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Comments
...every so often, we get lo-speed vibration. The use of feather-lite braking for a spell seems to restore law and order to the braking department. Go figure.
Here's hoping the 53k 'no brake probs' post (either here or 'driveaccord' works for me............
..ez..
The brakes on the current generation Accord seem to be very touchy overall. I suspect anything altering the surface of the rotors will be noticed during braking. I'm wondering if something as simple as a light coating of rust forming on the rotors is enough to make them vibrate. If the car sits overnight and it's humid outside, or it rains, the rotors will get a light coating of rust. It may just form on areas directly exposed to rain bouncing off the rims, and probably doesn't form under the pads. The uneven coating could give you the vibration feeling. All of this should go away after a few good uses, but may be annoying till then.
Mrbill
I know what you feel, but my little "rust buildup" is usually gone after two or three applications of brakes in my neighborhood.
Every time I've felt the high-speed vibration above 50 MPH (it usually quits shaking after I've slowed below 50 or so), a rotor resurface has been in order (2 different times, same thing that you described happened with me, and was fixed with a rotor resurface).
This MAY not be the case with you, but I'd have to agree with the service tech just based on what you told me.
I wouldn't have a problem if they would replace the rotors and not just cut them.
Mrbill
I'm not interested in braided brake lines and all that other fancy stuff. In the end, it may not be worth it. I was just impressed with how good painted calipers made a car look.
When I drive the car, it seems that you have to press the brake pedal for quite an excursion as the car slows, and then quiet hard to get it to stop completely. Is this normal for a 2001 Accord?
I am so used to driving a Nissan Pathfinder, that it is difficult for me to judge.
In my 1st visit to the Honda dealer, they had the mechanic adjusted the rear brake but it did NOT fix the problem. So I had to go back a 2nd time. They had the rear brake rotor resurfaced under warranty.
I'm concerned about this problem because other people here also experienced similar issues.
What're remedies from Honda if it were going to happen again(if it will, I hope it happens before 36,000 miles)? Can I request Honda to replace the rotor instead of resurfacing it again?
I'm not a hard driver and rarely brake hard. Given the quality of Honda, I would expect to get at least 45-50K on a set of brakes - both front and rear.
FYI, I got 50k on the original sets of brakes on my 96 Jetta.
I'm really disappointed at this quality issue.
Although it's unfortunate that I had to spill $400+ for new rotors in a car with 30K miles, it's still a great car - the brakes being the only issue I've had with it in 4yrs/45K.
Try American Honda again, if enough of us come forward, they'll have to do something - they should recall and pass the costs along to the OEM rotor mfr, as is typical with these kind of arrangements.
Also i don't think the manufacturers have adjusted the rear rotor size (diameter and thickness) to account for this. On my minivan, the rear rotors were smaller then the front.
Just a thought.
I don't agree. The front brakes should always use more force than the rear. The front of the car has more weight, especially during braking (weight shifts to the front), and has a lot more stopping power. If the rear brakes used the same force as the front, If the brakes were applied evenly front/back, the ABS would be kicking in (in the rear) for normal stops. I have an 03 Accord, and my rear brake pads are not wearing fast (42,000 miles, and still look new), and I have the heavier V6 model. Rear pads wearing before the front pads is not normal. Something is wrong somewhere.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_brakeforce_distribution
If your rear brake pads are worn before the front pads, something is wrong IMO.
I have the same situation in my 2004 Quest minivan (as well as many others). Many of us had to replace the rear rotors and pads before 35k miles. Some had warped rotors by 20k. The rear rotors were much smaller than the front and the vehicle had ABS with EBD. Subsequent model years have larger rear rotors and pads. It's a minivan and heavier so you see the issues sooner but similar situation.
My guess is if the rears get bad enough, then the fronts will need to do all the braking, and then I'll need 4 new rotors instead of 2.
He said it is not unusual for ABS to wear faster in the back, ceramic or not. Something is not right!
Also if you have a Honda with Electronic Brake Distribution, the rears do as much braking as the front.
Good Luck.
I have the 03 EXV6, and my rear pads are still in great shape at 43k miles. I would agree that something is not right. The 04 does not have EBD, so that excuse doesn't fly. You may be changing rotors soon unfortunately.
Actually, it does, at least it does in the 03, 05 literature for the EX, LX-V6, and EX-V6. The DX and LX don't have EBD. I don't have the literature for the 04, but I'm sure they would not have dropped the EBD for one year.
Mrbill
Mrbill
What I was trying to get at is, my car is equipped with the same system as the 04 V6, and my rear pads are not wearing prematurely (still look relatively new at 43,000 miles). This leads me to believe something is wrong, if jinnyb's rear pads are worn out so soon (34,400 miles). I suppose if jinneyb does a lot of braking (going down steep hills and such) the brakes could wear faster, but not rear only.
Electronic Brake Distribution
The ABS system is further enhanced by Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD) which adjusts braking pressure front-to-rear, based on the weight distribution of passengers and/or cargo. Weight distribution is determined via the relative difference in rotational speed of the front and rear wheels. Greater braking pressure, and subsequently stopping power, is directed to the rear wheels when cargo loads in the rear are heavier. This contributes to a more controlled stop, and in conjunction with the front double wishbone suspension minimizes "brake dive" during hard braking.
"Weight distribution is determined via the relative difference in rotational speed of the front and rear wheels."
Based in that, incorrect tire pressure front-rear could affect how the EBD functions? I can also see that having extra weight in the trunk, or 5 passengers compared to just 1 will effect the rate at which the rear pads wear?
Interesting...
Mrbill
Honda issued a TSB (service bulletin) for corosion of the caliper casting where the pad retainers sit. The corrosion puts pressure under the stainless steel pad retainers, and causes the rear brakes to stick slightly. When the brakes stick slightly, the rear rotor overheats and the surface gets damaged, causing a grinding sound/feel. The fix is to remove the pads, as well as the stainless steel pad retainers that the pads ride on, and clean the corrosion from the caliper casting, or replace it if it's really bad. To fix it right, new rotors and pads are called for.
An rotor that has overheated tends to have discoloration and/or odd look to the surface. Be sure to look at both sides.
I've done hundreds of brake jobs, and until now I never thought about cleaning off the caliper casting under the pad retainers...but now I will.
I would bet that the rear calipers on a CR-V and the accord are very similar. Note that problems with calipers sticking due to corosion are much more likely if you live in an area where road salt is used a lot.
Thanks Steve
Depending on the thickness, they may not be resurfaceable anyway.
For the '99, hard to tell. But, you probably want to get into a suspension shop to have it looked at. A knocking noise may be suspension related (loose tie rod end, something like that), and not brake related. You might just here it when the system is stressed by the brakes being applied.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Sounds like you have something hung up where it's not releasing the rear brakes. Could also potentially be that your fronts aren't working (forcing the rears to do all of the braking), but I'd expect you would be skidding under any heavy braking need....and even then you shouldn't have gone thru 4 sets of brakes.
The rears normally do very little braking. When you are stopping the car weight is shifted to the front giving the front tires superior traction, and the weight shifts away from the rear giving those tires poor traction. As a result, the brake systems are configured that there is minimal hydraulic pressure to the rear and creates highest pressure to the fronts, so the fronts do the majority of all stopping.
You will need to get this to a competent mechanic for resolution, not a typical corner brake swap shop.
Brakes checked out at 10mm pad thickness front, 9mm rear 9same on both sides).
Anyone know what new pads are, and what is considered replacement level (wear bar time)?
Only brake problem I have is some groaning/grinding at low speeds when the car is cold, but I think it might just be surface rust of glazing that nees to get burned off. I rarely ever get the brakes hot enough to probably clean them off.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Mrbill