Just wanted to share my recent experience when servicing the brakes on my 2012 FD i30cw.
2012 is a tricky year for ordering parts as it is the changeover from FD to GD (at least here in Aus). I specifically mentioned this at the counter of my local parts store when purchasing the front and rear brake rotors to ensure I got the FD parts. Embarrassingly, I had let the brakes and tyres go too far and the car was unsafe to drive, so it was a bit of an emergency purchase.
I got home from the parts store late in the afternoon (with wheels and new tyres) and proceeded to replace the rotors and pads on the front. Little did I know that they had supplied me with GD rotors. They went on the car without any fitment issues so I did not notice immediately. The difference in specifications is subtle and not easy to spot with the naked eye. I ran out of time to do the rears (which were marginally still usable), so put the car back on the ground and took it for a test drive and brake bed in. No apparent issues.
The rears however are very obviously different, so that's when I noticed. Panic call to the parts store and got the rear rotors changed over. Then I had to research the difference between the two models for the front rotors. The difference is in the overall height and thickness of the rotors.
Thankfully the parts store was very accommodating, I've now purchased the correct front rotors and they are willing to refund me for the GD rotors even though they have been fitted and used, albeit only for a few days and few hundred kms.
Lesson learned, from now on I will say my car is a 2011 model!
For reference:
Specification | FD | GD |
Diameter | 280mm | 280mm |
Height | 47mm | 45mm |
Thicknes | 26mm | 23mm |
Min Thicknes | 24mm | 21mm |