The brief
The Golf came in for its regular service, and the owner asked for the brakes to be checked while it was in, sensible, a brake performance inspection is part of looking after a car. The check found the front brakes near the end, so they were done alongside the service. A service runs through the whole car, and the brake inspection is part of it: pad thickness, disc condition, the calipers and the fluid. On this Golf the front pads were worn near the end and the discs scored, so it wasn't just a pad change, the discs had reached the end with them, and the front needed pads and discs as an axle set, done with the service.
The diagnosis
The service check went through everything. The engine oil and filter were due, the air and cabin filters near the end, a couple of fluids wanting topping, and the brake inspection found the front pads worn near the end with the discs scored. The rear brakes still had life, the belts, hoses and underbody checked out clean, the battery tested fine, and no fault codes were stored. So it was a service plus a front brake axle set: the wear items refreshed, the fluids freshened, and new front pads and discs.
The work
The engine oil was drained and refilled with the correct VW-spec oil and a new oil filter fitted, the air and cabin filters replaced, the fluids topped, and a full diagnostic scan run with no codes left. On the brakes, both front discs and the worn pads were removed, the hubs cleaned, the calipers and slide pins cleaned and greased, and a new genuine VW-spec set of front discs and pads fitted and bedded in. A road test confirmed a clean start, steady running, nothing leaking, and quiet, even, progressive front braking with a firm pedal.
The outcome
A clean bill of health on the Golf, fresh oil and filters, fluids topped, a clean scan, and sharp, quiet front braking on a new axle set. The car went home serviced and stopping properly. Catching the brakes during the service caught the scored discs before they were a problem, and doing it with the maintenance kept it to one visit.
