Brake problem

[brzmom]

3 years ago I had my front calipers, rotors and pads and the back rotors and pads replaced. I took the car back to the place that did the work because the brakes were grinding and they are saying that all need to be replaced again. This car has barely been driven, less than 6,000 miles in three years. They said the parts went bad because the car wasn't driven regulary. I have another car that isn't driven regulary either and have never had a problem with the brakes. Does anyone know if this is true. I just think $900 every 3 years is crazy. Is it possible that they somehow installed them wrong causing them to go bad so fast. If so how can I prove it? Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

[MagicRat]

IMO correctly assembled brakes should not develop these problems.
It is possible that the calipers were incorrectly installed.
The calipers mounting points and sliders must be cleaned properly and an anti -seize compound os 'siliglide' lubricant must be used upon installation. Otherwise the calipers will stick slightly and cause the brakes to drag a bit and prematurely wear things out.
This sticking might not happen much in a car that is used often, but a low mileage car might build up rust/dirt on these parts due to incorrect assembly.

The same thing can happen if poorly - rebuilt calipers are used, instead of new ones.
(It is rare for 'new' calipers to be installed on a used car, often when calipers are changed, rebuilt ones are used)

It is also possible that the old calipers were re-used. This is okay, if the are in good shape, but it's a better quality brake job to use rebuilt ones.

So, in conclusion, yes the mechanic made an error that wore out your brakes quickly. See if you have your old receipt. Often there is some kind of lifetime guarentee on at least some of the components. Also complain loud and hard; if the old receipt clearly shows your mileage, you have a good claim to get them to fix the problem as little cost to you.
Good luck.

[mazdatech177]

well, if something was assembled incorrectly, you would have noticed a braking concern before now. whether it be a subtle noise, pulsation, or maybe even a pull to one side when stopping. so lets not immediately blame the tech for something that was done 3 YEARS AGO. if you only got your ass off the couch once a week for three years youd have some problems too...

[MagicRat]

Originally Posted by mazdatech177

well, if something was assembled incorrectly, you would have noticed a braking concern before now. whether it be a subtle noise, pulsation, or maybe even a pull to one side when stopping. so lets not immediately blame the tech for something that was done 3 YEARS AGO. if you only got your ass off the couch once a week for three years youd have some problems too...

The whole point of my post was that properly assembled brakes should not cause problems in an infrequently driven car.
I own 8 cars, and all but one get driven very infrequently. Some of my cars have not had brake work in 10-15 years.
However, ALL have brakes that work perfectly!
WHY???

Because I did my own brakes PROPERLY with good quality parts!

Infrequent use does not explain these problems, and, unless bizmom parks her car on a saltwater beach for months on end, IMO her problems are due to defective parts and/or defective assembly.

As for noticing a problem........lots of drivers do not notice problems until they are painfully obvious, just the same way men dont notice/care if their tie does not quite complement their shirt..........

[mazdatech177]

a saltwater beach or driven up north during the winter... maybe its one of those "winter beaters" i hear about. short trips during the ice and snow with salt water splashing on the rotors and calipers. so in that respect maybe infrequent use does explain the failure of a good quality part over time. its only a guess, but im going on the fact that i do this every day. if you perform a brake repair and the customer even thinks they hear a noise afterwards, they take it right back. so i guess that leaves defective parts to blame and/or the climate the car resides in

[MagicRat]

Originally Posted by mazdatech177

a saltwater beach or driven up north during the winter... maybe its one of those "winter beaters" i hear about. short trips during the ice and snow with salt water splashing on the rotors and calipers. so in that respect maybe infrequent use does explain the failure of a good quality part over time. its only a guess, but im going on the fact that i do this every day. if you perform a brake repair and the customer even thinks they hear a noise afterwards, they take it right back. so i guess that leaves defective parts to blame and/or the climate the car resides in

I would agree there. I didn't mention the road salt issue because brzmom lives in Missouri, but it will chew up a car quickly.

While she did not mention the make and model of car, some are more susceptible than others to salt and the environment.

The GM-10 chassis (older Buick Regal, Grand Prix etc.)was notorious for seizing the calipers (mostly the rears) solid with road salt, up here in Canada. These cars needed annual rear brake disassembly cleaning and lube regardless of whether the pads were worn or not.

[AlmostStock]

Originally Posted by MagicRat

IMO correctly assembled brakes should not develop these problems.

I agree and have owned cars that had more than 10 year old brake jobs with less than 10,000 miles on them and they still worked great. Although it doesn't sound like brzmom's problem, I heard that not using the brakes for long periods can cause the wheel cylinders/calipers to corrode internally, and then leak prematurely from not being "worked" through their full range and lubed with brake fluid. It sounds logical to me so if I don't drive my cars at least once a month I'll sometimes still pump the brake pedal a couple times. Driving them is preferred because it keeps so many other areas working properly. Leaving a car sit a long time will cause lots of problems.