19,000 for ALL brake pads and discs!!

[Mon the fish]

I keep mine indoors, do 3k miles a year, and I'm onto my fourth set of pads and discs all round. I've done 60k in total... Front tyres last about 8k miles. Dammit it's an expensive little toy!

I read somewhere years ago that rear discs can rust easily, due to the lack of use they get. I probably over-compensate for this by using the handbrake to clean them more than I need to

[Duncan Stewart]

I had early rear disc / pad replacement (under 20K) on my first R50 and my last R56 Mini (they were worn to stage of needing replaced)
My understanding is that it is due to using the car on filthy, salty country roads (the kind I commute to work on) in winter where rear brakes are hardly used by all the salty dirt builds up and rusts & scores them.
Not so much of a problem on cleaner, faster main roads?
I was recomended to regularly use the handbrake to stop / slow the car, where safe to do so - straight road and no one behind you. Did this regularly on my second R50 which I had for nearly 3 years and over 40,000 miles and had no problems. Got out of the habit with my R56

[AndyP & Lenore]

Thats interesting Duncan, thanks for your input.

Maybe give the hand brake thing a wee try and see if it helps on the new discs and pads.

A wee update: Got four new disc and pad sets sitting in a box downstairs waiting to be fitted by a local garage. We went for the drilled and slotted discs from MINI. As usual site sponsor JC's looked after us - many thanks David!

A.

[ianking]

Im sure I also suggested to you the handbrake trick as well Andy, honest it does work and will prolong the life of the rear discs.

[AndyP & Lenore]

Im sure I also suggested to you the handbrake trick as well Andy, honest it does work and will prolong the life of the rear discs.

Doubt they need replacing Andy.
However the rears on yours may be pitted due to being an automatic and you not having to use the hand brake as much.
However they could be cleaned up instead of being replaced.
Easiest way to try and get rid of the pitting and clean them up would be to find an empty straight section of road. Get up to about 50mph and floor the brakes. Do that a couple times and that should clean them. If the rears still dont clean then drive along at about 30mph and click up the handbrake a couple clicks for a couple seconds.

Pits will be like tiny rust spots on the face of the dics.
My rears looked like that after the winter salt and not driving fast enough in the bad weather to use the brakes hard enough that the rears would kick in. Cleaned them up using the 50mph method mentioned above. Thought I would have to strip them down but they are fine now.

Indeedy you diddy. Sorry missed that.

A.

[Livi]

As usual site sponsor JC's looked after us - many thanks David!
A.

Andy,

Glad you got them, and many thanks again for using myself for parts