# After a repair shop changes your front pads and rotors twice in a week should they have checkec brake fluid first time around? **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** chevrolet, cruze\ **Created:** [October 29, 2017, 12:04am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/after-a-repair-shop-changes-your-front-pads-and-rotors-twice-in-a-week-should-they-have-checkec-brake-fluid-first-time-around/109002 "2017-10-29T00:04:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jjcruze12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7ab992/32.png) [@Jjcruze12](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Jjcruze12)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2017, 12:04am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/after-a-repair-shop-changes-your-front-pads-and-rotors-twice-in-a-week-should-they-have-checkec-brake-fluid-first-time-around/109002/1 "2017-10-29T00:04:12Z")
Okay so I took my car to have my brakes and my rotors replaced not even a week later the car started grinding so I went back and they said they had to replace the brakes in the rotors again and then they called me at the end of that day and advise me I needed to change my brake fluid that it’s corroded and I also know how come they didn’t check that the very first time they did the brakes last week and he really couldn’t give me a good answer well here I am again and my brakes are grinding again calipers bad now they shouldn’t they have caught that seen as though they had to replace everything for a second time so I’m not sure what to do ---
**Author:** ![ChrisTruck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@ChrisTruck](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ChrisTruck)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2017, 12:14am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/after-a-repair-shop-changes-your-front-pads-and-rotors-twice-in-a-week-should-they-have-checkec-brake-fluid-first-time-around/109002/2 "2017-10-29T00:14:38Z")
If the pads wore down in a week then your calipers must be sticking badly. They should have figured it out the 2nd visit if not the 1st. The fluid might need changing but I doubt that’s the problem. Yes they should have looked at the fluid the 1st time. You should look for a new mechanic. ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2017, 12:18am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/after-a-repair-shop-changes-your-front-pads-and-rotors-twice-in-a-week-should-they-have-checkec-brake-fluid-first-time-around/109002/3 "2017-10-29T00:18:22Z")
Part of any brake job is topping off the brake fluid as required. This is b/c the level changes as the pads and rotor wear. So yes, the brake fluid _level_ would be inspected after any brake job. And I can’t image a shop not checking the brake fluid _level_ first, before working on the brakes either. But they might not if it was clear the pads were shot anyway. And they probably wouldn’t inspect the brake fluid itself for corrosions problems unless there was a reason. Low brake fluid wouldn’t normally cause any unusual sounds, other than “yikes” as you crash into a tree. Low brake fluid would just make it difficult or impossible to stop. If the fluid hadn’t been changed out on the intervals recommended by the manufacturer, it could have picked up water, and the water in the brake fluid could eventually corrode any an all parts of the brake hydraulics. If the caliper pistons got corroded, I suppose that could make a sound of some kind as you pressed on the brake pedal. If the problem is corroded hydraulic system, they may have to replace the brake lines and the calipers and the MC, but should be able to re-use the pads and rotors. ---
**Author:** ![shadowfax](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/shadowfax/32/13026_2.png) [@shadowfax](https://community.cartalk.com/u/shadowfax)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2017, 12:54am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/after-a-repair-shop-changes-your-front-pads-and-rotors-twice-in-a-week-should-they-have-checkec-brake-fluid-first-time-around/109002/4 "2017-10-29T00:54:15Z")
If I had to guess either your caliper is sticking badly, or your brake flex line has collapsed internally and is making the caliper stick badly. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2017, 1:02am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/after-a-repair-shop-changes-your-front-pads-and-rotors-twice-in-a-week-should-they-have-checkec-brake-fluid-first-time-around/109002/5 "2017-10-29T01:02:35Z")
> [@shadowfax](#): > > If I had to guess either your caliper is sticking badly, or your brake flex line has collapsed internally and is making the caliper stick badly. I agree. Occasionally stuff just happens, but I’m inclined to suspect that they should have noticed the sticking caliper when the did the brake job. The caliper would have been hard to open, they should have noticed the dragging, and, IMHO this one’s a biggie… the pads would have been worn unevenly. If the pad on one side of the rotor is worn down and the pad on the other side isn’t, the caliper is sticking. Oh, and they should have road-tested the work. ---
**Author:** ![oldtimer-11](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e79b87/32.png) [@oldtimer-11](https://community.cartalk.com/u/oldtimer-11)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2017, 1:17am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/after-a-repair-shop-changes-your-front-pads-and-rotors-twice-in-a-week-should-they-have-checkec-brake-fluid-first-time-around/109002/6 "2017-10-29T01:17:20Z")
OK, this placed your pads and rotors and they wore out in a week To pay for the new pads and rotors they had to put on, they sold you a brake fluid flush. Now they have to replace the pads and rotors again, the light has finally dawned in their dim brains that there is something wrong and they probably called someone who knows a little bit about brakes and were told it was probably stuck calipers. It probably is although it could be collapsed front brake hoses also. ---
**Author:** ![Jjcruze12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7ab992/32.png) [@Jjcruze12](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Jjcruze12)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2017, 1:32am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/after-a-repair-shop-changes-your-front-pads-and-rotors-twice-in-a-week-should-they-have-checkec-brake-fluid-first-time-around/109002/7 "2017-10-29T01:32:07Z")
My question is I paid over $300 for them to replace my brake pads and my rotors so week later I went back and they replaced them of course for free but before I picked up the car he called me and advised me that I needed to do a brake flush to flush my brake fluid for $91 tell him I don’t have $91 today why didn’t he tell me that when they first did the brakes blah blah blah whatever so it’s my intelligent assumption that he knows the caliper is bad they should have caught it the first time but by telling me the fluid is bad me not changing it if I go back to him again and goes up my brakes are grinding again and it’s only been another week he’s going to claim that it’s the bad fluid and I’m going to be charged more money to change my caliper now I just want to know what my options are should I just have to pay for the caliper part and he should pay for the labor because he should have caught it ---
**Author:** ![VOLVO-V70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8e8cbc/32.png) [@VOLVO-V70](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VOLVO-V70)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2017, 1:43am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/after-a-repair-shop-changes-your-front-pads-and-rotors-twice-in-a-week-should-they-have-checkec-brake-fluid-first-time-around/109002/8 "2017-10-29T01:43:42Z")
Did we just have a record set for the longest sentence to be posted on this site? ---
**Author:** ![insightful](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/insightful/32/2732_2.png) [@insightful](https://community.cartalk.com/u/insightful)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2017, 1:46am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/after-a-repair-shop-changes-your-front-pads-and-rotors-twice-in-a-week-should-they-have-checkec-brake-fluid-first-time-around/109002/9 "2017-10-29T01:46:54Z")
First, drive the car around for 10 minutes, get out and immediately (and carefully) feel all four wheels near the center. If you have plastic wheel covers that cover the lug nuts, remove them first. If you have plastic wheel covers that leave the lug nuts exposed, just feel the lug nuts. You’re looking for a hot wheel which means that caliper is dragging. Also, on level ground with the car in DRIVE, will it creep forward normally without giving it any gas? If not, this is another symptom of a dragging caliper. ---
**Author:** ![shadowfax](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/shadowfax/32/13026_2.png) [@shadowfax](https://community.cartalk.com/u/shadowfax)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2017, 3:22am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/after-a-repair-shop-changes-your-front-pads-and-rotors-twice-in-a-week-should-they-have-checkec-brake-fluid-first-time-around/109002/10 "2017-10-29T03:22:03Z")
> [@VOLVO\_V70](#): > > Did we just have a record set for the longest sentence to be posted on this site? I think we might ought to call Guiness. OP, I think your idea of paying for parts and they cover labor is fair. The shop I use when I don’t do the work myself has done this for me in the past without me even having to ask. Their policy is that if they don’t catch it the first time around, I shouldn’t have to pay for the surgery to get down to the problem the second time. ---
**Author:** ![ok4450](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ok4450](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ok4450)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2017, 4:06am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/after-a-repair-shop-changes-your-front-pads-and-rotors-twice-in-a-week-should-they-have-checkec-brake-fluid-first-time-around/109002/11 "2017-10-29T04:06:44Z")
The shop should have caught any sticking caliper while doing the brake job. If the piston in the caliper is sticking that’s easy to determine while retracting the piston. If it doesn’t retract smoothly and easily then it needs to be replaced. Any caliper slides should be serviced as part of the brake job. If one caliper is replaced then the other should also be replaced in my opinion even if it appears to be working smoothly. Working smoothly one week; stuck the next… Based on what you have related here, I think the shop should cover this due to a lack of foresight and for PR purposes. You state you don’t have 91 dollars for the fluid flush. What would you have said to the shop if they had told you originally the fluid should also be replaced and/or both calipers replaced at that time? ---
**Author:** ![Nevada\_545](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/nevada_545/32/41232_2.png) [@Nevada\_545](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Nevada_545)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2017, 5:21am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/after-a-repair-shop-changes-your-front-pads-and-rotors-twice-in-a-week-should-they-have-checkec-brake-fluid-first-time-around/109002/12 "2017-10-29T05:21:46Z")
You are dissatisfied with the cheap brake pads that the shop installed on your car, they are noisy. Each time you return they will look for a solution to the problem, replacing the pads and rotors again did not help. Now the remedy may be to replace the calipers because new caliper piston seals retract the pistons better and reduce brake heat. That can help but I doubt the brakes will be as quiet as you expect. When they replace the calipers they will want to replace the brake fluid, whether or not they charge you for this is up to them but charging a fee during each visit may eventually stop the complaining about brake noise. ---
**Author:** ![sgtrock21](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/sgtrock21/32/246_2.png) [@sgtrock21](https://community.cartalk.com/u/sgtrock21)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2017, 3:02pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/after-a-repair-shop-changes-your-front-pads-and-rotors-twice-in-a-week-should-they-have-checkec-brake-fluid-first-time-around/109002/13 "2017-10-29T15:02:46Z")
Isn’t it technically not a sentence without the period or question mark? ---
**Author:** ![Jjcruze12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7ab992/32.png) [@Jjcruze12](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Jjcruze12)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2017, 3:56pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/after-a-repair-shop-changes-your-front-pads-and-rotors-twice-in-a-week-should-they-have-checkec-brake-fluid-first-time-around/109002/14 "2017-10-29T15:56:52Z")
I would have had all the work done at the same time I wouldn’t just do half a brake job if I was told everything that needed to be done I don’t have the money this week ---
**Author:** ![Jjcruze12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7ab992/32.png) [@Jjcruze12](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Jjcruze12)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2017, 4:05pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/after-a-repair-shop-changes-your-front-pads-and-rotors-twice-in-a-week-should-they-have-checkec-brake-fluid-first-time-around/109002/15 "2017-10-29T16:05:14Z")
I’m here looking for answers to my question you don’t have an answer to my question I really don’t need to hear any snide remarks , doesn’t help. ---
**Author:** ![ok4450](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ok4450](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ok4450)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2017, 4:28pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/after-a-repair-shop-changes-your-front-pads-and-rotors-twice-in-a-week-should-they-have-checkec-brake-fluid-first-time-around/109002/16 "2017-10-29T16:28:38Z")
I don’t think for one second the ensuing problems were due to the condition of the brake fluid although the brake fluid condition could contribute to a caliper piston problem. The ensuing problems were due to the shop not being aware (clueless maybe???) that there was a caliper problem when they did the brake job. They’re paid to (in theory…) check these things during the process so check them. Just my 2 cents, but I think the shop should cover this due to their fumbling the football originally. “Should…” is another question altogether… ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2017, 5:26pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/after-a-repair-shop-changes-your-front-pads-and-rotors-twice-in-a-week-should-they-have-checkec-brake-fluid-first-time-around/109002/17 "2017-10-29T17:26:54Z")
I guess it’s the proverbial stuck in the mud and what do you do then once you are stuck? Do you continue going back to a shop that has performed poorly, or take your lumps and just go somewhere else and start over. From the first pair of brake pads, they should have suspected a caliper problem from uneven brake wear but they didn’t. Then calipers should be replaced in pairs, and a flush would be done when the calipers are replaced. So they are doing step 3 before step 1 and then having you return to do step two and charge for it. I think I’d take the new brake pads before they are shot again and go somewhere else for the new calipers and flush. If you can’t afford the calipers and flush though this week, they’ll hit you for those and new pads next week even though the flush has nothing to do with it. ---
**Author:** ![insightful](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/insightful/32/2732_2.png) [@insightful](https://community.cartalk.com/u/insightful)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2017, 5:58pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/after-a-repair-shop-changes-your-front-pads-and-rotors-twice-in-a-week-should-they-have-checkec-brake-fluid-first-time-around/109002/18 "2017-10-29T17:58:25Z")
I would think a caliper stuck enough to wear out pads that quickly would be smoking at every stop (like my '81 Fairmont did). ---
**Author:** ![COROLLAGUY1](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/corollaguy1/32/7575_2.png) [@COROLLAGUY1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/COROLLAGUY1)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2017, 6:42pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/after-a-repair-shop-changes-your-front-pads-and-rotors-twice-in-a-week-should-they-have-checkec-brake-fluid-first-time-around/109002/19 "2017-10-29T18:42:30Z")
> [@insightful](#): > > First, drive the car around for 10 minutes, get out and immediately (and carefully) feel all four wheels near the center. If you have plastic wheel covers that cover the lug nuts, remove them first. If you have plastic wheel covers that leave the lug nuts exposed, just feel the lug nuts. You’re looking for a hot wheel which means that caliper is dragging. Also, on level ground with the car in DRIVE, will it creep forward normally without giving it any gas? If not, this is another symptom of a dragging caliper. You forgot the smell of hot metal and the unusual amount of brake dust on that wheel. ---
**Author:** ![keith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/keith/32/5518_2.png) [@keith](https://community.cartalk.com/u/keith)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2017, 6:53pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/after-a-repair-shop-changes-your-front-pads-and-rotors-twice-in-a-week-should-they-have-checkec-brake-fluid-first-time-around/109002/20 "2017-10-29T18:53:52Z")
Your brake fluid did not cause your problem, but if it is a dark color, then it needs to be replaced. The problem is most likely your caliper bushings/pins are stuck. If the outer pad is worn down but the inner pad is still good, then it is the bushings/pins. If both the inner and outer pads are worn down, that could be a collapsed brake hose. The shop owes you new pads and rotors, but the calipers are on you as this is a new repair. They can either lubricate the pins/bushings and put on new seals which would be the cheapest or replace the calipers. They will probably order new “loaded” calipers which are more expensive because they come with new pads installed thereby sticking you with the cost of replacement pads. [Next page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/after-a-repair-shop-changes-your-front-pads-and-rotors-twice-in-a-week-should-they-have-checkec-brake-fluid-first-time-around/109002.md?page=2)