Question: Problem with Brakes Job

Hi To All:

I just had a lot of work done on the brake system of my '92 four door
Accord, but am having two new problems that I would like to understand
before I take the car back to the dealer:

1) I have to press unusually hard on the brake to get the car
to stop when rolling (to a stop light, stop sign, etc.)

2) I smell a strong burning odor (like burning tar) from under
the car when parking it after driving on the hiway.

Does anyone know what could be causing these issues? The work I
had done was as follows: 1) replaced rear cylinder drums 2) replaced
master cylinder 3) replaced ball joints 4) replaced front pads and
machined rotors 5) replaced rear shoes and machined drums.
Thanks for any help on what this could be. - John

 

==========================

I'll bet your car also feels like you're carrying a bunch of cargo as
well, like no get-up-and-go? Fuel mileage is down the toilet too, right?

It sounds like they failed to get the adjustment exact, so your power
brakes are on all the time, and burning up your pads, shoes, disks, and
drums like crazy. That's why you can't get your brakes to work when you
need them. It's called brake 'fade' because really (smoking) hot brakes
just can't stop you very well.

You've probably got a big fight on your hands, so you'll need an
alternate witness to prove that the shop now owes you new pads, shoes,
rotors, drums, maybe piston kits, maybe caliper rebuilds. If you've only
put 50 miles on it, just get the master cylinder removed and adjusted to
correct the problem. If 2,000+ miles, find an expert you can take for a
(possibly paid) spin, and show him how it smokes.

Fight the original guy if he won't correct the (very dangerous) error.

'Curly'

 

Wow, Curly, thanks for the information! That sounds pretty disturbing.
I've only put 10 miles on the car since I just had the work done
yesterday, so do you think it would be OK to just have the brakes
re-adjusted correctly, without having to replace anything new?

I am a bit surprised that the mechanic didn't catch these problems
on the test drive, not to mention that he says he's got 20+ years
experience AND works at a Honda dealership. I'm in a new area
and so this was the first time I dealt with these guys - the work
was about $1200 USD (I'm in Canada). I guess its time to find
a new dealership. Thanks again. - John

 

What does he *do* at the Honda dealership?

I gather you did not actually have this done in the dealer's shop.

J.

 

Hi J.:

What does he do? He's a mechanic. And yes, I did have this done
at the Honda dealership. I gather you guys think this mechanic is
not too good. I agree. My only hope is that I can fix this with just
a simple adjustment instead of having to replace anything. - John

 

---------
They'll slip the master cylinder off and correct the adjustment.
Hopefully you don't have any pulsation problems because of warping the
rotors with such high heat. Was the car acting 'guttless' like I asked?

In Alberta, the aftermarket shops that specialize in Asian models have
White Pages ads that say "Honda repair by XXX and sons" to draw in the
Honda customers. Good trick.
----------

 

Hi Curly:

Yes, the car does feel like I'm pulling some kind of "invisible" load,
and it drags and seems sluggish. The Honda dealership I had this done
at shall remain nameless, but its one of the biggest in the Toronto
area. Of course, that doesn't mean they won't try to rip people off. I
*hope* this was an honest mistake on the part of the mechanic, but it
seems like a pretty serious error. Thanks for telling me about the
possibility of damage to the rotors due to high heat -- I'll keep my
fingers crossed that they are OK. - John

 

Hi Curly:

put the car in neutral and try to push it. it may be an adjustment
issue or it may be a crappy resurface issue. or jack up the car and
turn each wheel by hand, if you can't then it's an adjustment
issue.
Chip

 

================
Chip,

That would be with the engine running, right? When my Volvo locked up
the brakes by itself, shutting off the engine was the only cure (even
when sitting in an intersection :-( :-( )

'Curly'

 

Chip: Many thanks for the suggestions. I'll try them out and see what
I can learn. - John

 

If it was Roadsport Honda, STAY AWAY FROM THEM LIKE THEY'RE THE
PLAGUE!!!! They tried to sell me a Prelude, and told me it had full
records and one owner. I gave them a $500 deposit, but before picking up
the car I checked out the VIN. Turned out it was owned by a rental
company, and the only records they had were for the 5000km it had been
driven by the dealership.

I'm out $500 right now, but since I'm on holliday, I'll call Honda and
see what I can do to get my money back (the whole thing happened 3
months ago, so it's recent enough).

Cosmin

 

Hi Cosmin: No, it wasn't Roadsport Honda. Very sorry to hear about
your bad experience, though -- best of luck with getting your money
back. - John

 

/that/ would be a problem with the vacuum circuit on the power assist
module.

 

Then I don't understand.

At least in the US, if you pay dealership prices, they stand behind
repairs, and if they give you any grief, you can contact the Honda
factory rep, and they are VERY good about keeping dealer customers
happy. I presume, even on older cars.

Just take it back to the dealer and tell your story

J.