I recently moved to Buffalo from Ohio and went to dealership to get my NY inspection sticker. I had noticed my brakes were squeaking a little but forgot to mention it to the mechanic when I made my appointment, so I wasn’t surprised when he came to me and said that my rear rotors were quite worn (below 4 mm, I believe). He went on to explain that the brakes are not lubricated when they leave the factory, and since I hadn’t had them serviced, they were quite corroded. Stupidly, I agreed to have him replace them ($300), plus service the front pads for an additional $95.
Later that evening, my husband asked why it wasn’t covered under my warranty. I bought it August of '09 and have put 33,664 mostly-freeway miles on it. I called the dealership and was told that brake pads are only covered for the first 12,000 miles, and are not covered under the 3 year, 36k mile warranty.
My impression is that the lack of lubrication from the factory is the cause of the corrosion which wore down my brake pads. Is this a correct assessment?
The dealership was correct that brakes are not covered under Honda’s warranty after 12k miles.
Lack of lubrication led to excessive wear of the rear rotors?
Ummmm…no.
In truth, that is one of the most truly bizarre statements that I have heard, and does not bode well for the honesty of this shop.
I would strongly suggest that you not return to this shop, as I believe that you were hosed.
I agree. The mechanic was lying. Feel free to post the info here so that other Buffalo residents can avoid the little jerk.
Check this site to see if you can get $150 back on this job. www.GirardGibbs.com/HondaBrakes.asp
The extreme amount of salt applied to Buffalo area roads make some cars caliper slide mechanism corrode leading to premature brake wear.I know 3 people with 2007 0r newer Hyundai Sonatas that have had to replace the rear pads in less that 20000 miles. The only remedy seems to disassemble and grease the rear calipers and slides every summer.
The only corrosion that could have caused premature wear of the pads would have been corrosion and subsequent sticking of calipers…and if that were the case it SHOULD be covered by warranty. The pads would not be, even though they may have worn prematurely due to sticky calipers, because of the mileage, although that statement is arguable.
Either (a) the shop is simply lying, (b) you’ve misunderstood, © the shop charged you for calipers that should have been covered and you misunderstood, or © there’s some details missing from the original post.
B and D are entirely possible (as is A) because I’m trying to recall the conversation from the previous day. According to my bill, they “cleaned and lubricated caliper slides and brake pad guides, machined rotors to ensure smooth precise stopping…” Only the rear pads were replaced. Thanks!
Actually I have been living in Columbus Ohio. Although we are below the snow belt and our winters aren’t as severe as northern ohio or buffalo, we do use a lot of salt on our roads.
Another Recent Honda Brakes Complaint
http://community.cartalk.com/posts/list/2153432.page
CSA
btw, I did misstate above. My pads were worn, not the rotors. Sorry.
I also forgot to add that the mechanic said that the pads that he would install should last about 60,000 miles. To me, that implied, again, that whatever the factory was doing wrong, they were not repeating the same mistake. I’m just appalled by my slowness!
Brake pads and rotors are wearable parts. That is why they have a shorter warranty. Even so, I am surprised your rear brakes would wear out so fast. Most of the brake wear you should experience should be in the front, not the rear.
I would look for another cause. Perhaps someone drove it with the parking brake applied, or the parking brake cable got stuck.
As a Buffalo expatriate, I welcome you to Buffalo, the only place where, up until recently, they referred to the creator of the Statue of David as “Michael Angelo” (see below). Make sure you get some good winter tires and get this fixed. If your rear brakes are being over-applied when you press the brake pedal, it could have disastrous effects on ice.
Thanks for posting back.
All of that work would be legit and none of it warranteed. Pads and rotors are normal wear items. While 33K+ does sound a bit premature, as Whitey said, IMHO it isn’t that bad. Because the fronts do most of the work, manufacturers will commonly put smaller brakes on the rear. On some vehices the rears last a lot longer, on some they don’t. It’s entirely vehicle-specific. And if the slides were in-fact sticking, that could definitely kill the pads early.
PLEASE pay attention to jayjayp47 and Common Sense Answer…
Your Accord was one of those involved in class-action lawsuits against Honda for premature brake wear on the REAR brakes. What you describe is certainly not uncommon for these owners, except that you seem to have managed to get more miles than most. It certainly sounds like you are entitled to part ($150) of this settlement.
The lubrication story is bogus, imo. You were simply the victim of a poor design and a mechanic wanting to get more money…
I’d be hesitant to make the assumption that the story is bogus. It’s entirely possible that sticky rear calipers and/or substandard pads is/are the root cause of the Honda rear brake problem and the solution is cleaning and lubing of the slides along with better pads. There isn’t enough information here IMHO to suspect the mechanic of being dishonest or ripping the OP off.
I agree with pursuing the $150.
I have a 2008 accord and the back brakes were shot at 27k and i drive all highway. Go to that website and get the info so you can get $150.00 back.
Hilarious! I pass it all the time.
Thanks, I’m on it!