1997 Galant Brake Problems

[LesPaul]

My 1997 Galant has the worst brake system of ANY car that I have ever owned. I understand that the 1997 model had poor brakes but this is absurd. The rotors seem to warp within 2k miles and cause increasing brake shimmy/grind due to the out of round condition (at least that is what it seems like). My mechanic replaced my rotors last month with a more expensive brand but it just came back. Could the problem be something wrong with the master cylinders/hydraulics?? I am really starting to get pissed-off about this. Maybe I should just contact Mitsubishi (where I bought the car new) and see if they have a fix for it. I am tired of throwing money into these sub-par brakes every year. Anybody have a similar experience or have any ideas?? I appreciate any help.

Thanks!!!

Are you taking the time to bed your new discs/pads in properly before abusing them ? you should avoid hard braking for the first 100-200 miles on new brakes to allow them time to bed-in properly. If you're doing this & still getting the problem, it may be worth checking/changing your brake fluid before getting into replacing major braking components to make sure there are no bubbles/water in there to cause uneven braking pressure [which could be causing the odd wear & juddering problems]

I assume the mech. doing the work for you would do this anyway, but you could also check the hub/disc contact surface for corrosion/ deposits that are causing the discs to sit uevenly, which would also cause a judder in braking.

Obviously I have no idea how you drive so dont take offence, but if u constantly drive like a t*** and slam the brakes on hard at every corner/junction [thus overheating them] then nothing you can do short of serious upgrades will solve the problem.

I read something t'other day about braking myths, and one was that discs never actually warp, the uneven running is caused by uneven deposits of pad material on the disc surface; some even deposits are normal, but failure to bed-in new pads/discs properly can upset this balance and cause the problems you seem to have.

[bobcar]

You might check to make sure your brake line from the body to the caliper has not collapsed. Mine did on the driver’s front. It would allow brake fluid to go to the brake when pressed but not allow it to return therefore always keep slight pressure on the rotor. Hence, worn rotor faster, always heating up and faster wear on the pad.

[300zxlver]

hmm my 2001 Galant ES sounds like it has a similar problem, in that they seem warped. When im going slow under 20 mph, and hold the brakes lightly it stops it some, then feels like it lets off a bit, and keeps doing that till i stop. Its like theres a spot where it brakes more than the other spot next to it...Wierd.

[jsinton]

Do you drive with your foot on the brake?