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Thanks
which required new rotors and pads (all four wheels) Isuzu customer service advises that it is due to winter driving and salt damage. The vehicle has very little experience in these conditions, in fact less than four months.
Has anyone experienced this problem and was it covered by warranty?
1. What is this lifetime warranty for brake pads? Is it like the muffler in my Tercel that Midas has replaced three time? Is this a good product, or some kind of marketing I don't understand? Also, what are semi-metallic pads?
2. Any experience with aftermarket parts for the Saturn? No dealership in this town and brake pads and install are $184 each front and back.
Any advice appreciated--thanks.
antilock brakes on the 97 Jeep Grand Cherokee
going off in normal conditions (e.g., smooth street, slowing for a stop sign or red light?). The brakes work fine in wet conditions or rough pavement.
I heard from a friend who had the same problem on his '98 328i and the mechanic suggested a few panic stops from above 50 MPH to scrub off the residue from the pads and that would fix it. I have not tried it yet.
Here is what the service ticket says they did:
Replaced disc pads (but they STRONGLY suggested having the factory upgrade done, which my wife declined)
brake shoes were relined
rotor "machine RF LF"
Drum "machine RR LF"
Bleed, flush fill and adjust brake system
The rest of the ticket is hard to read and understand, but from what my wife tells me, the brake place said the calipers need to be worked on and from what I can make out on the ticket, they are claiming heat and binding to be a problem.
The ticket also says the return springs need work...weak
The bottom of the ticket says "brakes will run hot, squeak and wear out permanently due to needed and suggested repairs not done..customer is aware."
I know very little about brake repairs but for a 3 year old car with 52,000 miles, it is hard for me to accept that $300 plus in break repairs is needed already. I smell a scam here.
I realize it is hard to truly access this situation without seeing the car, but I'd be interested in knowing some opinions on this.
The guy even told my wife that the car would get better gas mileage if the repairs were done!!!
I can't speak for the reputation of the place you went to, but if they are lying, they know the script.....
Bruce
Both Meneike and Midas offer the lifetime warranty on brake parts they install as long as you own the vehicle. However, there is a catch. Read the warranty yourself, to replace warranteed parts, they must restore the whole brake system to PROPER OPERATION. This is how they get you. The rotor thickness on my vehicle was .807" and spec says it would be unsafe if less than .797". The shop manager pointed out to me that the rotor surface need to be ground to get rid of the grooves. By grinding the surface would makes the rotor unsafe (thickness wise). His explanation was not so convincing so I got a second opinion from another shop. This mechanic (ASE certified) recommended no replacement of rotor nor grinding of the rotor surface. I believe most cars use semi-metalic pads on the front disc. They lasts longer than regular pads. Your Tercel's rear wheel should be equipped with drum brake and regular brake shoes (vice pads). I believe the brake warranty is nearly same as the muffler warranty. Again, your muffler will not be replaced unless you authorize them to restore the whole exhaust system (which include catalytic converter, pipes, and harnesses). Many times, these pipes cost more than the muffler.
Answer to your second question, the front brake pads (semi-metalic) replaced by Midas lasted over 50K miles of local driving on my vehicle. I paid $72 for them back in 1995, probably cost $100 now. I think $200 for both front and rear brake pads/shoes replacement is reasonable. Hope this help you out...
Was LOUD for a couple of days.
On the way over there, sure enough the muffler fell to the ground. There was a lot of corrosion (rust) on pipes and muffler.
Repair required: exhaust pipe, tail pipe, hardware, and a free muffler.
They did not have to replace cat converter.
Kristina/co host Our Turn
It pulls to the left under braking, and in a panic stop could cause you to swerve if you are not prepared for it.
What I'd like to know is, what causes this? Is it an alignment issue, or a brake problem? I'd like to have some idea before I take it in. I know enough about cars that when I get something fixed I don't get "taken", but I have no idea what causes this.
If anyone here has experienced this problem, or knows what causes it, I'd like to hear about it.
Dave
Which brand names should I be looking at or
avoiding? I asssume they are not all the same.
Thanks for any info.
with the brakes that the dealer service folks
cannot seem to figure out (never happens for
them).
Once in a while (say 2-3 times a week) during
light braking at low speeds (eg. line of traffic
inching up to stop sign) the pedal drops out, the
brakes let go, and there is a noise under the hood (abs pump?). Then it's fine again, as quickly as getting off the pedal and getting back on it. Normal operation at other speeds and conditions.
So far the brakes have been adjusted and master
cylinder replaced as a shot in the dark (under
extended warranty at 74.9K). Next week it goes in
for another try....any thoughts out there on
whether the problem might be the wheel sensors or
the abs controller or something else?
You may be able to get the current pads to stop screeching by applying an anti-noise compound to the back of the pads. It is a product that keeps the pads from vibrating against the caliper cylinders.
I would not continue the hard stop fix. It can lead to glazing of the pads, not cure it. Why hard stopping sometimes works is that it accelerates the wearing in of the pad to the rotor surface and that can sometimes cure a screech, but at the risk of glazing the pad surface due to excessive heat.
I wouldn't turn the rotors if the brakes were fine before the brake job. Turning rotors can lead to brake pulsation if they aren't turned right, which is very likely.
It IS commonplace to machine them down a little to create a new, smooth surface for the new brake pads to mate with. The problem with this is that as the rotors get thinner, their ability to absorb heat is reduced. Also, the thinner part is more likely to warp when it gets hot because it is not as strong.
Just be glad you don't have a midsize GM. Their rotors are famous for warping, even when they're new.
Bruce
My question is what caused the warping, was it poor workmanship/cheap parts, the originals lasted over 50,000 miles the new ones less than 10,000, or are my driving habits the cause.
Thanks!
Sue
The usual cause is an incompatibility between the pads and the rotor, or looseness due to bad pad mounting clips.
If the rotors were not cut with too rough of a surface, that could also cause some noise. The surface should be very smooth. One test is that a ball point pen should be able to make a line on the surface without the line breaking into dots.
I will assume they changed the pad clips. Pads also may have anti-squeal shims mounted on them and they may have installed the shims incorrectly.
Did you use original factory parts? In many cases aftermarket pads will squeal due to incompatibility. A change to factory pads will immediately fix it.
There are anti-squeal compounds that can be applied to the back of the pads. That can sometimes help.
Mr. Vivona
They usually have all new components in the kit. seals, piston, etc.
Change the seals, even though they were not leaking, they are old.
The pitting or corrosion is usually due to old brake fluid which, over time, gets contaminated by moisture.
Flush the entire brake system with new brake fluid, from the master cylinder through all of the brake lines.
Good luck
I have already looked at buying a rebuild kit. Unfortunatly, the only place I can find a cylinder rebuild kit is at the Mazda dealership and it sells for $27. I can get a complete cylinder assembly (probably rebuild) for $29 at the UAP auto parts store. I don't feel like spending that on much on my beater, so I will reassemble the cylinder and keep an eye out for leaks. Should I use anything to lubricate the pistons or just soak it in fresh brake fluid?
Frozen parking brake lever could be rusted up brake cables. I had to replace the 2 rear parking brake cables on my car due to rust. Seems that the front cable is giving me trouble now.
Well, almost. I think I will have to replace the master cylinder. When applying the brakes, the pedal goes all the way to the floor, slowly. The car was doing this before I started looking at the bakes. I thought that adjusting the rear brakes properly would take care of this. Although the brake pedal is higher, it still drops to the floor when applying the brakes. Before, I couldn't realy tell because the pedal was low, but now, I can definitly feel the pedal drop to the floor. The level of the brake fluid hasn't gone down, so it's not a leak in the system. I am also sure I bled the brake lines properly. I believe the problem is with the master cylinder. Maybe the piston or the rubber gaskets in the master cylinder are worn.
I also noticed that this only happens when the car is running. If the engine is off, the brake pedal will not drop at all when applied. It will remaing high until I start the engine. It will then drop to the floor.
I want to make sure that my diagnosis is correct. Does anyone else agree that the problem is with the master cylinder. Or could it also be the brake booster???
Any comment is appreciated.
If you can afford it, change both booster and master cylinder. Either one may give the symptoms you mentioned. Maybe vacuum related? Even if the booster is bad, I don't think the pedal should go all the way to the floor, which would lead me to believe it's the master cylinder. I can be wrong of course.
This is getting to the full extent of my experience with brake repairs so I don't want to give bad advice.
Had a 83 ford ranger which had to replace the booster. It gave a distinctive vacuum leak sound, pedal would go down somewhat (not to the floor); and with a pumping action of the brake pedal it would stall the engine due to vacuum loss.
Good luck.
Bob
Anyone else care to post suggestions for mazda323?
I just can't figure out why the brake pedal only drops when the engine is running. As far as I know, the booster shouldn't cause that. It would have to be a bad seal inside the master cylinder. But why is this only happening when the engine is running. I wonder if it's because the force applied when the engine is running is much greater (because of the booster), and this causes the brake fluid to leak past the seals. And when the engine is off, I don't feel the pedal drop because I am not applying sufficient force???
Any suggestions?
Thanks again.
The pedal movement is easier with the assistance of the vacuum booster. Perhaps it requires more force without the booster functioning.
As far as I know, the booster shaft is in-line with the brake pedal and the master cylinder shaft, so if it goes all the way to the floor, to me would indicate an internal leak in the master cylinder.
I would assume a vacuum gauge could be used to try and track down vacuum leaks. Never used one myself so I really don't know for sure. It could monitor the vacuum pressure reading while one plugs different lines to see if there is any pressure differences.
Propane? Thought I saw a show on tv which they used propane to determine a vacuum problem of a carburetor. I don't know how it would be applicable to brakes though.
I know your trying to keep repair costs down, but it may be time to seek out a mechanic.
What must be done to rotors when it is time to replace pads?