Car brakes

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#557957 14-Dec-2011 15:55

Talkiet:

Second to last thing actually... Steering is more critical:-)

(Having been looking at Quick Release steering wheel adaptors for a sports car I have run across a few catastrophic failures in the last few days... I'd MUCH rather have lost my brakes :-)

Cheers - N

Too true! I've had brake failure once, and while it wasn't a whole lot of fun, at least I could point where I wanted to go, use the handbrake, and keep out of trouble.

cldlr76

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#558083 14-Dec-2011 22:26

BraaiGuy:
Lizard1977: Who is the regulating body for mechanics? MTA?

If they not MTA approved I don't think you have a case.

Not quite... Services are also covered by the consumer Guarantees act. So assuming the car is used for normal personal use you have rights under the cga.

Lizard1977

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#558087 14-Dec-2011 22:30

Well there's no damage as far as I'm aware. I'm stuck in Auckland so the wife took it in to get it re-fixed. It was so soon after the initial repair work I doubt it caused any harm, with pads and rotors repaired at the same time. I dont think there's grounds for a claim for damages, but I am concerned about the lapse in process, and making sure a real accident doesn't occur for someone else...

jaymz

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#558233 15-Dec-2011 11:33

Lizard1977: Well there's no damage as far as I'm aware. I'm stuck in Auckland so the wife took it in to get it re-fixed. It was so soon after the initial repair work I doubt it caused any harm, with pads and rotors repaired at the same time. I dont think there's grounds for a claim for damages, but I am concerned about the lapse in process, and making sure a real accident doesn't occur for someone else...

Although it is worrying that a mistake like this was not picked up in testing, it is god to hear the garage replaced the parts straight away.

It would be easy to get upset and take them to the cleaners, but mistakes can happen. And without their side of the story in this thread no one is in the position to make judgement.

graemeh

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#558323 15-Dec-2011 13:52

jaymz: It would be easy to get upset and take them to the cleaners

Getting upset would be a waste of time and they could not be "taken to the cleaners".

They made a mistake and fixed it. That's as far as any compensation attempts would go.

If they are MTA members then it might get recorded somewhere against their name but somehow I doubt it.

jaymz

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#558338 15-Dec-2011 15:03

graemeh:
jaymz: It would be easy to get upset and take them to the cleaners

Getting upset would be a waste of time and they could not be "taken to the cleaners".

They made a mistake and fixed it. That's as far as any compensation attempts would go.

If they are MTA members then it might get recorded somewhere against their name but somehow I doubt it.

I fear i may have come across wrongly.

I was not meaning that they should be "taken to the cleaners" at all. In fact i was meaning quite the opposite.

Without the garage's side of this story, no one can make judgement on the situation. I personally believe the garage did everything correctly in dealing with the issue.

I hope that clears things up :)

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Klipspringer

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#558343 15-Dec-2011 15:13

Well I suppose if you pulled out of the garage with your new "faulty" breaks and they failed to work, wrecking your car, flattening a few school kids things would probably be a little different.

However, I am sure these cowboys would probably still not be liable and they would still escape prosecution. What a fantastic country we live in!

Sometimes I wish we could be like the americans and sue the hell out of some of these back yard mechanics.

I have had my fare share too of these mechanical cowboys. Had a guy once at Toyota stuffing up my cars timing completely, it was so noticeable that when I left the garage I could feel the lack of power and see the trail of white smoke behind me. Even when taking the car back they failed to sort it out and it was not until I took my car to another dealer did they pick up the problem. Sometimes sorry does not cut it I'm afraid. These people are suppose to be professionals and you expect a certain level of service when taking your car in to them. Otherwise I would just do it myself.

jaymz

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#558357 15-Dec-2011 15:40

BraaiGuy:
I have had my fare share too of these mechanical cowboys. Had a guy once at Toyota stuffing up my cars timing completely, it was so noticeable that when I left the garage I could feel the lack of power and see the trail of white smoke behind me. Even when taking the car back they failed to sort it out and it was not until I took my car to another dealer did they pick up the problem. Sometimes sorry does not cut it I'm afraid. These people are suppose to be professionals and you expect a certain level of service when taking your car in to them. Otherwise I would just do it myself.

Must have stuffed the engine rather than just the timing! What was the fix in the end?

Also, are you saying that you have NEVER made a mistake at work or where it effected someone else?

Mistakes happen, it is how you deal with them that makes all the difference. Yes you could take it to extremes to prove a point, but in reality most mistakes if fixed properly are rarely a big problem.

Klipspringer

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#558367 15-Dec-2011 16:01

The timing was out, and unfortunately the mechanic had no idea as to how to set it correctly on a VVT-i engine. Got it sorted at another garage, it was a quick hook-up to the machine, and adjusting the timing. I put it down to the first mechanic not having the experience to operate the equipment correctly. He even admitted it, he had never worked on my particular car model before. Luckily there was no damage, the engine was just firing a few microseconds too early, which caused the white smoke.

Not saying that I have never made a mistake. But it seems that more and more people these days lack the experience. And they seem to be in positions where there is no room for error. Agreed mistakes happen, but there is a certain level of quality expected when you paying for it.

RunningMan

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#558413 15-Dec-2011 18:44

jaymz:Mistakes happen, it is how you deal with them that makes all the difference. Yes you could take it to extremes to prove a point, but in reality most mistakes if fixed properly are rarely a big problem.

gzt

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#558418 15-Dec-2011 19:11

Lizard1977: Well there's no damage as far as I'm aware. I'm stuck in Auckland so the wife took it in to get it re-fixed. It was so soon after the initial repair work I doubt it caused any harm, with pads and rotors repaired at the same time. I dont think there's grounds for a claim for damages, but I am concerned about the lapse in process, and making sure a real accident doesn't occur for someone else...

Write a letter to the service manager asking exactly what the noise was, and the nature of the damage to the vehicle as a result if any. Also ask why the problem was not picked up before the car left the shop. Ask for a written response.

It is possible the larger diameter rotor has scored (worn metal away from) the caliper (the thing that holds your brakes in position). That could be a safety risk.

In practice if that has occurred, my guess is the amount would be very small and not actually a practical problem, but I guess that would depend on the design.

On the positive side - if you have a friend who knows what a rotor & a brake caliper is - then spending 10 or 15 minutes with a torch (and maybe removing a wheel or two) they could probably tell you everything you need to know.

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Lizard1977

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#558669 16-Dec-2011 12:47

Well I got back to town last night, and took the car out this morning to have a look see. To start with, everything seemed fine. Brakes seemed nice and firm, and no issues at all. Then, when pulling out of a carpark, going at very low speed, and with no road noise around (for a change), I could hear a faint scraping noise. It was quite different from the first time, which felt harsh and abrasive. This felt like two pieces of brushed metal rubbing against each other. I took it home and jacked it up to free-spin the front wheels. Neither free-spun and I could hear the faint noise again, like the brake pad was resting against the rotor.

So again I ask the collective wisdom of the forum - would this be normal. I would have expected that the wheels should spin freely, and the brake pads wouldn't rest against the rotors. Or is this part of wearing in the new parts? Logically, I wouldn't think so, as after a while of rubbing, the friction would affect the brake performance surely?

Just want to check my position on this before going back, yet again, and asking them to look at it.

Cheers

Lizard

FYI - someone mentioned backyard mechanics. That may be an accurate description, though they are a nationwide brand.

TheUngeek

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#558672 16-Dec-2011 12:51

The pads should be in contact with the rotor. If they are not your brake pedal goes all squishy and you poo yaself when they won't work!
But the wheel should still move freely. There will be some noise you can hear while spinning a wheel, but you shouldn't hear it whilst driving.
It does sound like you need to get someone who knows what they are looking at to look at it.

TheUngeek

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#558675 16-Dec-2011 12:52

By nation wide brand do you mean Mag and Turbo? Pitstop? Midas? All of those places advertise brake work however you will hardly ever find a qualified mechanic there.

Lizard1977

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#558677 16-Dec-2011 12:56

TheUngeek: The pads should be in contact with the rotor. If they are not your brake pedal goes all squishy and you poo yaself when they won't work!
But the wheel should still move freely. There will be some noise you can hear while spinning a wheel, but you shouldn't hear it whilst driving.
It does sound like you need to get someone who knows what they are looking at to look at it.

I guess that's why I'm a little unsure. When I jacked the car up, I gave the wheel a spin and it moved about a quarter revolution before stopping. And the noise I can only hear when travelling at low speeds of 10km/h or less, and only if there's no road noise around.

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