Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with brakes

What's a clean way to clean my brakes?

Brandon1600 — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 09:29:07 -0800

What is an alternative to using commercial brake cleaner when changing drum shoes? I went to work on my brakes the other day and noticed that the directions on my can of Autozone brake cleaner had quite a few warnings about how volatile and noxious the chemicals are, especially concerning reproductive damage. It's actually banned for sale in twenty different states as a Volatile Organic Compound. These things concern me, especially since I might want to have a healthy Brandon1600 Jr. one day. So what else could I use to clean and degrease brake parts effectively? Something environmentally friendly and homemade would be ideal but I am open to any ideas.

Lead Foot Equall/Not Equall Need Brake Job

Liver — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:35:49 -0800

Theoretical brake wear: Do brake pads wear out faster, slower, or at the same rate if you brake later and harder than normal? Let's say you have two drivers, Alice and Bill, each with their own identical car.

Let's say Alice is a professional race car driver and Bill is a normal vanilla defensive driver. Alice drives her regular car at legal speeds on the open road, but because of her professional skill and training, tends to brake much later and with greater foot pressure than Bill would making the same journey.

For instance, while traveling 60 MPH, they both see an approaching red light. Bill applies the break gradually and takes 1000 ft to come to a stop. Alice doesn't apply the break until she is closer to the light, and applies more foot pressure, coming to a stop in 500 ft.

Over the long run, does Alice need new brake pads before Bill, or do they both need new brake pads at roughly the same time?

I can see it going either way. Either Alice needs pads sooner because she brakes harder, applying more force to the pads, or Alice and Bill both wear pads at the same rate, because they are doing the same amount brake use, only with different short-term usage patterns.

Or maybe I'm missing something entirely and you can help me understand.

Help with my brake dance

ecorrocio — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:20:01 -0800

Give me a brake!...I'd like to have a clue about brake rotors. I'm getting my brakes repaired today, and don't want to replace brake rotors if I don't need to. Thing is... I don't know squat about brake rotors so could be easily taken for a ride on the rotormobile. How can I ask the right questions to make sure I really need rotors if the mechanic recommends they be replaced?

them's the brakes...

hairgelburrito — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 01:16:30 -0800

I've just changed the disc brake pads on my bicycle and now the calipers won't 'grab' onto the metal disc enough to brake effectively... ...the calipers still seem to move correctly, but I noticed a fluid leak when I pushed the callipers into the forks and I've lost a lot (but not all) of the pressure in my brake lever.

i'm running a shimano slx disc brake system and would very much like to fix this myself: my local bike shop will take at least a week before they can do the repair and I'm loathe to be without my bike for that long. can anyone offer any advice?

I'm guessing the either the system needs bleeding, or the seals need replacing...?

thanks in advance!

Extending the life of my car brakes.

SoulOnIce — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 18:51:13 -0800

If I want to extend the life of the brakes on my car, how should I drive the hill close to my house? My subdivision sits right off a semi-major street. Approaching it from the east, the road is pretty flat, but then there is a 30 degree decline that goes on for about 150 yards, then the road levels out for around 50 yards at which point you'd turn right into the subdivision. If I want to preserve the life of brakes on my car for as long as possible should I (1) coast down the hill to the bottom, then apply the brakes firmly until I get to a safe speed in order to turn into the subdivision or (2) apply the brakes as I go down the hill, let up a little when we hit level ground (maybe even apply the gas a little if I slowed down too much) then brake as normal to take the right turn?

I know there a lots of variables that can affect things, but just in general, what is the best approach?

For the love of the Subaru!

Cold Lurkey — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 18:50:54 -0800

Are there any preventative measures, leaving aside driving the car every day, that will prevent my brakes from rusting like mad? So the dear Subaru wagon has gone into the shop to get what, originally, I thought, was at least one rear brake caliper replaced... Actually, it's the whole rear brake shooting match (rotors, brakes, calipers) that needs to be replaced. The shop-guy barely contained his astonishment.
The formula, as I see it, that led to this fairly pricey repair is the following:
A 1993 Subaru, driven ~100 miles a month, sits idle on Chicago streets otherwise... pining... + most of its driving, and certainly all of its sitting time is during the winter, when all the road surfaces are extremely salted down and thus when she's not sitting, pining, she's careening through a corrosive bath, however joyously. All this sitting, plus corrosive moisture = completely rusted brakes.
Aside from driving the damn thing more regularly –which I'll try to do, but that's essentially a lifestyle issue– is there any other tip or best practice that you can recommend for to prevent this infernal corrosion? for this or for any other car?
–there is another car in the household but it is but a honda, and I care not for it like I do the Subaru. The honda also has the sitting issue, and has started to get the brake wubbies.

My Poor Car...

cgg — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 12:21:45 -0800

How badly am I getting ripped off? By poor, poor car, a '02 VW 1.8T with ~168,000 kms on it, needs a lot of work. $2600 worth. The dealership just called me -- it'll be about $2600 total, taxes (12%) in. I've known my car has needed some structural work for a while -- every time I drive over so much as a crack in the pavement, it creaks and squeaks and otherwise sounds horrible. My ebrake only half works. And my rear brakes are almost done.

What's being done, parts & labour (pardon my lack of car technical knowledge)
* rear breaks replaced (~$400)
* rear calipers replaced (the e-break problem) (~$800)
* new rear shocks and some other big-ass joint thing thats almost totally cracked (sorry... forgot this part) being taken care of. (~$1200)
* regular service, including oil change and inspection, yadda yadda
* they're replacing a burnt out bulb in the back for free. Gee, thanks.

Anyone know how badly I'm getting fleeced here? I know I could go to anywhere else other than a stealership and get this done cheaper, but I like these guys, they've been good to me in the past, and they're close by. I'm willing to pay for the convenience... but how much am I paying? Anyone have any clue? I realize this is one of those overly technical questions that are hard to answer, but hey, it's only a week until my next question! :)

Other than this, I haven't had a lot of problems with this car to date. Had my clutch replaced, one minor little electrical thing, a couple things under warranty and/or recall, and the rest is the usual service. The brakes have only been replaced once previously. It's been good to me, it's getting beat up cosmetically, and its killing me to put this much money is a car thats not worth much anymore... but I do really love my car. Usually.

My brakes make a weird noise. What's the deal?

spaltavian — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 13:44:55 -0800

[Autofilter] My brakes make a grinding sound when I first start driving. After I use the brakes several times, usually after 5-10 minutes of driving (sometimes more), they're back to normal. In addition to the grinding sound, it's much harder to push down on the brake- this also disappears after using my brakes enough. What's up? Almost two months ago, I had my brakes serviced and looked at. I got new brake pads, replaced (some, not all) rotors, etc. I got all the work they recommended done. My brakes were better than ever, until this problem started (probably two weeks ago). Once my brakes stop grinding, they are just as good as when I first got the work done. I have no idea if that has anything to do with it.

I'm of course going to have my car looked at, (I'm sure I'm killing my car or something) but I want to know what to expect. I was guessing something regarding my brake fluid being the issue, but I know nothing about cars so that's probably stupid.

The car is a 2000 Mercury Sable with about 78,000 on it.

Can I drive with a malfunctioning ABS?

Dilemma — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 22:04:59 -0800

Is it dangerous and/or damaging to my car to drive with a malfunctioning ABS module? I have a 2000 VW Beetle. Several months ago my brake pedal started making "sproingy" noises and sort of jerking/kicking back when I braked at slow (10 mph) speeds. I took it to the dealership and they replaced one of the ABS wheel sensors, and told me that if the problem continued I would probably have to replace the whole ABS module. It's still doing it, but over the last couple of weeks it has been getting much worse and more regular. The brakes seem to be working fine, but it's unnerving and annoying to have my car making noises and jerking every time I come to a stop. With 75,000 miles on it, I'm reluctant to keep pouring money into my car, especially the ~$1,500 it will cost to replace the ABS. Is this something I can just ignore?

Coincidental mechanical failure?

Jinkeez — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 08:24:02 -0800

MeChanics, a moment, please! Could wheel bearing failure be caused by improperly replacing brakes/rotors on my car? Hi guys! I've got a 2002 Ford Focus ZX3 with about 90,000 miles on it. I have done my best to lovingly maintain it over the years and have generally had no serious issues with it.

One thing that I have dealt with is a wheel bearing going bad, though--After googling a bit, I have taken notice that the Focus wheel bearings are a bit prone to failure (and frequent failure, at that, apparently...).

In any case, I believe that I am currently experiencing another wheel bearing failure, as there is an ever-present drone at speeds higher than 30 miles per hour. While it is fun to imagine that I am piloting a B-17 on a WWII bombing run, I would like to have my friendly neighborhood repair shop address this. But herein lies my question, as I wonder if they might have caused the problem and would at least be willing to lop off a bit of the repair cost:

Each time I have had a wheel bearing go bad, it has happened within a week of having new brake pads and/or rotors installed. Is there some part of the brake replacement procedure that could cause the wheel bearing failure? Perhaps something that is being overtightened or somesuch?

In case this is a possibility, I would also note that the current problem seems to be coming from a front wheel (disc), and the failure I had repaired a few years ago occurred with the rear wheel (drum on the ZX3).

What do you say, friends? Is this just a coincidence, or a case of something being inadvertently overtightened..?

Sunday in Portland with dying brakes

thesmallmachine — Sun, 03 May 2009 11:00:21 -0800

Where can I get my brakes fixed on a Sunday in Portland, OR? I see prior questions on mechanics in Portland, but I'm looking specifically for people who can help me today. I drove here last night from a couple of hours away, planned to leave tonight, but don't trust the brakes (which began squealing aggressively as soon as I hit town; I think it's time for new pads) to get me safely home.

The car is a 2003 Taurus, so it's not like I need a specialty place, but even the big brake and tire chains seem to close on Sundays. Am I out of luck?

(I know that this is a potential DIY repair, but, with respect, I have to rule that out. I don't trust my diagnostic prowess nor my basic level of mechanical ability.)

Disc brakes for a commuting bike?

Captain Rayford Steele, Tribulation Force — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 07:56:39 -0800

What kind of disc brakes and brake levers (if necessary) should I get for my new commuting bike? I'm going to be building a new commuting bike using a Soma Fabrications Double Cross DC frameset. I've never had a bike with disc brakes before, so could use some advice.

What disc brakes should I look at? Think good quality but not wildly expensive. I already have regular wire-pull-type brake levers but I'm not sure that they can be used with discs, so if you have lever recommendations that'd be helpful too.

I'd also appreciate any thoughts on wired versus hydraulic disc brakes... a few years ago, when I was paying more attention to the market, that was the major distinction between cheaper and more expensive discs, though I'm not sure how things have changed in the interim.

No really, I want to skid.

Netzapper — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 16:17:20 -0800

RaceCarFilter: I'm speccing out my rally car. What do I do about brakes? I'm building a rally car from a turn of the century Toyota Celica, one of the cheap trims--not the turbo version. I've tracked down the perfect adjustable coilover suspension. Now, I need adjustable brakes. And to disable ABS.

I have literally no idea what part I'm looking for to accomplish this. A race-specific master cylinder? A complete new brake system? A widget that I must fabricate?

Ideally, I want to be able to adjust the brake bias (fore/rear) without tools, from somewhere under the hood (it must not be adjustable from the cockpit). Failing that, or if such a thing is more than a couple grand, I'd be content with being able to adjust it in the garage--even by swapping out parts, I guess.

Also, how do I disable ABS in the cheapest, most reversible way? Do I just pull the leads to the ABS computer or to the hydraulic actuators? Will it squawk when I plug it back in? If the ABS is on, will it play nice with my adjustable bias? (As a bonus to the Celica application, how would I kill ABS on a Subaru?)

How to free a stuck brake piston?

sergeant sandwich — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 20:28:57 -0800

Car-repair-filter: Any mechanics got a trick for freeing a stuck brake piston? So I decide to replace my brake pads this afternoon. I do 3 sets and everything's fine. When I get to the last wheel though, the pads are worn way down, and one of the two pistons on the caliper is funny looking. (I couldn't tell you how it was funny, it just looked odd, for some reason I can't put my finger on.)

Anyway I pull the old pads, grease the shims, slap the new ones in there, and get to the part where you have to push the pistons back into the caliper. The first one went in fine, but the funny-looking one only went in about halfway, and wouldn't go any further.

I tried using a C-clamp and some cardboard to push it in, and opening up the bleeder valve, but the thing still wouldn't budge. So, it's stuck, somehow, probably cocked sideways in its hole. I put the old pads back on (cause the new ones wouldn't fit in the half-open caliper), bled the lines and it drives fine.

I understand that I'm probably looking at doing a caliper rebuild (blahhh), but I'm wondering if there are any trick-up-the-sleeve kind of things that might allow me to free the piston without taking the damned thing apart. If it matters, this is a 1997 Toyota Supra, ABS, two-piston front discs. Thanks!

PT Cruiser owner regrets purchase, wants to improve the car he can't afford to dump

mccarty.tim — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 07:43:56 -0800

I'm an ignorant person when it comes to cars, so this is a pretty dumb question. I own a 2007 PT Cruiser which has no anti-lock brakes. It skids like crazy, and got me into a minor accident. Is there any way I can get add anti-lock breaks to it? My mom's friends told her that the best way to buy a car was to get an auction proxy, so we went to an auction lot to go car shopping. We were intending to get a compact Japanese car with decent milage. However, the proxy talked us into getting a 2007 PT Cruiser which was $9000 on the lot. I was no fan of the aesthetics of the Cruiser, but I did like the interior space and the fact that the proxy pitched it as being 28 MPG (A good but not great amount. Turns out he was mistaken, it gets 20). We rushed to bid on it, and the next day we got it, only to discover it was a cheap model with no antilock brakes. I don't blame the proxy for this, he was as surprised as we were, and I really don't think this is in the spirit of false advertising. It's just the nature of auctions, it's fast paced and you don't get to test drive the car, and I had no prior knowledge of how a PT Cruiser drives.

I'm no good at threshold braking and recently skidded into a guardrail because a guy behind me in a huge truck was tailgating me at a high speed. It was scary, and it took two weeks to get it repaired, but insurance paid for it, and I was okay. I now know I should have taken that turn slower, or let the guy in the pickup hit me.

The guy at the repair shop says the brakes are pristine, so I can't blame it on old brake pads. The mechanic did remark he got 3 PT Cruisers who got into the exact same type of wreck.

This brings me to my question. I would love to trade in the PT Cruiser for something that I can afford to buy gas for and with good enough brakes to handle the curvy roads in my town. However, it seems to be outside of my means to do so. Would it be possible to augment the car with an antilock braking system? Or if not, is there a good, safe way to learn how to threshold brake?

Thanks for your help, guys.

Pads Shriek Only AFTER The Brake Job

jimmyjimjim — Tue, 13 May 2008 15:23:23 -0800

I took my 04 Camry in for a brake job. Rotors were warped, pads were fine (they weren't making a sound). The mechanic replaced pads and rotors. I paid hundreds of dollars. Now, 200 miles after the work, my pads are shrieking. Can anyone think of why this might happen?

Auto: I need to replace my brakes on my 2005 Audi A4. Do I have any other options than factory brakes from the dealership? Are there brakes on the market that perform at or above what I would expect from factory brakes?

Mr_Crazyhorse — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 11:46:22 -0800

Auto: I need to replace my brakes on my 2005 Audi A4. Do I have any other options than factory brakes from the dealership? Are there brakes on the market that perform at or above what I would expect from factory brakes?

When my taillights are on, my brake lights don't work. How to fix?

k7lim — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 20:06:50 -0800

While my taillights are off, my brake lights work just fine. When they are on, my left one goes out. How can I fix this? I'm driving a mid 80's Volvo. My car uses the same bulb for taillight and brake-light. Basically, while my taillights are supposed to be on, and I step on the brakes, that entire bulb turns off (on the left side). Head/Tail lights switched OFF, foot ON the brake, brake light is illuminated. (as it should be)

Head/Tail lights switched ON, foot off the brake, tail light is illuminated. (as it should be)

Head/Tail lights switched ON, foot ON the brake, tail/brake light bulb is out. (broken!)

New car buying - safety question

543DoublePlay — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 17:46:34 -0800

New car buying filter: We are in the market for a new car and have seen the model we want on a dealers lot, but it lacks one option that I feel is a must - ABS So are anti-lock brakes a real safety plus or should I get the vehicle I want that doesn't have the ABS? If it makes a difference the make/model is a Chevy Cobalt Coupe and I would prefer to just go into the dealer, go through the hell of dealing with the car buying experience and drive off in the new car without having to go through long drawn out searches or ordering the model from the factory.

working on a car - on a gravel driveway

bigmusic — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 18:59:17 -0800

I want to do minor maintenance on my cars (oil changes, brake checks, and so on), but I don't have a garage to do it in or a concrete driveway. All I have is a gravel / dirt driveway to work on. I would like to jack up my cars (and put them on jack stands), but I'm not comfortable at all doing it on this kind of surface. How can I do this without putting myself in harms way? I've thought about using pieces of plywood to put the jack stands on and chocking the rear tires - would this work or is there a better way?

Gimme brakes

dancinglamb — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 16:33:18 -0800

Teach me the best way to drive to save my brakes I just had to replace the front brake pads -- for the second time -- on my beloved '05 Volvo XC90. It has just a hair over 37,000 miles on it. When I asked what the deal was in having to replace the pads again so recently (they were fully replaced at about 12-14k), the service guy commented that a lot of it has to do with 'how a person drives, where they drive, and what's in the car when they're driving'.

Any truth to this? For the record, I do mostly "Mom driving" (stop and go, 20-45pmh) around town, although it's not unusual for me to do longer runs on weekends on highways at higher ( consistent, 65-75mph) speeds. With regard to what's in the car, well, mostly, me, two little kids, sometimes a couple dogs, etc. It's not like I'm hauling anything truly interesting. It's a no-brainer that it's the stop and go nonsense that's killing me and my brakes. But at over $500 a pop, I need suggestions on how to make these babies last.

FixMyBrakesFilter

Alterscape — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 09:27:00 -0800

I need to find a reliable auto repair shop in Tempe/Phoenix AZ for some brake work. My brakes are making icky noises. I've previously done 90% of my car maintenance myself, but that was when I lived near my father and had ready access to a shop full of tools and several decades of accumulated experience. When we couldn't fix it, we'd take it to a small, locally-owned garage who's service people my father trusted.

I'm now 2100 miles away from there and I just want to fix the problem. I'm relatively certain I know what the problem is and how much it should cost (in terms of parts) to fix. However, I have exactly zero experience finding and selecting repair shops. Can I just call one of the national chains, or should I shop around and try to find a good local guy by ear? I can sort of talk the talk, but car work was a small enough part of my interests that I'm not 100% confident I could sort a con man from a legit guy and I've heard lots of horror stories.

If anyone in Tempe/Phoenix has recommendations, that'd be even better. The car is a 1990 Camry, and I suspect the work I'll need will be having the pads changed, one rotor milled or maybe replaced, and one set of calipers thoroughly lubricated.

Seized Brake

timeistight — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 08:30:15 -0800

Roughly how much will it cost to fix a seized rear brake on a 1990 Dodge Colt? On my way to work yesterday, my right rear brake started smoking. I probably drove five kilometers before I realized what was happening. I can still move the car, but I can definitely feel the engine straining against the brake.

The car is a beater nearing the end of its life. Should I fix it or scrap it? (This is in the Vancouver, BC area.)

New Beetle Needs Work + Brakes

kirkaracha — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 12:02:03 -0800

I'm looking for recommendations for Volkswagen service and brake service in San Francisco. I dropped my 1998 New Beetle off at the dealer a week ago yesterday, and they just now got back to me with an estimate of $1100 to replace the brakes. The one-week delay makes me want to go somewhere else (I take public transportation, so it wasn't a huge deal, but still), and $1100 seems steep for brakes.

The Car Talk site had good reviews of Advanced Audi Volkswagen, City Automotive, and Moss Motors, so it'd be great if anyone's used one of them.

low mpg

spork — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 08:46:21 -0800

I seem to be getting horrible mpg after changing my own disk brakes. After I replaced the front brake pads on my 1999 Honda motorcycle, my mpg dropped by 25% and sometimes after braking I’ll hear a mild “whizzz” coming from the front wheel, which I’m guessing is the sound of the pad still making slight contact with the rotor. After a couple of months (I waited this long because I’ve heard that new brakes will sometimes make noise until they’re broken-in) I took a look at the pads and they didn’t seem to be wearing funny. I’m a city rider, so I’m not too worried about my brakes over-heating during my short trips.

Is there an obvious reason for this? Is there a mechanism that should be spreading the calipers apart after breaking? I’m planning on taking it in unless someone points me to the solution.