What to do about my Silverado 2003 Chevy Truck. About a year ago my brakes went completely out when I slammed on them to avoid a wreck. The truck was under warranty and I was told that I lived on the Gulf Coast and the lines rusted very quickly. That was the right front brake line. About two weeks ago I had the same problem. This time on the drivers side halfway between the cylinder and the rear wheel. The mechanic replaced only the part of the line that was rusted with a compression fitting. He says that he has done this for many years without problems. I cannot believe that living on the Gulf Coast will cause this problem. If it did there would be millions of Chevy owners affected, from Brownsville to the East Coast. The truck is not under warranty. Do I replace all the brake lines? The mechanic says he needs to lift the cab in order to fit the lines. It would cost about 700 dollars. Is there a substitute flexible line made of some better material we could use? I am beginning to get scared to drive the truck.
First of all… if this so called mechanic replaced a brake line with a compression fitting you need to find a new mechanic right away. Not only is it unsafe to replace a brake line with a compression fitting, it is illegal.
Secondly… the cab does not have to come off to replace brake lines. $700 is way out of line to replace brake lines.
This mechanic is an idiot. Get a second opinion.