Grinding to a halt.

 

 

 

I met a young lady a while back who told me her brakes make a noise when applied. She had mentioned this to her boyfriend. His response was ” What do you want me to do about it ? ” And so; she continued to drive the car, even though the brakes were obviously in need of inspection and repair.
The car in question was a 1995 Ford Contour sedan. After a few questions; I offered my services to inspect the brakes free of charge. I laid on the ground and reached in behind the front right tire to feel the rotor surface. This should give an indication of a potential problem. A smooth surface would indicate normal pad wear. A rough surface would indicate possible damage and brake component failure.
The right rotor was smooth on the inside and outside surfaces. The left rotor was smooth on the outer surface; but when feeling for the inner surface, I felt the vent ribs not a smooth surface. It was completely gone ! M.I.A. ( missing in action ) But where could it be ? I began to ponder and come up with very scientific reasons for this surface to feel the way it did. Or maybe I just said ” Give me a brake “.
With a simple 1/2 inch drive 3/4 inch socket; I removed the left front wheel. Pieces of steel promptly fell out onto the ground. Pieces of the inner surface of the rotor were all around. Scrapes and dents were also visible in the fender well and on the inside of the wheel itself. It had blown apart ! Another 17mm socket removed the caliper and mounting bracket as a complete assembly. I had determined the brake pads wore out prematurely because the caliper had become seized on it’s mounting bolts. Then driven for so long that the metal brake pad backing plate had worn through the brake rotor surface until it got too thin and exploded into pieces.
$97.50 later; the brake caliper, mounting bracket, rotor, and pads were replaced on the left side. While only the pads on the right side were replaced. They still had 50% to 60% braking material left on them. The right caliper was functioning properly and did not need to be replaced.

The right parts at a fair price. Blue Car Garage can service your needs.

Thank you,
Troy