At MOT on Monday they replaced brake pads and disks.?

Question

When I picked it up - it pulled severly to the right on braking !!!
I took it back and they said something about corrosion !!! They messed with the right wheel .The pulling has stopped but the drivers front wheel is getting very hot and it stinks !!!!

Any ideas - I think they see a woman and tell you a load of rubbish - I'm worried I drive my kids in that car.

I'm taking it back tomorrow but I want to be informed and asking the right questions.

Thanks.

Answer 1

sorry to hear about your problems, the garage is obviously incompetent the trouble could be corrosion it does seem as if the piston is sticking ,usually disc brakes have one large piston and the calliper centralises and clamps onto the disc when the brake is applied and releases when you take your foot off the brake, the trouble is when the pads wear the piston has to be pushed back into the piston housing to accomodate the new pads if the piston is corroded it will stick,nevertheless the garage should have checked this and also ensured that the calliper is moving freely,hope this is of some help, p.s. i dont want to frighten you but i could be a bit dangerous so drive slowly and dont leave the garage until its fixed and give em hell.

Answer 2

Possibly you have a brake on all the tme, this will be evident by an increase in fuel consumption, and a large build-up of black brake dust on the wheel. Compare it to the other wheel, if there is noticably more brake dust on the right than the left ten that is the problem.

I'd suggest before driving it anywhere though you get a neighbour, or any male willing to help out, to try releasing the nuts on the wheel, then do them back up again with hand strength only. Some rookies will tighten the nuts up until the machine can't turn them any more. This puts an undue amount of pressure on te crown pinion, and if this shears which could happen, you'll have a 3-wheeled car unless its a Reliant which will leave you with 2 wheels!!!

It's more likely to be a stuck brake but I would get the wheel nuts checked too. If a human can't undo them with a crossbar, then this could be the cause. The nuts should be done up with the strength of an ordinary male hand with a crossbar for leverage only, as when your driving they will tighten further.

Answer 3

WE now interrupt Current Events for a national announcement. World Exclusive from Reuters. 17pdr's other half cannot drive properly so has ground her brake pads so far down the discs are also scored and need replacing. Instead of being concerned about the safety of the public on the road all he is concerned about is the burning hole in his pocket. We close this announcement with the hope that in future your missus will drive better keeping a more vigilant eye on the condition of her vehicles brakes and certainly more often than every 18 months. Hence maybe a lesson has been learned ! Now its back to Current Events.

Answer 4

Whenever you get new pads/rotors, they will smoke and smell the first few times you use them. It is the grease of hands burning off the metal. Get on the expressway, go about 70 and then come to a hard stop (on the off ramp with no one behind you of course). Don't slam on your brakes, just brake harder than you normally would. If doing that 2-3 times doesn't fix your problem, it is more severe. Brakes are pretty straightforward. If there was an issue, it would be obvious, like your car pulling to the side.

Answer 5

Hi you say that they replaced the pads and discs at the MOT if so the vehicle should not have pulled either way nor should one of the heels be getting hot as this suggest that he brakes are binding.
are you a member of the AA or RAC if so i would advise you to seek there opinion if not might i suggest that you and a male Friend return to were the work was carried out and get them to correct it

Answer 6

Well its the brake pads binding but this is WRONG. If I was you I would take it back tell them before they did their work on it it was ok and that they'd better sort it and you are not paying for it as they have buggered it up. Its their problem that is 100% what I would say. You're right though they do take advantage of women thats why I always take my car to a main dealer - eg VW as they get paid by the company and have nothing to gain by ripping you off wheras a small garage can charge you and make a few extra quid for themselves. Stand up to them.

Answer 7

Brake discs and pads are no longer part of the new computerised MOT in the UK so they've ripped you off straight away.

Get a independant check done, some places do free road safety checks.

Answer 8

Does the car roll ok, because a wheel getting hot suggests that the brake could be slighty on all the time.

You could try jacking up each side and seeing if the wheels turn freely.

Answer 9

If you had time you should contact an other mechanic. Or you could get you husband/friend to do it, if you believe they talk rubbish to women. Then tell the first mechanic that you have had the car looked at by another garage and see what they says.

Answer 10

mr hunt aint far out fella,ive relined hundreds of axles and they do smoke and get hot when new discs and pads are fitted....this occurs naturally and will wear off its called bedding in!!!!!! we purposely bed them in for mot purposes on HGVs and its quite safe and common prectice in our industry.

bottom line if the lady aint happy quite rightly get them to sort it out...any complaint from my customers about brakes or steering it dont go nowhere till its right!