Does anyone know anything about cars?

JKanownik

<font color=green>Pack up the Tag Fairies in your
Joined
May 1, 2003
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While driving my car today, I noticed that my my foot was pulsating whenever I put on the breaks and the car did not feel like it was going to stop. Has this ever happened to anyone before? Could you happen to tell me what it means? It is really worrying me. :worried:
 
You need to get your car into the shop ASAP to get the brakes checked out.
 

OK this is coming from a guy with only some knowledge of cars but it sounds to me like maybe your brake rotors are warped.
 
Pretty simple... you need new brakes. Take it to your favorite shop and have them fixed up. It'll cost a good bit, but better that than an accident. ::yes::
 
/
The same exact thing was happening with our van at work recently. When we took it into the shop they said that one side just needed new pads, but on the other side the rotor was completely shot. I agree with the others. Get it looked at ASAP.
 
Your Master Cylinder is going bad, when that goes you will have no brakes.
 
It sounds liked warped rotors, but you should have it checked ASAP.

If it IS warped rotors, you need to figure out the cause of the warpage - do you ride the brake (i.e. drive with 2 feet)? If so then that is most likely causing the warpage - the brakes are overheating. The other culprit may be if you had the brake pads changed, but the rotors were cut or resurfaced. This is a common practice, but it only saves you a few bucks, and warped rotors can result.

Here's how it works when you apply the brakes the rotor (the shiny disc you can see) is squeezed by the brake pads (held by the brake caliper - the small fist sized pod attached to the rotor) Brake pads in todays cars are of a higher metallic content then those of the past - therefore a harder brake pad compound. This wears down the rotor almost as much as it wears down the pads. When it comes time to replace the pads, the rotors are re-surfaced or replaced - if they are re-surfaced (ground smooth and level) and the thickness of the rotors is in spec they say they can be re-used. This doesn't take into account how much of the rotor material was lost from when they were new, and it now has far less material to dissipate heat, so from a safety minimum perspective - yeah they'll still work. The problem is there is a much better chance that you will warp the rotors with excessive heat build up.

Good luck with your issue and hope it gets resolved.
 
My car is doing the same thing but since it only has twenty thousand miles on it I was thinking it is the brake pads. Take it somewhere you trust, because with an honest person they will tell you exactly what it is, but a dishonest person witll sell you an all new brake system even if you don't need it! I have see that first hand!
 
I would take it in ASAP ::yes:: Like it has been said on here already it is most likely your rotors being warped. How long has it been since your last brake inspection or brake change? Here is what I would do. Go into a local shop, the one I work at is a nationwide company, PepBoys if there is one of these I know they do FREE brake checks. They will tell you what they think it iswrong. If you are tight for money ask to talk to the mechanic, not the person writing up your ticket the one actually working on your car, they will tell you what you absolutely have to have and what might be able to wait. From the sounds of it I would get the Brake pads changed and the rotors REPLACED not resurfaced. If you have not had you car long or if you had the brakes done in the past few months to a year take it back to where you last had it done and see if there is a warrenty. This could save you a lot of money. Also I do not know how long on average you keep your vehicles, but if you like to keep them around awhile, PepBoys has a brake package that if you have the work done there they will replace the pads for free the NEXT time you have them done and all you will pay for is labor sometimes that is up to half off! It can help you out but only if you keep your cars around for a few years. :) Hope this info helps. And BTW I am not trying to push Pepboys on you I just know what we offer, I do however recommened looking into several shops if you think you have the time. Check the mechanics background ask to see if they are certified, ASE certified is a definate plus, not absolutely nessacary but a plus. :)
 
Well, I took my car to Midas today to have it checked out and I was told that I need to have all 4 rotors replaced. Apparently, they are rusted and warped. We had some major flooding last year which they said most likely contributed to it. They also said it could be caused by normal wear and tear. I don't ride my breaks since it is one of my pet peeves when others do it, but who knows what kind of driver the original owner was. It is a 1999 Chrysler Sebring LX-i and I bought it 2 years ago. The really bad news is that it is going to cost us close to $600. Oh well, it has to be fixed.

Thanks again everyone! :wave2:
 
Glad to hear you were able to get it diagnosed and fixed, ouch on the money. Cars are so costly. Drive safely, Colleen.
 
You might want to get a second opinion regarding your brakes--dealer or a Pep Boys type place. Obviously something is wrong and you need good working brakes. You should know that Midas in our area has had some past issues regarding "over-servicing" vehicles and charging people for more repairs than were needed. Check to see if there are outstanding complaints filed with the Better Business Bureu regarding your Midas. We had some issues with this company regarding brakes and just don't want to see you spend too much money.

My best. Your safety is the most important thing.
 
Thanks for the advice! I will definitely be looking into it.
 
From what you described, I figured warped rotors.
$600 seems like quite a bit though. Rotors cost about $40-80 a peice, and it only takes about an hour to put them on, so the quote your getting sounds like a rip off to me.


I would shop around, and if anyone you know can change rotors-pick up the parts from Pepboys and let them do the work.
 
Yeah I would say $600 is a bit high, I was thinking since it is all 4 maybe $400 or $450 but that is just off the top of my head. (Our top of the line brake service is about $130 for front and $130 for the back and adding in rotors, which if you are getting a brake service, like pads done they do not charge extra to put on at Pep Boys, so $260 + rotors about $400 to $450) My experience with Midas and CarX have been they are not as good of mechanics first off and they over quote you. Also I think they work off commission which is always a bad thing for the customer in this kind of case. I say definately get a 2nd opinion. Too bad you don't live close to me, my BF would do it for much cheaper than that. :(

:wizard: Best of luck to you.

BTW that service is Ceramic Pads (the best out) Lifetime warrenty on the pads and I think 2 years on labor (so if you get them replaced before 2 years it will be all free not just the pads) If they ask you if you want to go with UNIVERSAL rotors tell them no, these are CRAP and warp easily. PepBoys carries Raybestos, a very good name in brakes.

Just thought you might like to know.
 
If you get a second opinion ( which I highly recommend ) , also ask if it's really needed to have all of the four rotors replaced, sometimes you only need the front ones which are the ones used the most.
I know one thing, usually they see a woman coming in for repairs , and she goes out with an estimate usually of things she doesn't even need because automatically they think we know nothing about cars. I went in to Jack Williams once for an inspection and got out with a $500 estimate. They told me I needed new struts and shocks because one of them was leaking. I knew my car and I was having no problems. I took it someplace else, they looked at it and told me that the only thing that they saw was a bit of gunk stuck on one strut but nothing was leaking, the other place did the inspection and I was fine after that. Another lady that was also at Jack Williams when I was there, was given a $900 estimate. I found out months later that the manager at that store had been fired because some people had complained, probably people who got ripped off for something they didn't need.
 














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