Front brake pad check without a jack (Proton Gen-2)

覆盖范围已复核beginner

10 minutes~RM 0未注明计价方式 · 截至 2026年10月26日5 steps

If the pedal sinks toward the floor or the car pulls to one side when you brake, stop driving and get it checked

Grinding that follows wheel speed means the pad material is gone. Do not keep driving on it

Brake dust may contain harmful particles; avoid breathing it in

所需工具: Flashlight

Steps

Park on level ground and look through the wheel

Warning: Steel wheels and solid hubcaps hide the pads completely. Use your next tyre rotation as the inspection slot instead of guessing

Tip: Shine a torch between the spokes at the caliper. You want to see the pad edge pressed against the disc

Listen on your first few stops of the day

Tip: One squeal after a wet night is surface rust burning off. A squeal that stays is the wear tab telling you it is time

Feel the pedal at a standstill

Tip: Press it with the engine running. Firm and high is normal. Long or spongy points at fluid or a hose, not at the pads

Check the brake fluid level, not just the light

Tip: The reservoir has MIN and MAX marks. Falling level with no visible leak is still a workshop job

Get a measured answer when it is unclear

Tip: A tyre shop can measure pad thickness during a rotation. Ask for the number in millimetres and keep the paper

The Gen-2 is a light hatchback that mostly does town miles, and town miles wear front pads. The check below needs no jack and no wheel brace: ten minutes at the kerb is enough to decide whether to book the job or look again in a month.

What the clues mean

What you notice	What it usually is	What to do
Squeal on the first stop after rain	Surface rust on the disc	Nothing. It clears
Squeal that stays, light braking	Wear tab touching the disc	Book pads within a week or two
Grinding that follows wheel speed	Pad material is gone	Stop driving. Workshop today
Pedal sinks or feels spongy	Fluid, hose or master cylinder	Workshop today
Light stays on with handbrake down	Low fluid or a sensor	Check fluid, then book
Judder through the pedal	Warped or unevenly worn disc	Workshop, ask for a disc check

Pad thickness without a lift

A new pad carries around 10mm of friction material. Below 3mm you book the job. Below 2mm you stop putting it off. Open-spoke alloys let you see the pad edge against the disc. Steel wheels hide it, so use a tyre rotation as the slot.

What the job should cost

The Gen-2 front pad set is shared with the 1.3 car, so the part is easy to find. The Bosch 0986AB1000 front axle set of four pads is listed for the Gen-2 1.3 and 1.6 from 2004 to 2012 at RM76.90 (parts listing checked 2026-10-26). No Proton front pad number for this car could be verified, so quote the Bosch number.

That is the part only. Fitting is a workshop job: brakes are safety-critical, and the owner-level work stops at knowing what to buy and what a fair price is. Labour on a front axle is the RM40 to RM80 band this site’s Proton guides use, which puts a fair fitted total at roughly RM120 to RM160 for pads alone. Those labour figures are a Malaysian workshop range, not a Gen-2 quote: hold a workshop to the band, do not expect it in every town.

Two things push the bill up: discs thin enough to need replacing, and a quote that bundles pads and discs without measuring anything.

What to ask for

Front pads on both sides, and the old pads back. Uneven wear between inner and outer pad points at a sticking caliper, which is a different repair.
Disc thickness in millimetres, written on the invoice, and a separate price for discs before any work starts.
A short test drive before you pay, so any judder shows up while you are there.

When to stop

Grinding, a pull to one side under braking, or a pedal that sinks. Those three end the driveway diagnosis, and the car should not be driven further than the nearest workshop. Everything else can wait for the next service, as long as you look again in a month.

Verified against the Bosch 0986AB1000 front pad listing for the Proton Gen-2 1.3 and 1.6 (2004 to 2012) and the front-axle labour band used by this site’s Proton brake guides, checked 2026-11-01. The Proton pad number remains unverified.