Inspection shop fucked up my brakes on the Infiniti!

"WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe" (wesbarton89)
03/19/2015 at 09:32 • Filed to: None

Yeah, I'm pissed. The pedal went pretty far down to begin with. They replaced the brakes all around, and now it goes down even further! They said they forgot to look at the master cylinder when they inspected it, which is a HUGE fail on their part. But that's not all of it. They said we could pay $100 for the part and no labor. A fucking master cylinder costs less than $50!

Though, the master cylinder is actually fine. Brake fluid is normal. Dumbasses just didn't bleed the brakes properly.

Oh yeah, they also fucked my alignment up. They were supposed to do a front end alignment, but it still pulls. Their machine says it's good but it sure as hell ain't. It has all new rods, bushings and CVs, as well as new brakes. Next time I get a car inspected, I'll be going elsewhere.

DISCUSSION (33)

Nibby > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe
03/19/2015 at 09:37

TO INFINITI... AND BEYOND

(because you can't stop)

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe
03/19/2015 at 09:38

Other things can cause it to pull to one side or the other, like bearings, grabby brakes that haven't broken in, tire pressures, or possibly something being awry in the back instead of the front. Not that these guys are in the least trustworthy at this point (or that they got everything tight), but their alignment machine is very possibly the Most Competent Employee.

WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe > Nibby
03/19/2015 at 09:38

And I won't stop...

Nibby > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe
03/19/2015 at 09:41

DON'T STOP... BELIEVING

WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
03/19/2015 at 09:45

Yeah, I realize that. But I figured they would at least mention that with the inspection. The car just rolled over 250,000, of course there's gonna be stuff that needs replaced. I have no idea at the moment how many of the suspension and steering components are original, or even changed in the last 100k miles.

But this shit I'm dealing with now is related to the inspection station. I've never seen a brake job fuck the brakes up worse, and it's just preposterous.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe
03/19/2015 at 09:47

Did they do calipers too? If they were just doing doing pads and rotors bleeding shouldn't be necessary. But even if that was the case they should have tried bleeding before quoting you a master.

Alignment machines are only as good as the tech using them. On top of what RamblinRover said, tires can cause a pull as well. Can you upload your alignment printout? Assuming they gave you one...

WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe > Nibby
03/19/2015 at 09:47

... I can fly. I believe I can touch the sky...

ttyymmnn > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
03/19/2015 at 09:50

Machine = Most Competent Employee

I like that.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe
03/19/2015 at 09:50

I'm just baffled at how you ended up needing new cylinders/calipers all around on a driver - or was it not all of it? Typically if things fail they fail in pairs at the most - so by axle - and the only things I've ever encountered that didn't bleed out nigh-instantly were systems that were largely rebuilt. You may have found the least competent bleeder of brakes known to man. I could train an eight year old to get it right.

WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
03/19/2015 at 09:51

I believe it was a full brake job. My mother in law took it to get done while i was at work, and I'm at work now so i don't have the printout. Tires are pretty good I think, but I'll check to make sure pressure is even.

WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
03/19/2015 at 09:56

I'm not sure. The car stopped ok. Pedal travel was always a bit long. I think the brakes just needed new components myself, not even rotors, and they just wanted to get more money out of us. Maryland state inspections are a laugh. It's impossible to pass the first time on a used car i think.

nafsucof > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe
03/19/2015 at 09:58

I hate when they tell you it's in spec but isn't right still.

JGrabowMSt > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe
03/19/2015 at 10:00

Go complain, a lot. Years ago my dads car had the master cylinder blown by a DMV inspector. One very heated phone call later and he was fully reimbursed.

Ive had shops screw my cars up too, you just complain very openly. Many small businesses cannot afford a tarnished reputation, so they usually take it very seriously.

WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe > nafsucof
03/19/2015 at 10:02

Me too. I've dumped something like $600 into repairs now because of this shit. Mechanically the car is great, runs like a top despite the high mileage on it. It's just the damn brakes and the flex pipe will need repaired in the not so far future. Just had an oil change yesterday. Once this is resolved it should be fine.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe
03/19/2015 at 10:05

The single biggest cause of excess brake pedal travel on a typical modern car that I can think of (rear drums, front discs) other than bad fluid/bubbles or master cylinder would be rear brakes not adjusting properly and rear cylinders over-extending. That *can* lead to rear cylinders failing, but I'd have to see the bill, and not bleeding out properly after replacing them would be direly incompetent - not to mention if the rear brakes aren't adjusting, that needs to be fixed too. Modern *disc brakes* just don't retract the way drum cylinders do, so probably not your fronts. With discs, you pump them up once and you're done. Assuming that new linings were going in all around, a problem like that with the rear brakes would be obvious at that time, and might have gotten fixed, but then not to bleed out properly afterward?

Short of bad rear cylinders or adjustment, the smart money would be on replacing your brake fluid and bleeding the whole system to see if the MC was suspect - unless the MC is really obviously tactically bad. They don't seem to have done due diligence on that either.

crowmolly > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe
03/19/2015 at 10:05

Does this car still have the original brake HOSES?

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > crowmolly
03/19/2015 at 10:08

Good point on that - though why the problem would get worse after a "full brake job" I don't want to know. A really neat trick on brake hoses, actually, is when they delaminate on the inside - they look fine if old on the outside, but the rubber scraps/fingers on the inside can turn them into a one-way valve. Individual wheels locking up and staying locked (and bleeding properly!), or refusing to engage at all - FUN!

WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe > JGrabowMSt
03/19/2015 at 10:11

There will absolutely be complaining done. I've not had a problem with the shop before, but i got royally screwed here.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe
03/19/2015 at 10:15

A full brake job typically only means pads and rotors. That term is very misleading because it doesn't say what exactly is being done, I hate that term (and tune-up). Calipers are a repair item, not maintenance like pads and rotors are. And to many shops ignore brake fluid changes.

Tires can be brand new and still cause a pull, it's not something you would be able to see. But you could rotate each one to the opposite side of the vehicle, then if it pulls left you know it's the tires. Pressure should have been checked as part of the alignment.

crowmolly > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
03/19/2015 at 10:16

It bleeds and stops "properly" but the rotor is purple and the car smells funny.

Where is your God now?

WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
03/19/2015 at 10:17

Well it has discs the whole way around, no drums. There were signs of bubbling, but the fluid appeared clear, not black. It'll get resolved, just needs to be quick.

WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
03/19/2015 at 10:20

Hmmm. As far as i know though, the calipers were good to begin with. My stepdad does a lot of work on cars, and replaced most of the items to get it road worthy, and said the calipers looked fine. He is very particular about the work he does, so i think they're okay, but I'll definitely bring it up and look into it.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > crowmolly
03/19/2015 at 10:21

The Secret Valve-like Behavior Surprise we had was with a Rover, so it was 8" manual adjust drums. Made for a lot of WTF but there weren't a lot of things to check other than the line.

WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe > crowmolly
03/19/2015 at 10:23

I'm honestly not sure. As RamblinRover stated, they shouldn't be worse after a brake job. I suppose the hoses could still be original, but the car was really well maintained overall, so i can't say 100%.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe
03/19/2015 at 10:23

It *is* possible that they just replaced the linings/etc. all the way around and the act of pumping it back up (which forces the MC to do a one-way valve sort of action) got a bad MC leaking worse. They should have been the ones picking up on such a thing, though - not you.

WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
03/19/2015 at 10:31

Yeah it is possible. Just needs to be fixed, is all i know.

deekster_caddy > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe
03/19/2015 at 15:07

If the pedal stays mushy after the MC gets replaced, try replacing the hoses. Hoses do age, sometimes poorly, and can get soft. It's one reason stainless braided replacement hoses are a popular aftermarket part - sometimes dramatically improved pedal response.

It's not something a shop can generally test for, other than a collapsed or leaking hose it's pretty hard to diagnose. But it's something that can make a big difference if everything else seems to be okay and you still have a soft pedal.

WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe > deekster_caddy
03/19/2015 at 15:11

I definitely will check on that. The car has 250k on the clock, so the hoses could be worn. Last time I drove the car, the travel was linear, just long, basically to the floor for an easy stop. It didn't feel mushy at all, still smooth, but it's something I'm still going to find out about.

Sethersm > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe
03/19/2015 at 16:15

If it's that bad, you might consider talking to them BEFORE taking it in and insist that they pay to have it towed to the shop. "Yeah, I drove it once or twice because they said it was okay, but it most definitely isn't okay and it's not safe to drive."

WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe > Sethersm
03/19/2015 at 16:32

I thought about that, but I trust myself to get it there more than I trust them to do it. Also, my property doesn't really allow room for a tow truck to begin with. I'd at least have to drive it a little ways off the property to a good location to tow it, and since I've had people break into my cars before, I don't really want it unattended just parked somewhere.

Regardless, it IS a good suggestion, and one I considered a bit at length before deciding it'd just be quicker and less hassle to drive.

I'm not a confrontational person. I'm very laidback and easygoing, but I'm already going to chew them out for what they did, and that makes me very unhappy. I'd rather not argue a free tow when I'm capable of getting the car there myself. I appreciate the suggestion though. :D

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe
03/19/2015 at 22:34

What I'm trying to say is that replacing the calipers would be the only reason aside from a flush to mess with the brake fluid/bleed the system.

WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
03/19/2015 at 22:41

Oh... gotcha. Well, I'm still learning! Guess I kinda misread/misunderstood what you said before. Thanks for clarifying. Either way, the car's already at the shop to have the new MC put on in the morning, completely free. Should be good to go by afternoon. I'll let you all know when I do.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe
03/19/2015 at 22:54

No worries. I often forget that not everyone has an excellent understanding of how everything works, since most everyone I know does.

Glad to hear they're owning up and taking care of you!