question about car breaks... (more info)?

Question

dodge neon '98

i brought it to the mechanic cuz the breaks wouldnt work.. the brake pedal went all the way down the the floor, and the car would only come to a small stop.. i could also hear some grinding

he called today.. said a spring broke?? that got ground up in the rotor? so i need a new rote caliper spring??
( i might be missing some things i know nothing about cars)

$400..

BUTTTTTTT

I just had my brakes pads and rotors replaced 5 months ago..

should i go to my old mechanic and complain or is this not related?

Answer 1

You can go back to the original mechanic, and he may give you a cut rate for the work, but it all depends on the warranty he gives his work and the parts. If he did not include a hardware kit in the brake job, then his warranty would not apply to you anyway. Pull the receipt and give him a call.

I too, am unaware of a spring in the front caliper. There are springs on the rear brakes, but those are drums, and the scenario he gave you is plausible if it were the back brakes that were acting up (grinding etc.).

In so much as the cost, if he is replacing both sides, including drums, I would be OK with that price. Much is dependent on the area of the country you live in.

Answer 2

Would have gone back to the old mechanic.
It is 2 problems.
The grinding due to something getting between the rotor and the pad and grinding into the rotor. Still one spring on a new rotor would not warrant "turning the rotor" Pads do conform to irregular surfaces. The pedal to the floor indicates that brake fluid is leaking out of the lines somewhere.
FYI, if brake fluid gets to leak out or past the seals THERE WILL BE NO BRAKES. Your parking brake is the only one available, that and downshifting to slow down.

Answer 3

I would take the car back to the people who did your brakes 5 months ago. There's usually some kind of written guaranty. It sounds like they didn't install one of the pads correctly and a clip came loose. If brakes are done correctly, you shouldn't have a problem like that after only 5 months, even if you're hard on your brakes. It sounds like you had more wrong with your brakes than just that one "spring". The way you're describing your brakes going all the way down to the floor, it sounds like you had air in your brake lines. One bad brake is noticeable when trying to stop, but overall your remaining 3 brakes should still be able to stop the vehicle.

Because you heard grinding I suspect that you did have damage to your rotor but make sure you see it with your own eyes. Ask to see the caliper spring too.

Answer 4

Sounds to me like you have a brake fluid leak or a bad master cylinder.If you lose all your brake fluid due to a leak this will cause the brake pedal to go to the floor.

Also if you have a bad master cylinder it may leak or it may not but the pedal will also go strait to the floor and you won't have any brakes.

This may or may not be not be the fault of the mechanic who fixed your brakes 5 months ago.A master cylinder will go bad with no warning sign.But if he did not do a complete inspection and he missed maybe a cracked brake hose that was not leaking at the time of repair then it is his fault.

These are common places where leaks happen,brake hoses,calipers,wheel cylinders,master cylinders. And sometimes the brake lines but rarely maybe if rusty.

There is no spring on the caliper he is probably talking about the retaining clip that came off.That can happen and i could see that doing damage to the rotor.

Answer 5

The spring that broke will need replaced.
My advice would be ask to see the rotor, if you see a big cut into the metal then you know that thats what it is. the cut should be circular.
The part that is confusing me is that you could barely stop, you have 3 other brakes on your car so it shouldnt have been a problem.
pads' and rotors should last more then 5 months. I routinely put 80,000km's on a set minimum.

if the spring got into the rotor you will have to have them resurfaced or replaced.

looks like you should spend the 400 to fix it.
always ask to see the broken parts, it will give you peace of mind that you are not getting ripped off. If they wont show you then they are probably doing something shady.

Answer 6

It sounds to me like the problem is the rear brakes. There are no springs in the front braking design. If the rear brakes are the old drum style then they do use springs to retract the shoes from the drum when you release the pedal or disengage the emergency brake.

Is it possible that you've misunderstood what he said or that he is himself confused? If not, then I suspect foul play on the part of the mechanic.

Answer 7

Sounds to me its more likely that a brake line broke and the fluid ran out of either the front or rear system, that is really they only way the pedal can go to the floor.

I know of no springs that will cause this problem, if it is a hard brake line under the car that price is in the ballpark. If it is simply a leaky rubber line on one corner the price sounds a bit steep.

Good luck!

Answer 8

Depends on how hard you are on brakes and what type were put on when replaced. If your like most women( plz no disrespect intended) my girlfriend included, you wait till the last minute approaching a stop before you apply the brakes.... doing this will eat the pads up alot faster than normal.

Answer 9

GO TO THE REPAIR SHOP AND ASK TO SEE THE PART THAT IS BROKEN AND LOOK AT THE ROTOR AS WELL.

Answer 10

Don't complain just go up to him and say i just got them replaced 5 months ago and he'll tell you why they broke. or what happen to cause this.

Or when you got them replaced they werent in firmly.