[eye30]

Car passed its annual MOT but have 1 advisory:

Front Brakes imbalanced requirements only just met. It would appear that the braking system requires adjustment or repair. (1.2.1 (b) (i))

The garage I use does not do MOT's.

However, he gave me a few things which may cause this, worn pads, worn discs, ( both original and car done 49k miles),muck around pistons or even fluid requires replacing.

He checked the fluid and found to be ok.

Booked car in for a brake service and I'm expecting new pads and discs.

Anyone else had such and if so what was the issue/fix?

Cheers....

[BrendanP]

The only imbalance I've had is when I haven't bled the brakes properly. As well as new pads & discs, I'd suggest checking the brake caliper glide pins. If they've run dry and/or become corroded it can cause the caliper to seize up. This can cause the pads on that side to wear quicker, and the pads themselves don't wear evenly. They'll be thinner at one end than the other, like a wedge. If the pins are good they may just need cleaning up and re-lubricating with a suitable brake grease. I'd recommend getting new pins anyway, they don't last forever. I've bought them from a company called Frentech. They cost about £10 per caliper which is not much considering the cost of pads and discs.

If your brake fluid hasn't been changed in the last 2 years, it ought to be replaced as well

[eye30]

Update.

Car been into garage and had new discs and new pads all round.

Front sliders and caliper???? had seized on one side , not sure if top or bottom, and the pad had worn as uneven. This was causing the imbalance.

Back pads still had about 3 to5k left but decided to have them replaced as car was in garage.

Could feel big big difference on way home as only just need to touch pedal to activate braking.

Original discs and pads with 12 years and 50,000 miles.

Well pleased with outcome.
Now for 12 more months of carefree motoring.

[BrendanP]

Glad to hear you sorted it out. A seized caliper is fairly easy to diagnose, as it's difficult or impossible to push the piston back in. The glide pins need regular attention though, I take them out at least once a year, wipe them off, check to see if they're starting to rust, and replace them and/or re-grease them. New ones are not that expensive. Take them out one at a time so you don't mix them up. On my 2011 diesel with 296,000 miles, I've replaced the front glide pins twice and the rear glide pins once. All the calipers are original.

[eye30]

Cheers Brendan for your input.

 I've always assumed brakes were cleaned at my Essentail hy service as they have always commented on pad thickness etc but appears not.

Will do as you do and clean once per year.

Ps.
Have you replaced discs.

[Surferdude]

Update.

Car been into garage and had new discs and new pads all round.

Front sliders and caliper???? had seized on one side , not sure if top or bottom, and the pad had worn as uneven. This was causing the imbalance.

Back pads still had about 3 to5k left but decided to have them replaced as car was in garage.

Could feel big big difference on way home as only just need to touch pedal to activate braking.

Original discs and pads with 12 years and 50,000 miles.

Well pleased with outcome.
Now for 12 more months of carefree motoring.

They’ll get even better as they bed in. You should also notice a slightly more progressive pedal travel from the first bite having got rid of those old hard pads.