Brakes!

[Mervon]

The brake light came on recently on my car, so i took it to my mechanic. He changed the rear rotors and pads. He also said that upfront the brakes are fine and I have at least another 7k on them. Problem is my brakes still dont feel strong to me. What else could be the problem? Possibly flush the fluids?

[bmwtuner325is]

brake light...that means your brake linings are worn according to the car
i would have your tech check your brake lines for signs of seepage or balloning

do the brakes feel spongy or whats the feeling your getting?

[99MPower]

if the light went off, the pads got low, and needed to be replaced as well as the wear sensor....

I would recommend a brake flush, and if that doesnt firm up the feel, then maybe a new set of pads up front, or SS lines would help a LITTLE.... depending on how hard you ride the brakes

brake feel is definately very open for discussion, all depends on what your using, what lines, what fluid, etc, etc

[giterdone]

brake feel can vary, depending on pads, fluid, lines, weather conditions, etc.

You have to elaborate a bit more on how it is.

Perhaps you just need a good bleeding. Your stock lines might be on their way out, and you can be in the cool guy club with SS brake lines, except you actually needed to change where the others just wanted an item in their mod list. Your front pads might be low, but your mechanic was saving you money and not going to have you replace them just yet. If you get new pads up front it might firm it back up.

Has it been cold or rainy lately for you? Pads aren't as responsive until they get warmed up, and if there is rain on the rotors, the first initial stop is always less responsive.

[Theodore]

Step one, as Mr. Giter said, bleed. Try that first, it's essentially free. Then figure out what pads he put on. Some pads take a bit of heat to get them to really bite hard. These aren't real grabby when cold. That would be your second option. I have stainless lines on my car and I couldn't tell the difference at all, but YMMV.

Just reread the post. If he only touched the rears, did he even mess with the fluid? Regardless... bleed and see if that helps.

[Mervon]

if the light went off, the pads got low, and needed to be replaced as well as the wear sensor....

I would recommend a brake flush, and if that doesnt firm up the feel, then maybe a new set of pads up front, or SS lines would help a LITTLE.... depending on how hard you ride the brakes

brake feel is definately very open for discussion, all depends on what your using, what lines, what fluid, etc, etc



Yeah the pads and senor were replaced. I guess to be more exact with the way it feels is I have to really push hard on the brakes for stopping quickly. Sometimes I get a pulsating feeling back. Is that normal because of the ABS? I will def try bleeding the brakes and see from there though

[thejlevie]

While there could be other causes, if this problem surfaced just after the pad replacement I'd tend to suspect that it is caused by the pads that were installed. Were they the same type as was previously on the car?

[Ffroggs]

Bleeding the brakes can have a dramatic effect on firmness. When I removed my CDV, I had to bleed the brakes and clutch lines multiple times, and drive the car around a bunch to push the bubbles around so I could bleed them out. From that experience, it is possible that your mechanic just didn't bleed them enough.

Pads can also have an effect, especially if they weren't properly bedded in, or if your mechanic didn't clean the rotors. The unsubstantiated "rumor mill" says that not bedding them in properly can cause some deposits to form on the rotors, apparently because the pads aren't properly heat cycled or something. (I shouldn't spread that rumor because I dont have any data to support that statement, but neither do most of the people on this board. :D ) Take that with a grain of salt, FWIW, etc.

Still, patiently bleeding the brakes would be the first step, but you should call your mechanic to see what he actually put on there.

Regardless of the thickness of the front pads, they won't have any effect on the firmness of your brake feel. The pistons completely compensate for thin pads. That's what they are there for.

As for the pulsating feeling: it may be the "rumor" pad deposits, it may be a misshapen rotor (e.g. if your mechanic, his parts supplier, or the shipping company accidentally dropped the rotors before putting them on your car, they may be bent). If it is ABS, then when it kicks in you'll see the ABS light flickering on your dash. If that light does not turn on, then it's something else. Or your ABS light is out.