A couple of things on this topic:
Breifly on lipped discs, if your disc has an obvious lip, measure its thickness to make sure it is not worn to its limit. I don't know renaults very well, but if the minimum thickness is not engraved or stamped on the disc itself, a Renault dealer WILL be able to tell you, ask to speak to the foreman or master tech. If they are not worn to excess, fitting pads onto a slightly lipped disc will not be a problem. The pedal will fell spongy for 5-10 miles as the disc wears the very edge of the pads to the contour of the disc. No problem here.
so it will go like my 'figure C' then??
Regarding problems with the 182 brakes (not breaks
); Having read the symptoms people are describing, it sounds to me like a servo problem, more specifically a lack of vacuum in the servo. Am i right in saying the pedal does not move a great distance, and despite how hard you push, the car does not slow down as you would expect from that level of pedal force?
If so, I would be looking at the servo, vacuum lines, one way or control valve, seals and connections. Also, (it's unlikely because the problem is intermmitant), I would be looking for evidence of petrol or oil, or even brake fluid in the vacuum system or in the servo itself, as any of these can damage the diaphragm.
As matter of course, i would remove the caliper and check the piston for ease of movement, and check the sliding pins for dirt or grit ingress, ease of movement, give them a good clean and regrease. This way you know you can eliminate the caliper as a problem.
my pedal will move all the way to the floor
I would bet 1000-1 against the discs or pads being the cause of the problem.
Ferodo DS2500 pads are excellent pads, i ran them for about 30k in a Nissan 200sx including several trackdays and do not have a bad word to say about them. They do not need time to warm up. Unfortunately if your Renault dealer told you this, he is trying to get out of the situation because he does not know what is wrong with your car.
i do have my old standard pads lying around (did about 18k miles on them), should i put these backin or leave the ds2500s in?? i know the ds2500s havent caused the problem as the brakes were dengerously crap, hence why i fitted the pads! the pads seemed to bit good for all of 2 days after i fitted them. but i think maybe they were just covering the problem.
Finally, regarding the dealers, and this is coming from a former main dealer technician; I would be firm but polite, state that there
is a problem with your car otherwise why would you waste your time going back so often? Tell them you will leave your car with them for as long as they need it to find the problem, tell them you wish to have a courtesy car free of charge (if you have been back several times, and your car is in warranty) for the duration. Tell them you are not happy using the car anymore as it is a serious safety issue which could, and probably will cause an accident. Smile and be nice, the worse thing you can do is piss them off, because then they really won't give a sh1t about you or your car. When you have left your car with them phone them every 3-4 days, and ask to speak to the person with whom you booked it in with everytime you call.
If they refuse this, and you bought the car from the dealer you have taken it to, demand to speak the the dealer principle and tell him or her you wish to have a full refund on the car; you are not happy with it or the service you are receiving from the dealer etc etc. This WORKS!
Hope i'm not teaching any of you guys how to suck eggs, but just want to help you get your cars sorted! Sorry if i am!
Nick.