Front Brake Pads - C5

[kettlesimon]

I need to replace front brake pads soon on my C5. Eurocarparts stock two brands, Pagid at @ £43 & Eicher at @ £18. Big difference in price, but is there much difference in quality

[411514]

Both are respectable makes although pagid is generally agreed to be a premium brand. Have you noticed that eurocarparts are offering 30% off the pagid pads using code pagid30, sam

[fifth_cit]

I have used Eicher on my C5 and have not had any problems in the 2 months they have been on.
They sound like a German name but I believe they are made in India.

[RichardW]

Got Pagid in my Xantia - they looked like well made pads, and they certainly work OK. Previous cheap ones I had in would rust over in minutes, and to the discs over the weekend but no such trouble with the Pagids. Have a look at carparts4less - the same outfit as eurocarparts, but average 30% cheaper - they've also got a promo on for £5 off for £50 spend / £10 for £75 / £15 for £100 - looks like I will get an oil filter for the Xantia for minus £12

[qprdude]

Basically, you get what you pay for. Eicher are indeed made in India, and although they have to conform to a minimum spec for the European market, they do just that. The minimum!
Personally I think brakes are far too important ,(probably THE most important), part of your car to use an inferior product.
It's entirely possible that these cheapos will give you no problems, and even last for a reasonable time, but you will never know the quality until you have to hit the anchors in an emergency. You hope never to do that, but if you ever do, you would want to give yourself and your passengers, or other road users, the best chance of survival. Sorry to be a bit morose, but brakes are not something to scrimp on.

[411514]

With regards to the quality, all safety issues aside, my experience of many aftermarket brake pads, including more premium ones is that quite often they squeal, and if you have alloys and a clean car is your thing they can shed a lot more brake dust. Personally im a firm believer in genuine citroen parts. Have a look on ebay as i picked up some genuine pads for mine for less than £10 recently. If you need help with part numbers feel free to pm your vin and il check, sam

[Citroenmad]

Basically, you get what you pay for. Eicher are indeed made in India, and although they have to conform to a minimum spec for the European market, they do just that. The minimum!
Personally I think brakes are far too important ,(probably THE most important), part of your car to use an inferior product.
It's entirely possible that these cheapos will give you no problems, and even last for a reasonable time, but you will never know the quality until you have to hit the anchors in an emergency. You hope never to do that, but if you ever do, you would want to give yourself and your passengers, or other road users, the best chance of survival. Sorry to be a bit morose, but brakes are not something to scrimp on.

I couldn't agree more, it's not an area where money should be saved. Likewise tyres, your wheels could be housing some four pot Brembo clippers, discs and pads, but if you have liquorice allsort tyres, you might as well get cheap brakes too.

Safety shouldn't be scrimped on, nor does it need to be, if you shop around you can get good deals and brakes/tyres are rarely an unexpected cost.

I stick with genuine Citroen brakes, Valeo or Brembo.

[Old-Guy]

Basically, you get what you pay for. Eicher are indeed made in India, and although they have to conform to a minimum spec for the European market, they do just that. The minimum!
Personally I think brakes are far too important ,(probably THE most important), part of your car to use an inferior product.
It's entirely possible that these cheapos will give you no problems, and even last for a reasonable time, but you will never know the quality until you have to hit the anchors in an emergency. You hope never to do that, but if you ever do, you would want to give yourself and your passengers, or other road users, the best chance of survival. Sorry to be a bit morose, but brakes are not something to scrimp on.

In general, I agree except that, IMHO, TYRES are the MOST important item. If your tyres don't grip, everything else is irrelevant:-
brakes, steering, ABS, 4WD, traction control, ......... that's why I change my tyres when the tread gets down to the wear bars and why the Xantia has been wearing a set of winter tyres for the last couple of months. I appreciate that around £300 for a set isn't affordable for some. A pair of new tyres on the front were essential and the rears were at 3/4 worn at best so 4 new tyres weren't far off anyway. I'm on the hunt for a set of steel wheels (15") so that when the rears go back on in the spring (with another pair of new tyres for the front) I can store the winter tyres on their existing rims.

[qprdude]

Know what you're saying, but if you ain't got brakes, you could have tractor tyres on all four corners and you wouldn't be stopping. As far as cost, I would just love to get a set of tyres for £300. Summer or all weather ones for my car are way beyond that for decent brands.
It's very tempting to buy budget tyres sometimes, especially when they get very good write-ups, but I suppose it depends where and how you drive. I have always got mine online, sent to a local fitter and fitted in the price. I can save around 10-20% for mid-range or premiums.