Front brake pad costs and warning signs (Proton Saga)

整理中beginner

15 minutes~RM 180配件与工时 · 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

Ask for the old pads back so you can see how much material was left

所需工具: Flashlight

Steps

Note what the car does when you brake

Tip: Squeal, grinding, a longer pedal, or a shimmy through the wheel. Each one points somewhere different

Look at the pad through the wheel

Warning: Steel wheels and solid hubcaps hide the pads. Ask for a check at your next tyre rotation instead of guessing

Tip: Torch between the spokes at the caliper. New pads carry about 10mm of material; below 3mm, book the job

Work out how urgent it is

Tip: Grinding with a long pedal means stop now. A squeal with a firm pedal gives you a week or two, not a month

Get two quotes on the same job

Tip: Ask for front pads fitted, discs checked, and a separate price for discs if they are scored. Compare totals, not pad brands

Book it and ask for the old parts

Tip: The work itself takes two to three hours. Leave the car for half a day so the discs can be measured on the lift

A Saga does a lot of town miles, and town miles are what wear front pads out. The pads themselves are cheap. The trap is paying for discs you did not need, or driving on a grind until discs you could have kept are scrap.

What it should cost

Item	Band
Front pad set, per axle	RM70 to RM120
Labour, front axle	RM40 to RM80
Typical total, one axle	RM120 to RM220
Add if the discs are scored	RM100 to RM150 labour, plus discs

The pads for this car are common and cheap, so labour is the bigger half of the bill at a small workshop. Two things push the price up: discs too thin to skim, and a quote that bundles pads and discs without measuring anything.

These are ranges from Malaysian workshop price lists and a dated workshop promo, checked 2026-10-26. Your town and the pad brand move them.

What to watch for

Pads that squeal from the first day usually went in dry, or without shims. Take the car back rather than living with it.
Judder through the pedal after the job is a disc or bed-in problem, not a pad problem.
Cheap pads without shims are a real category for this car, and they can rattle in the caliper bracket. Ask what brand is going in.
A soft pedal with plenty of pad material left is a fluid or hose problem. New pads will not fix it.

What to ask for

Front pads on both sides, and the old parts back in the box.
Disc thickness in millimetres, written on the invoice.
Pads with shims, and the brand named before they start.
A short test drive before you pay, so any judder shows up while you are still there.

If you keep driving

A worn pad still stops the car. A worn pad on a scored disc stops it less well, and costs more to put right. Grinding means the backing plate is cutting metal already, and a disc that could have been skimmed now has to be replaced.