Anti-Lock Brakes Fail when nearly stopped

[Bigdogtim7]

1992 Chevrolet Cavalier RS (Auto Transmission)
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Please let me know why my Anti-Lock Brakes keep preventing me from stopping when I am almost stopped.
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Brakes work fine at high speeds, but when I am driving at a slow rate of speed and need to stop due to someone in front of me, I tend to have to practically push the Brake pedal thru the floor to stop the Car.
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Is there a problem with 1 of my brakes locking up. I've recently had my rear brakes replaced at Mr. Tire about 1500 miles ago and I replaced the Front rotors and pads myself about 1000 miles ago. With no problems untill after I had my car painted.
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I did just spray Brake Part cleaner on the Front Rotors and parts and it seems to be doing better, but not completely.
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Thanks for your help.

[travis712]

Sure it changed when you painted your car? That seems really weird, I've never heard of anyting like that. Have you checked how your brake pads look? They shouldn't be wearing yet, but just to make sure inspect them and see how they look. I don't know, Im sure people here will be a better help then I am, lol. Also, welcome to AF, goodluck with the braking problem.

[Tookie]

My first suspicion is your wheel assembly was not "bagged off" or sufficiently protected during the painting process, and much of the paint was sprayed into the works and no effort was made to remove the overspray. While braking, the combination of friction and heat caused a strong glaze to form on the important parts. Close inspection might indicate paint/clearcoat product(s) deposited on the assembly.
This is NOT the proper way to paint a vehicle, and if the company did this, I'd bet these forums would appreciate knowing about such shoddy; ( not to mention dangerous! ) technique.
Before you go ahead and resurface the drums/rotors and replace the hardware, you might consider the process of "curing" the shoes/pads. New ones are considered "green" when new, and the curing process might burn off the deposits enough to make the brakes respong more correctly.
IMO, replacing (at the company's expense ) is in order if they mitigated the problem. They oughta know better.
Otherwise; you might consider having the brake job reinspected for kinked lines; or a failing booster.
hth

[jakegday]

i'd say just take it to the brake place and see what they say, maybe they missed/forgot something that they'd fix for free, or maybe they'll tell you the paint is what messed it up, if thats the case, i'd get them to put that in writing so you can take it to the paint place and have them explain to you why they messed up your brakes and how they will be reimbursing you for it

[travis712]

When did you get your car painted? If its been a while, I wouldn't doubt they would say there painting didn't cause it, just regular wear. If you had it painted recently, they should know there guilty.

[Bigdogtim7]

I appriciate all of the informed responses regarding my Brake issue. I will take the wheels off and see what I can find. If its too bad then I'll take it to the Mr. Tire Service center, I checked the service record and there is a 12 month/ 24,000 mile warranty. They can tell me if the painter caused the problem as well.
Thanks again to all who responded,
Bigdogtim7

[travis712]

Yeah, ask here(cavalier forum) if theres anything else you want to know about, or are unsure of. Goodluck.

[Tookie]

Just a caution here. I'd no sooner expect another business to point a finger at the perpertrator. I'm willing to bet the person who inspects the vehicle will indicate there is a problem with the braking, offer a solution, and stay far away from saying anything that might put their words against the painter's.
The most I'd expect to hear said is; " Caveat Emptor".
Look for someone you can trust to solve the problem, and stay away from those who caused the problem.