That's Not Gone Well...

"Boxer_4" (Boxer_4)
11/12/2016 at 16:27 • Filed to: None

This was my Saturday morning. I was ~70 miles into a ~90 mile drive when I suddenly heard a loud grinding noise. I pull off onto a side street to check it out, and found something I didn’t expect to see...

Yes, that’s the right rear brake caliper, loose, wedged against the wheel. I managed to limp it 500 feet to a parking lot, then called AAA.

I just had the brakes done on all four corners at my local Subaru dealer two weeks ago ( I’m not naming names yet, but they claim to be the #1 Subaru Dealership on the East Coast, per 2015 Sales Data ...). The bottom bolt that holds the caliper on was completely missing (I’m not sure if it broke, fell out, or was never reinstalled).

The car was towed to back to the dealership, and I will be stopping in early Monday morning to have a bit of a chat with a service advisor and to figure out what all was damaged in the process.

I did get to drive it up the rollback ramp, which was a new experience. That’s something, I guess...

DISCUSSION (26)

Berang > Boxer_4
11/12/2016 at 16:37

Somebody’s going to be in trouble.

Still better than them forgetting to tighten the oil plug down. That happened once at the Subaru dealership I worked at.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Boxer_4
11/12/2016 at 16:39

Jesus Christ. Unacceptable.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > Boxer_4
11/12/2016 at 16:41

Yikes. Make sure they check the other 3 when they fix that one. If one fell off the others have to be falling off.

Boxer_4 > Berang
11/12/2016 at 16:45

I can see it both ways, however, at least forgetting to tighten the drain plug doesn’t really have the possibility of significantly impacting stopping ability.

Both are completely unacceptable, however!

Frenchlicker > Boxer_4
11/12/2016 at 16:46

Nope, just helps it stop a hell of a lot sooner... except permanently.

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > Boxer_4
11/12/2016 at 16:50

Two weeks? Yikes. This oughta be an interesting conversation..

Boxer_4 > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
11/12/2016 at 16:54

I couldn’t believe it when I saw it! What bothers me is that I’ve probably been driving with it unsecured for 2 weeks / 400 mostly Turnpike miles! It just now came loose, for whatever reason.

Urambo Tauro > Boxer_4
11/12/2016 at 16:58

Good thing you stopped when it was just “a grinding noise”. The caliper might be reusable, and it might just be a matter of sliding it back into place and bolting it up.

But that wheel? That looks gouged, and I’m pretty sure they owe you a new one.

Boxer_4 > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom
11/12/2016 at 17:01

This leads me to think the bolt was over tightened and it broke under use over the last two weeks. (I didn’t get a chance to look close at the bolt hole on the back of the caliper). At least, I hope so. If that bolt was missing the entire time...

MM54 > Boxer_4
11/12/2016 at 17:10

Yikes. Good thing it was just a grind - I’ve heard of calipers losing a bolt and when they hit the wheel they dig in and pretty much lock it up, which at highway speed would be interesting to say the least.

Will be curious to see how the conversation with the dealer goes.

This is why I do my own brakes.

Boxer_4 > Urambo Tauro
11/12/2016 at 17:17

The wheel is definitely gouged. There are two grooves that were cut into the wheel by the brake caliper.

That’s going to be part of the discussion. We’ll see what all they find when they take a look on Monday.

Funktheduck > Berang
11/12/2016 at 17:21

Recently found the dealership has been avoiding that error by using an air gun on my drain plug and now it’s all chewed up.

Boxer_4 > TheTurbochargedSquirrel
11/12/2016 at 17:36

There’s a long list of questions and points of discussion I have for them, that’s definitely one of them.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > Boxer_4
11/12/2016 at 17:42

I wouldn’t trust them to do any service anymore after this. Getting bolts tight isn’t difficult.

Boxer_4 > MM54
11/12/2016 at 17:50

I’m glad it let go when it did, at 35 mph in town, rather than earlier at 80 mph on the Turnpike.

In my initial discussions with the dealer, the service department seemed concerned and apologetic. However, this was a Saturday, and initial discussions don’t mean much when talking with dealers. We’ll see what their tune is on Monday.

The next time I need brakes, I’ll likely be doing them myself. I was thinking that before this incident, but this further drives home that thought.

hike > Boxer_4
11/12/2016 at 17:54

Your turnpike reference gives me an idea as to which dealer you’re talking about...

Berang > Funktheduck
11/12/2016 at 18:07

does anybody know how to work on a car

Boxer_4 > TheTurbochargedSquirrel
11/12/2016 at 18:11

I’m going to give them a chance to make this right, as I’ve been reasonably happy with there work before. (as an aside, this was a weekend mechanic who did the brakes, so it was my mistake thinking that a a weekend mechanic was capable of doing the job)

After this though, I think I’m done with that dealer.

Funktheduck > Berang
11/12/2016 at 18:15

I do. I’m back to doing my own stuff. Mine was out of laziness and fear of voiding the warranty or at least having to argue that I didn’t if something broke.

OPPOsaurus WRX > Boxer_4
11/12/2016 at 18:56

There is an unbalance in the force

shop-teacher > Boxer_4
11/12/2016 at 19:56

Jesus H Tapdancing Christ! Unacceptable!!

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > Boxer_4
11/12/2016 at 20:41

I’ve never heard of one of those bolts failing. No way is it unrelated to the brake job. At least you didn’t lose control and are OK. Something I learned while working in a garage: fuckups happen. Usually not this bad, but mechanics are people and even the best ones are capable of making a mistake once in a blue moon. I thought our shop was fair, honest, and had a good group of experienced mechanics. One time one of our guys forgot to fully tighten the lug nuts on a Lincoln Navigator. We were very lucky the owner noticed the grinding and wobble before it totally sheared off. What separates the good places from the bad is that when the good ones do make a mistake, they make it right. I’ve had a pretty good experience with my Subaru dealer - hopefully yours is similar and will make it right.

Boxer_4 > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com
11/13/2016 at 20:51

My dad still enjoys talking about his most memorable dealer screw-up experiences: he brought in his Reliant K to have the valve cover resealed. A day or so after the job was done, he left on a ~600 mile trip (~1,200 miles total). About 300 miles into the trip, he noticed the engine was down 3 quarts of oil. He added 3 quarts and continued his trip. He checked the oil 100 miles later, and saw that it was down another quart. By the end of the trip, he had put 15 quarts of oil into that engine, and it was barely running. He brought the car back to the dealer after the trip, and with the approval of Chrysler, the engine was torn-down, the cylinder walls honed and piston rings replaced, and the engine reassembled. It was only during reassembly that the technician realized that the PCV baffle was missing from the underside of the valve cover (something that they didn’t reinstall when resealing the valve cover). It was determined that this was the root cause of the issue.

Screw-ups do happen. This dealership has usually been pretty good, and I’m fairly certain that they’ll make things right. It doesn’t make it any less frustrating though.

Scimitar7 > Berang
11/15/2016 at 17:27

Dealer I worked at years ago had a trophy made from the thrown away parts that past mechanics screwed up. They called it “The Shoddy Award”, and if you screwed up, your part got JB Welded to the trophy and it sat on your toolbox until somebody else effed up.

I had it for a few months because a customer called saying I didn’t tighten the oil drain plug all the way. The tech who created the award said call-ins don’t count, but also thought it was time for a regime change because the last guy had it for over a year. Funny part was when the tech who had it for a year got it back a short time later because he messed up a valve cover job.

Arrivederci > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com
12/22/2016 at 09:43

This may happen more often than you think. Years ago, I had a Mustang GT convertible and someone in a Chevy Silverado backed into me in a parking lot, damaging my front bumper cover. I took it to the bodyshop to get fixed on the other person’s insurance’s dime and also paid to have the rear bumper cover resprayed at the same time (it was fading).

Once the bodyshop (which was a Ford dealer, on a long dealership row) was done, they called me to come pick it up. I wheeled my rental Focus over there and see my gleaming black beauty sitting out front, with a crowd around it.

I figure they’re admiring the beautiful paint work, but it’s literally EVERYBODY. I park and walk to the side with the crowd and notice a massive dent to the passenger door, rear quarter and rocker panel. The service manager runs out and tells me what happened.

Apparently a Dodge Ram from a dealer further down the row was out for a road test after having a little work done, which required removing its wheels. Wheels were put back on, but lugs were never put on. Wheel came off the Ram, rolled down an embankment at speed and slammed into the side of my poor Mustang.

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > Arrivederci
12/22/2016 at 09:46

Lugs never even put on?! Holy shit!