By only checking the nearside brake pads for wear, the offside wear had gone unnoticed. Unfortunately, it can be the case that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

This is often the case when applied to vehicle brakes. The owner of this 2006 Chevrolet Lacetti 1.6 automatic had been told by her partner that as it was her car she should look after it. This included two weekly and monthly checks and gave her instructions on how to check the under bonnet levels, check the tyre pressures and, while doing this, to check the brake pads. This was not a full check, but just a glance through the nearside wheel where the outer pad was visible.

She was confident that the brake pads were good after carrying out her checks,  so when a strange grinding noise began, she knew it couldn’t be the brakes. After I had a look, I had difficulty convincing her that the noise was from the brakes, even though the pad she could see was in good order.

The offside front brake caliper had seized and caused the brake pads, which she had not looked at, to wear down at an accelerated rate. The brake lining was worn completely, and the backing metal of the brake pads were touching the brake disc. The Chevrolet needed not only a new brake caliper, but also a new brake disc and pads before it was safe to use again.

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