Brakes!

[Aygo_fire]

Hi all

I own a 2012 Toyota aygo fire. And had it for over 5 years. I am looking to upgrade my brakes. Having had a higher car recently then jumping back into mine I couldn't believe the difference in brakes! 

 

So I want to upgrade mine, I would like your advice on where to buy them, which ones & how much would it cost in a garage? 

Looking at my brakes the back ones seem abit rusty, so should I replace these or the fronts? 

Cheers

 

[fordulike]

The rear brakes are drum brakes, so you are probably just seeing the drum casing which will be rusty for a 2012 model. Mine is a 2013 and the rear drum casings are looking shabby. Work perfectly fine though and flies through it's MOT on the braking side.

I haven't had a problem with braking ability with mine, although I do replace the front pads and discs every 20k miles. Maybe yours are getting a bit past it and need replacing. Also, unless you've had yours serviced at the Toyota dealership, where they replace the brake fluid every major service, you may have moisture in the brake system which can decrease braking efficiency. They also service and adjust the rear brakes along with that major service too, which tightens up the rear braking efficiency.

[PetrolDave]

The vast majority of braking effort comes from the front brakes, if you're going to do anything do the front brakes first.

[Catlover]

What make, model, age of the hire car.?

With drum brakes, like you have on the rear, just removing the outer drum and clearing away any brake dust (safely) you can see whether the brake linings need changing due to wear. As David (fordulike) says, changing brake fluid can be advantageous if it’s been in use for a few years.

And as petrol Dave says, pay attention to the front disk pads, and discs themselves. Pads can be bought made of different substances. Some pads give better braking but wear quicker, therefore need replacing more often.

Has you car been service by Toyota main dealers, do your service records/invoices show anything has been done with the brakes, front and rear. Any comments from your annual MOT’s?