear sensor triggered; pad life left?
Post by: Andy H on 11 January 2011, 19:14:12
I didn't get any warning when one of my facelift pads wore down to the metal  :(
 
Pre-facelifts have sensors both sides but facelifts only have one (on the nearside IIRC).

Title: Re: Brake wear sensor triggered; pad life left?
Post by: Andy B on 11 January 2011, 19:21:16
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....
 
Pre-facelifts have sensors both sides but facelifts only have one (on the nearside IIRC).


Apparently it's late facelift that just have one.
Title: Re: Brake wear sensor triggered; pad life left?
Post by: geoffr70 on 11 January 2011, 19:32:54
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Pre-facelifts have sensors both sides but facelifts only have one (on the nearside IIRC).


Apparently it's late facelift that just have one.

Yeah, my f/l has two
Title: Re: Brake wear sensor triggered; pad life left?
Post by: Andy H on 11 January 2011, 19:39:23
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Quote
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Pre-facelifts have sensors both sides but facelifts only have one (on the nearside IIRC).


Apparently it's late facelift that just have one.
It would have been a late facelift if I had needed to stop quickly...............

Title: Re: Brake wear sensor triggered; pad life left?
Post by: Andy B on 11 January 2011, 19:41:40
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Quote
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Pre-facelifts have sensors both sides but facelifts only have one (on the nearside IIRC).


Apparently it's late facelift that just have one.
It would have been a late facelift if I had needed to stop quickly...............


*groan*

please collect your coat at the door!  ;)  ;)
Title: Re: Brake wear sensor triggered; pad life left?
Post by: Andy H on 11 January 2011, 20:49:15
Sorry  ::)

Brake pads should be binned when half the material has worn away.

The brake pad material acts as a thermal insulator between the hot brake disc and the brake piston.

As the brake pads wear the caliper pistons move further out and more brake fluid sits in the calipers.

The excess fluid in the caliper will make spongy brakes worse.

When the brake material gets too thin (ie less than 1/2 the original thickness) it starts to break up and will disappear very quickly.

For all the reasons listed above I don't think Mr Hagon should drive his car until he has inspected his brake pads.
Title: Re: Brake wear sensor triggered; pad life left?
Post by: TheBoy on 11 January 2011, 21:10:31
The sensor wears out when pads are just over half worn...

I tend to change my pads before the sensors wear out (cheap enough on tradeclub, once worn, tend to glaze up quicker when pressing on, and I've normally them by then anyway).  I have about a 66% success rate in reusing the pad sensors as well.



I noticed her Rover was down to the last 2 or 3mm, so nipped to Hellfrauds. £20.99 pads cost £6.73 on their trade scheme :D.
Title: Re: Brake wear sensor triggered; pad life left?
Post by: Mr Hagon on 11 January 2011, 22:42:37
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Hiya you will have plenty of time about 5mm off pad left, if you're doing the job yourself ,also get the sender as they usually break when you extract the  oldone to get access to remove the old pad. :y
Yup, will do, the sensor broke when the pads were changed on my previous Omega  :P.

The sensor is already 'broke' it's worn through & triggered the low pad message.  :y :y
What I was trying to say was that the sender will no doubt break  :P.
Title: Re: Brake wear sensor triggered; pad life left?
Post by: Andy B on 11 January 2011, 22:46:03
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Hiya you will have plenty of time about 5mm off pad left, if you're doing the job yourself ,also get the sender as they usually break when you extract the  oldone to get access to remove the old pad. :y
Yup, will do, the sensor broke when the pads were changed on my previous Omega  :P.

The sensor is already 'broke' it's worn through & triggered the low pad message.  :y :y
What I was trying to say was that the sender will no doubt break  :P.

I know!  ;)

It's only fit for the bin whether it snaps in 2 or not.  :y
Title: Re: Brake wear sensor triggered; pad life left?
Post by: Mr Hagon on 11 January 2011, 23:04:25
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Sorry  ::)

Brake pads should be binned when half the material has worn away.

The brake pad material acts as a thermal insulator between the hot brake disc and the brake piston.

As the brake pads wear the caliper pistons move further out and more brake fluid sits in the calipers.

The excess fluid in the caliper will make spongy brakes worse.

When the brake material gets too thin (ie less than 1/2 the original thickness) it starts to break up and will disappear very quickly.

For all the reasons listed above I don't think Mr Hagon should drive his car until he has inspected his brake pads.
Fair point, I will have a look in the morning when it's light and take a view from there.  As I have the receipts for most of the work done on the car I'll have to see when the discs/pads were last changed...