The car was dropped off at the Ford dealer yesterday morning. Yesterday evening they called to say it wouldn’t be done, that was fine because I talked them into giving me a loaner.
I called at three today to check on the status. I was told the rotors were not warped, but the rears were resurfaced anyway to remove rust build up. (b.s.) Told me it would be ready by 5 p.m.
They called at 4:30 and told me they could not get rid of the vibration and said all four rotors were going to be replaced. I’m glad the rotors are being replaced with new, but after machining them down, should the vibration have gone away? Is this indicative of something else wrong, or should 4 new rotors solve the issue?
BTW, the car was out of alignment, it was taken care of n/c.
It should. But let me suggest another path…ABS. The new Fusion comes standard with ABS, which works by pulsating the brakes. If there’s a malfunctioning sensor it should tip the ABS light, but it would also make the pedal pulsate.
It’s just a thought. But one you can suggest they consider if new rotors does not solve the problem.
We all, myself included, have been so focused on the rotors that we’ve missed that possibility.
And on top of mountainbike’s comments let me add this.
If the rotors are legitimately being replaced and the alignment is actually being done for no charge make sure you receive a written copy of the repair order stating this.
Without paperwork and the exact details spelled out there is no proof that anything was ever done and there’s always the possibility of a snow job going on.
A pulse in the brake pedal is usually caused by a problem with the rear brakes. Front brakes normally cause a shake in the steering wheel if the rotor is warped.
Rotors warp when they overheat. The cooling period may not be important. You should ask the dealer to check the flatness on all 4 rotors to make sure they are in spec. It might also be hard spots on the rear rotors. Hard spots will also cause brake shudder.
How hard do you drive the car? If you have had a few hard stops in quick succession, the rotor temperature can get high enough to cause warping or hard spots.
If they put 4 new rotors on it their just throwing a Hail Mary. They don’t know what the problem is and are just praying they get it right. Rotors don’t usually all go bad on one new car, maybe one had a defect but not all four. They will either keep it longer or you will have to take it back.
This has restored my faith in Ford to a great extent.
While I believe that all manufacturers will probably try to “cheap out” on warranty repairs when they are in bad financial straits, at least Ford (through the dealership) did the right thing.