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[cannonfodder]

Hi all, I put a post on here a while back RE Brake imbalance, it was showing 36% difference on my MOT results, front. I freed the pistons off in the calipers, they seem to be working ok, bought some 2nd hand brake discs, (which turned out to be knackered and caused the car to shudder violently when braking) so eventually ended up with new discs, just fitted them tonight, pistons seem to be working fine and it brakes nice and smooth and in a straight line, does this sound like the imbalance may be cured, as I have no other way of telling before its re-test tomorrow.
As always thanks in advance 

[dbug]

Hi all, I put a post on here a while back RE Brake imbalance, it was showing 36% difference on my MOT results, front. I freed the pistons off in the calipers, they seem to be working ok, bought some 2nd hand brake discs, (which turned out to be knackered and caused the car to shudder violently when braking) so eventually ended up with new discs, just fitted them tonight, pistons seem to be working fine and it brakes nice and smooth and in a straight line, does this sound like the imbalance may be cured, as I have no other way of telling before its re-test tomorrow.
As always thanks in advance 

Hope they were genuine Vauxhall discs mate - if not you will be replacing them again in a few thousand miles 

[bluepoint]

Hi all, I put a post on here a while back RE Brake imbalance, it was showing 36% difference on my MOT results, front. I freed the pistons off in the calipers, they seem to be working ok, bought some 2nd hand brake discs, (which turned out to be knackered and caused the car to shudder violently when braking) so eventually ended up with new discs, just fitted them tonight, pistons seem to be working fine and it brakes nice and smooth and in a straight line, does this sound like the imbalance may be cured, as I have no other way of telling before its re-test tomorrow.
As always thanks in advance 

Hope they were genuine Vauxhall discs mate - if not you will be replacing them again in a few thousand miles 

I have had my 'non GM' discs for 2 years 20.000 miles no probs....

[Andy B]

Hi all, I put a post on here a while back RE Brake imbalance, it was showing 36% difference on my MOT results, front. I freed the pistons off in the calipers, they seem to be working ok, bought some 2nd hand brake discs, (which turned out to be knackered and caused the car to shudder violently when braking) so eventually ended up with new discs, just fitted them tonight, pistons seem to be working fine and it brakes nice and smooth and in a straight line, does this sound like the imbalance may be cured, as I have no other way of telling before its re-test tomorrow.
As always thanks in advance 

Hope they were genuine Vauxhall discs mate - if not you will be replacing them again in a few thousand miles 

I have had my 'non GM' discs for 2 years 20.000 miles no probs....

My pattern discs on my Senator lasted all of about 3 or 4000 miles before I had problems 

[KW]

Hi all, I put a post on here a while back RE Brake imbalance, it was showing 36% difference on my MOT results, front. I freed the pistons off in the calipers, they seem to be working ok, bought some 2nd hand brake discs, (which turned out to be knackered and caused the car to shudder violently when braking) so eventually ended up with new discs, just fitted them tonight, pistons seem to be working fine and it brakes nice and smooth and in a straight line, does this sound like the imbalance may be cured, as I have no other way of telling before its re-test tomorrow.
As always thanks in advance 

Secondhand brake components 

As far as testing the braking goes, find a quiet road, get up to about 20mph, relax your grip on the wheel (but be prepared to grab it), and apply the brakes with moderate force.

If it pulls up in a straight line, it will more than likely be ok when tested on the rollers for the MOT.
If it doesn't pull up in a straight line, then back to the brake calipers making sure all parts (pins, etc) are clean and move freely.

[cannonfodder]

thanks KW, tried that earlier and all seems to be ok... fingers crossed for tomorrow! :-/

As for 2nd hand discs... wouldnt recommend them now!

[KW]

As for 2nd hand discs... wouldnt recommend them now!

You should never use secondhand brake components on any vehicle - they are the ONLY thing that seperate a safe journey and the mortuary.

[jonnycool]

As for 2nd hand discs... wouldnt recommend them now!

You should never use secondhand brake components on any vehicle - they are the ONLY thing that seperate a safe journey and the mortuary.

What he said - second hand discs? What were you thinking??

[Broomies Mate]

I've used second hand discs before.... from a CAT D insurance write off vehicle.  The Discs were less than a month old and were pristine.  They were also free.

I'd sooner use a 'good' pair of genuine OE second hand discs than crappy motor-factor replacements.

Obviously, if a disc looks worn at all, then you are better off walking away and replacing your brakes with new...... the BEST YOU CAN AFFORD.

Dont think of a £15 saving as a good buy........ Your brakes are what stop you from dying on every journey!

[dbug]

Hi all, I put a post on here a while back RE Brake imbalance, it was showing 36% difference on my MOT results, front. I freed the pistons off in the calipers, they seem to be working ok, bought some 2nd hand brake discs, (which turned out to be knackered and caused the car to shudder violently when braking) so eventually ended up with new discs, just fitted them tonight, pistons seem to be working fine and it brakes nice and smooth and in a straight line, does this sound like the imbalance may be cured, as I have no other way of telling before its re-test tomorrow.
As always thanks in advance 

Hope they were genuine Vauxhall discs mate - if not you will be replacing them again in a few thousand miles 

I have had my 'non GM' discs for 2 years 20.000 miles no probs....

You're lucky then mate - concensus on OOF is that pattern discs don't last.  Found that out for myself    Maybe you don't "use" your brakes  :-/

[2woody]

always one to buck the trend....

current GM discs are a cheap brand and NOT the same quality that your vehicle had when new. AVOID.

Go instead for Ate -brand ( Teves, Conti-teves or Continental ). Thay are the original manufacture for the brake discs fitted to new Omegas. Available from Euro Car Parts.

[andyc]

No the discs are the same as you normaly buy but the parts are aftermarket

I've been selling GM parts for over twenty years and have sold thousands of disc kits to the trade as i used to be a parts rep as well.

If these kits were crap then we wouldn't be selling the qty we do and the trade would soon tell you if they are crap.

From a personal point of view i would use the GM kits above anyone else, i don't just sell parts but i also have my own Classic Vauxhall/Opel Restoration business

Andy

[tigers_gonads]

at the end of the day, some people don't have the money to spend on new parts.

all they want is a reliable car with a mot ticket and tax so they can get to work to ern money to put food on the table

not a lecture on the pro's and con's of buying new / second hand parts 

[jonnycool]

at the end of the day, some people don't have the money to spend on new parts.

all they want is a reliable car with a mot ticket and tax so they can get to work to ern money to put food on the table

not a lecture on the pro's and con's of buying new / second hand parts 

It's not a lecture when you're putting your safety at risk, you should never gamble with unknown quantities when you're dealing with brakes. Pattern parts, if you're trying to save money, but not second hand

[KW]

not a lecture on the pro's and con's of buying new / second hand parts 

I'm guessing you've never seen firsthand just how much damage a car weighing almost 2 tonnes can do, even at a lowly 30mph.
Something like a secondhand radiator isn't going to be a problem from a safety aspect if it should fail, but if a secondhand braking component should fail then both the driver and everyone in the immediate vicinity are potentially f*cked.

Let's put it another way, would you get on a rollercoaster at the fairground if you believed they were using secondhand safety devices?