Benefits of upgraded RTS brake pads

Trying to decide whether to upgrade your brake pads, but not sure whether its worth it? If you have mapped your vehicle or have added various other performance upgrades, we would advise upgraded pads and discs every time. Simply; if you vehicle is running at a higher power, your brakes need to match up to the same standard. Standard brakes are inevitably built to pass the safety regulations however using budget materials.

We hold a range of RTS brake pads in stock to suit VAG vehicles. There are a few benefits to upgrading, the first and most important feature being the safety of the vehicle! The upgraded brakes improve the vehicle stopping power, by increasing the force that can be applied. Secondly is increasing the amount of heat the system can safely dissipate. In other words, reducing the chance of the hardware overheating. The risks from the hardware overheating causes brake fade. Brake fade occurs when the heat doesn’t have time to dissipate, like when you keep your foot on the brake pedal in stop-and-go traffic, drive aggressively, brake down a long hill, or drive with an overloaded vehicle. When there’s an excessive buildup of heat, your brakes will start to feel less responsive and you might experience brake fade.

Obviously driving style also affects the quality of your brake pads. Steer clear of aggressive driving to increase the lifespan of your pads aswell as using engine braking. For example; gradually slowing by letting your foot of the accelerator as opposed to carrying on at a continued speed, then having to slam your foot on the brakes.

Outlined below is a range of benefits from upgrading to RTS brake pads:

None aggressive friction technology

Install and forget confidence to all callipers

Efficient and responsive braking from cold to hot temperatures

Chamfered edge friction creates a more responsive and smoother braking feel

Excellent sheer strength resistance

Nominal friction coefficient 0.41

Excellent wear, fade and vibration free characteristics

Available in sets of front and rear pads across an extensive range of performance applications

To be used for Fast Road and Track Use.

ECE R90 accreditation is a legal requirement for all brake pads to meet European standards, RTS pads have passed vigorous testing to meet the highest requirements and give outstanding braking capabilities on road/track days in wet and dry working conditions.

Again we hold a range of the pads in reception or you can purchase from our sister company ‘VAGperformance’ as well as the upgraded discs if you want to go the whole hog! Pop in and chat to us or use the ‘Contact page‘ here.

The difference between code reads and diagnostic tests.

The two are similar which is where the initial confusion arises. A Code read is the process of connecting a scanner to the vehicle and reading/scanning the vehicle for codes/data. You would carry out this procedure if a warning light has appeared on your dash. The Code read is then to scan for a code that caused your check Engine light/Airbag etc to come on. This may reveal a numerical code which indicates where the issue has come from within the vehicle.

Diagnostics

Diagnostic testing is a similar process however more of the vehicle is analysed. Diagnostic testing is the process of finding the actual problem with the on board system through visual inspection, testing of wiring, visual inspections of the vehicle and more. This is why a diagnostic test is more accurate and from this we can usually get to the root of the issue within the first hour. In some cases the vehicle may need further diagnostics. We prefer to know the root of the issue before just replacing parts for the sake of it.

This means that although we charge for the initial diagnostic test, the advice we give on how to repair the issues is accurate and will ultimately solve the issues you’re having with the vehicle. Sometimes issues are more complex and there may be a few issues the vehicle has, in this case we will always disclose the correct information to the customer on their options.

Sometimes customers query why we charge for a diagnostics. Some expect to have a refund of the fee from the diagnostics test if they choose to repair the fault with the vehicle.  However, we do not refund the diagnostic fee due to us spending time on the vehicle. As explained above, we don’t just plug a scanner in and the machine gives us the information. The Diagnostic test is a thorough inspection of the vehicle by an experienced Technician. You are paying for their time and expertise to properly diagnose your vehicle.

Customers requests

For these reasons above we don’t always just carry out repairs at a customer’s request if we’re not sure that it correlates to the issues they are having. We usually advise carrying out a diagnostics test prior to make sure (as much as we can) what is causing the problems they are having. Obviously this doesn’t apply to repairs such as brakes/springs. This applies to engine management issues/transmission and all electronic faults.

The wait for diagnostic testing is usually around 2/3 weeks. Therefore, if you are having issues with your vehicle try and call us as soon as you can. Don’t wait to see if the problem goes away! You can email/call/facebook message us to book in! Contact

Code reads and Diagnostic tests

Due to the ever increasing cost of parts, we can no longer put off business price increases. For two years we have absorbed the increasing costs of running the business. However, unfortunately the time has come where it is no longer viable for us to do this. With the costs of parts, electric, fuel and so on all increasing drastically we have to up our prices by around 7% across the board. This increase does still not correlate to the overall increase to us. We have tried to keep the costs as low as we could, as we have never been a business to charge the maximum we could and have always tried to keep our customers right!

Genuine parts

Certain genuine vehicles parts however have shot up in price hugely, some by up to 30%. In these cases we have no control over the increase, be assured we will always give you the best price we can offer.

There may also be more delays sourcing certain genuine parts. This is to do with a number of things we unfortunately have no control over. Certain parts from the dealerships are on back order, in this case we have to place the order and find out within 72 hours a rough time frame. Obviously this isn’t ideal if said part is crucial to your vehicles running. However, again issues like this are out of our control.

Performance parts

Performance parts will also be receiving an increase in the coming months. A few of our suppliers have pre-warned us of the increase in parts. Due to their increasing manufacturing and material costs, companies have no choice but to increase the product cost. As with ourselves, lots of our performance parts suppliers have absorbed the increasing costs for the past couple of years however it’s just no longer sustainable to do so.

If you request a quote from us, please note that the quote is valid for up to a month after. As long as the vehicle is booked in within the month we can honor the quote! If you would like information and pricing on servicing, repairs or upgrades. Call us on 01642 613852 or email us at: northeastautotech@gmail.com. Contact page.

Business price increases

It’s that time again! We are expanding the business and adding one more technician to our workforce!

This time we are looking for a service technician and a diagnostic technician. You can find all of the relevant information ‘here’ as well as ways to apply. This is an exciting opportunity for any technician looking to develop their knowledge and skills in a friendly, positive environment!

Feel free to also share this to anyone who you think may be interested in the role.

Why are customers hesitant to use quality parts. OEM or Aftermarket parts?

Since we launched the business in 2006 we have always fit quality parts. For us logically its more economical to fit quality OEM parts as opposed to cheaper low quality parts. There are so many reasons for doing this, mainly due to the fact that the OEM parts will have a longer lifespan. They may be slightly more expensive to start with but ultimately, they will last a lot longer.

However, we do have customers who come to us after having work carried out in other garages needing repairs on parts that have recently been fit to the vehicle. These parts can be less than half the price of the OEM standard we would fit. When put into perspective, it’s no wonder the parts don’t last as long.

Safety Aspects

Apart from the economical side of things, OEM parts regularly have supersession’s.  This is to do with identifying there is a defect with the design of the original. They then modify the part to improve it. This is another downfall of aftermarket parts as they are always based on the original design, so they are not up to date. Making them less efficient immediately, as the part would have been superseded if there wasn’t an issue with it. There may also be properties within the materials of the parts unknown to the aftermarket supplier. Making these parts break easier or cause the vehicle to have a different feel to the drive.

A lot of the time the aftermarket parts are backward engineered. This isn’t always is a bad thing is a part has stopped being produced as the vehicle is very old for example. However if you want your vehicle to be the safest it can be, its best to stick with OEM parts.

Braking

A good example of the differences between OEM and aftermarket parts is brakes. Brakes have to be made to a minimum of R90 standard. However that’s only a base standard. The OEM parts rating goes way above and beyond the base standard. This means a lot of the cheaper brakes are only just making the minimum standard. Why would you be happy settling for the base standard on what is essentially a safety feature? Obviously safety on the roads should be paramount and incase of a potential collision, the quality of your brakes could make a massive difference. You can read more about this here on a blog by TMD friction. They manufacture OEM brakes and are local to us too in Hartlepool!

Tell us your opinion. What would you prefer on your vehicle, OEM or aftermarket?