Can driving style effected brake wear?

Question

My girlfriend has a 1998 peugeot 206 with 85,000 miles. She bought the car just over a year ago. Over the last year the car has required the rear wheel brakes to be worked on 5 times. 3 of these times have been because the left rear wheel brake cylinder has burst, leaving her with no brakes. Most of the times the cylinder has burst has been during a longish journey (2+ hours). With all 5 times the handbrake has needed to be adjusted as it was rising up too high.

Could this repeated damage be in some way related to her driving style? When in the car with her I can't see anything wrong with her driving, she doesn't use the brakes excessively. However the mechanic that we have been using is trying to blame the repeated problems on her driving style.

If not her driving style, can anyone suggest another reason as to why this keeps occurring and what can be done about it?

Thanks.

Answer 1

yes..driving style, load and traffic ha a huge effect on car brakes

Answer 2

Nothing in driving can affect the rear wheel brake cylinder bursting, excessive use of brakes will/might show as wear on pads only, this will result in often replacement of pads.

Could be the master cylinder is malfunctioning

I'M STILL LOOKING
read this

Complete brake failure
Pray it not happens to you and its quite possible it won’t but still there were cases of brake spindle failure. Just a word of advice if it happens to you. Don't panic – brake with engine and handbrake until you come to a full stop. Alert drivers around you with lights and horn. There is probably a bigger chance u going to win on lottery then this happening to you – but sometimes people get lucky

found this

Vehicle Model: Peugeot 206

COB reference number: 30/03

Issue Date: 11/12/2003

Vehicles affected: All Peugeot 206 models (excluding the Station Wagon (SW) model) manufactured before February 2002 (02 or earlier registration)

Problem: Faulty brake linkage

Thought about this some more
OK when car was in the garage did the mechanic say the pads were down to metal, rarely if the pads are all gone the pump will push the shaft all the way or part of the way out, this will cause the pump to fail as brake oil will come out, this however is one in a million, take car to a real Peugeot mechanic.

Good luck

Answer 3

If there are drum brakes on the rear I'd have the master cylinder push rod checked to make sure there is the right amount of free play. If there is no free play in the brake pedal or push rod the master cylinder won't release the pressure in the brake lines and the rear shoes will always be applied causing too much heat build up that may be the reason you're going through so many wheel cylinders. Some vehicles have wheel cylinders that you need to watch where the shoes contact the pistons because they have a beveled surface where the shoes contact them.

Answer 4

If your sure she isn't :riding the brakes (foot resting on the peddle)
There could be a miss adjusted link between the pedal and Master CYLINDER HOLDING PRESSURE ON THE FLUID IN THE LINES.
Have a competent mechanic check for free play from the foot pedal to the brake line (each check point)
When there is no need for braking action there shouldn't be any pressure on the system anywhere.
I have seen brake shoes mounted wrong......Normally the longest shoe is in the rear. Short shoe actuates the long one.
Floating stop. Adjuster connects both shoes. Yes,there are other styles, this is just one example of many.

Answer 5

driving styles do affect brake wear, but the problems you are describing have nothing to do with wear. I would look for another mechanic