I had front brake pads and discs replaced,but later they didnt stop me when i braked coming to a roundbout!?

Question

It sort of slid forward,luckily there was nothing around or it could have been a nasty accident! Took car back to garage they checked all over apart from taking wheels off,took it for drive etc,not doing it then, but now pulling left and right when braking! I need to know my rights as garage said there was nothing visible,brake machine showed nothing amiss!

rover 216 sli 1996 abs

brand new rear tyres,front ones vgc as new

yes it does pull to side when u let go of wheel the brakes are squealing and if u let go of wheel when u brake-when there is nothing around of course,it pulls sharply to 1 side or other.I wasn;'t told to take it easy as i asked a bout that after i had the prob he said theyr already bedded in somewhat before car is released

some great answers,rang trading standards going back to garage in little while.
Bonjour daughter,comment tallet vous?

went back to garage i took him out in car to show him exactly what is happening.He thinks it may be abs but can't deal with it there as it's a test centre and repairs but he hasn't got the equipment to test them! He is worried for my safety but took the wheels off to show me what he'd done and the back brakes are fine.He rang an auto diagnostic chap who can diagnose for £30-40 a lot cheaper than a garage,i have seen him before when the car was under the initial 3 month warranty.I have extended warranty wich may cover abs system. I'm only to use car when absolutely necessary and drive reasonably leaving plenty of room for braking-common sense really!

The brakes weren't that worn but there was a distortion and as they were pulling before i had them done and the car would try and move forward with foot on brake i got them done sooner rather than later.
It is Automatic too 4got to say.Getting it looked at this Thursday for free by my usual mechanic,who is not happy i went to some1 else then back to him to get myself out of trouble.I told him it's not my fault summit went wrong or there was another problem!!

tyres are checked regularly.He said brakes don't need bleeding and there are no leaks,brakes are not on too tight.Also feels as if engine is gonna cut out at times when u brake as revs seem to drop significantly!

Answer 1

go to an independant garage for full check and if theres a problem ask them for a report which you can then challenge the other garage with, more important reason for doing it though is your safety

Answer 2

Firstly, it takes at least a hundred miles of driving for the new pads to bed in properly. However, it would be more likely that they would overheat than not work at all if you did brake hard.

When the pads and discs are changed it is advisable to replace the brake fluid or atleast bleed the brakes and check the fluid levels, if there was any air got into the braking system this could results in braking failure.

If the car is pulling to the side when you are braking you would normally blame this on warped disks, but since they were replaced it might need the wheels balanced, if this is the case it would probably start to drift to the side when driving in a straight line if you take your hands of the wheel for a moment.

Do you have discs or drums on the back? The back brakes could also affect handling.

Finally, the near miss at the rounabout might not have been a braking failure, it could have been a skid caused by slippy road surface, or just a slight misjudgement of stopping distance.

Obviously it still needs to be professionally diagnosed, get another mechanic to look at it, and if there is a problem with the work the garage did then the law is on your side, you are entitled to a repair job or some money back.

EDIT - if the breaks are squealing it could be a sticking caliper, it might not stick all the time, but if the breaks are are squealing after you release them then a sticking caliper is likely.

Answer 3

You need to take it to an independant dealer. The problem might be down to fluid imbalance in your brake lines, something amiss with the ABS system controller or could even be that you are trying to drive your car like it was before you had the work done. It might be that the braking point is too low on your brake pedal or something. That, at least, would give you and your original garage something to work with.

Answer 4

Brakes do take a little time to bed in but I would still take it back to the garage again and talk about your worries. There could be air in the system or the new pads are sticking. Ask the mechanic to go with you while you drive and then you can explain better what is happening.

Answer 5

it seems that the brakes have not been fitted properly take your car to a independent garage and explain to them what has happened or if you are in the aa or rac they will be able to help you make arrangements to get your car checked over and if they find a fault that is when you get back incontact with the garage that done the brakes and tell them you are reporting them to the trading standards. but do not drive your car to be on the safe side as the next time it could be very dangerous and someone could get hurt hope this helps

Answer 6

Something you need to eliminate, and it's easy, is tyre pressure. If pressure is low and / or uneven this can cause it to pull to one side under braking. It may not be this - but it does need to be checked before more radical stuff is attempted, and before you get another mechanic to look at it.

Can anyone else you know replicate the fault? Can you get some drivers you trust to just try it for a mile or two. You might feel more confident in their feedback, and it may help with further discussions with the garage.

Good luck.

Answer 7

When your brakes pull to one side or another it is the caliper failing to release when you take your foot off the brake, or the rubber line going to the pulling wheel! If it fails to stop adequately, as in the pedal goes to the floor when stopping the master cylinder is bad, if the pedal is spongy there is air in the lines. I've been doing brake work for 35+ years, I know what I'm talking about. Take the car back to who ever did the work and tell them they are wrong in assuming there is nothing wrong with the car. If they won't correct the problem report them to the BBB, or sue them for your money back! Or both!

Answer 8

With new brake pads you have to let them bed in a bit 1st if after a week or 2 they are still dodgy take the car to a different garage or kwikfit as they do a brake test for free see what they say then contact your ocal trading standards.

Answer 9

Hi

You say the car slid forward. How badly worn were your old brakes? Could it be that the brakes are actually now just a lot more efficient than your old brakes and that the pulling left and right could possibly be due to worn suspension components such as shock absorbers or balljoints/wishbone bushes?

Best regards

Geordie

Answer 10

There are a number of things you need to have checked Here are the things that could be your problem
1) Worn, defective, damaged or contaminated front or rear brake pads/shoes 2) Seized or partially seized front or rear brake caliper/wheel cylinder piston 3) Brake caliper or back plate mounting bolts loose 4) Worn or damaged steering or suspension componants: Hope this helps solve your problem

Answer 11

New pads & discs need 100 miles approx to bed in, they will not be as responsive to begin with. The other reasons could be that your brakes locked if you do not have ABS, poor tyres or it was wet and had an aquaplaning effect.