Hi so I have a 2010 f150. I recently got full brake service (replaced pads, resurfaced rotors, disassembled and reassembled calipers, etc.) Well I’ve driven about 1000 miles since having it all done. That’s when my caliper seized up no where near a shop. It was also the only caliper they replaced a bracket and slide pins on. I had to pay for an expensive tow and I’m wondering if it could have been caused from the work that was done. Or do I have any grounds to insinuate it’s a result from being worked on. I really don’t trust it was done correctly but I don’t want to make that claim if it is not justified. Thank you.
Edit: slide pins we’re seized upon initial inspection. Replaced along with caliper bracket when brakes initially serviced.
How could we possibly know if this is justified? We don’t know the shop, the replacement quality of the parts they installed or your anything about your truck other than model and year.
If you don’t trust it was done correctly, why did you use this shop? And why did you not take the truck elsewhere to check their work if you had no trust?
You also don’t know if the caliper locked, the slide pins locked up OR the 12 year old brake hose failed internally and caused a check valve effect that kept the caliper pressurized and locked. I’ve had that happen to me in exactly that situation … new brake caliper, new pads and rotors burned up because the hose failed 2 months later. Sometimes stuff just happens.
As I see it, you have 2 options, 1) take it back to the same shop, let then determine what went wrong and maybe they pay for it, and maybe you pay for it depending on what they find.
Or 2) you take it to a different shop you actually trust and pay for the repairs. You won’t get the previous shop to pay the new shop for the repairs unless you take it to court and win… and you won’t win.
Largest dealership service department in my area. I didn’t have an option to have it towed back to that same shop. My lack of trust arose after picking up my truck from being worked on. I figured I’m sorta sol if it is something they did and I had a feeling it was a dumb question but I shot anyways. I would have taken it back to that initial shop if I could have. Thanks for your time to reply to my dumb question.
There’s no way I would ever replace only a bracket and slide pins on one caliper on a 12 year old car. This is an incomplete repair. If a caliper shows wear on any part of it, they both (the same axle) get replaced.
Impossible to say if the shop is at fault or not without seeing the truck and what actually failed. But replacing only one bracket is odd. That’s the kind of thing you do when the primary concern is price and not quality.
Is that the shop who did the brakes or the shop it was towed too?
Is this the first shop or the second and if the first, why the sudden lack of trust? Did the brakes not feel right? If they didn’t, did you raise your concerns right then?
Price was not a concern, this was discovered during their inspection. I’m almost positive the caliper is original so I would have been happy to replace it then. Just seems weird to me but I’m not versed in vehicles hence why I’m here.
First shop. It was due to a lack of communication and being able to even get ahold of my service advisor through the process. I say “my area” but I live over an hour from the shop.
Of course you would have. We don’t just indiscriminately replace calipers when doing brakes. But on a 12 year old car when one caliper shows signs of aging or failing, we recommend proactive replacement of both sides, perhaps front and rear depending on what service is being done. Doing less is either cost-cutting or sloppy workmanship.
When I left the shop a year ago, we warranteed our brake jobs for 3yrs/36,000mi. We have to do a thorough inspection and repair in order to offer that.
Ages ago when I was copier technician we used pagers. A code red call meant that someone was already at the customer and they are calling back because it is not fixed. One of my teammates we nicknamed “Angel the red”, because the first thing to look at would be whatever he had just worked on.
It could be coincidence, but I would bet on shoddy work by the first shop.
To me it’s weird because it’s a dealership and why would they cut corners and not just replace the whole thing? The other side was done ~40k miles ago. At this point I just wanted to better understand. Thank you!
First let me tell you that you are doing the right thing by coming here. We will try our best to help.
Next, vehicle repair is a business transaction. You are paying someone to do a job that yo cannot or do not want to do yourself. You are relying on their competence, the same as you would for a plumber or electrician.
Vehicle repair should be approached the same way. Start with opinions of friends and relatives. Look up ratings on what ever search engine you trust. Then get quotes.
Now it appears that you went to a major dealership. Normally they offer warranties on their work so ideally you should have taken it back to them under warranty. If it had to be towed and they found that it was a defect in material or workmanship they did, then they should pay the tow. If it was something else, you pay the tow.
I don’t know why a bracket would be replaced. It is pretty much just a chunk of iron, the only reason to replace would be if it was damaged in an accident, or they cross threaded one of the pins.
Anyway, did the second shop repair the truck? If they did, did they save the parts for you? You may still be able to get some compensation if you have the parts or at least pictures of the parts replaced at the second shop.
The second shop is in the process of replacing the caliper. Should be done today or tomorrow. I asked them to keep the old caliper. If its something they should have fixed initially I definitely want compensation for the tow bill, especially since it sounds like it should have just been replaced to begin with. I have yet to call the initial shop, I just wanted to gather some insight before doing so.
It’s not a dumb question. Good question. Problem is there are so many possible ways for brakes to fail, no way to know without a visual inspection. I replaced the front shoes and wheel cylinders (drum brakes) on my truck recently, and when everything put back together noticed a spongy feeling that wasn’t there before. Brakes worked ok otherwise. I wasn’t satisfied though, wanted to know what was causing the spongey feeling, so took it all apart again. Turned out one of the retracting springs had broken. It was ok when I installed it, but must have had a crack in it.
I suspect the bore into which the caliper pins slide are corroded or damaged. Not unusual at all. And sure, you could replace just the bracket and pin kit on a 12 year old car, and hope the piston in the caliper holds up, but…
I have to admit that last summer on my 07 Silverado, I got one of those Raybestos complete front brake kits, Element 3, IIRC, and it came with new brackets. I also added a pair of brake hoses just to be sure that there would be no more problems up front. Got tired of rebuilt caliper issues. Every thing new.
Today I started on replacing the LF upper control arm because the front bushing collapsed. You know that meme that goes, “Every 20 minute job is just one broken bolt away from a three day ordeal”. Thats why it is still on jack stands tonight. The rear bolt will not come out. Tomorrow my 4.5" grinder with a cutoff wheel is about to change that bolts mind. Good thing I ordered new bolts with the control arm.
I did the front and rear of my 04 truck with a similar kit. Calipers, brackets, and rotors. Changed all 5 brake hoses for the second time because I learned my lesson the hard way the last time I did brakes.