Around 4-6 months ago I had my front brakes replaced by my mechanic. After he had completed this job I was having trouble with my e-brake not setting strong enough and therefore not working properly. He said no problem I just need to readjust the brakes I installed for you. I had him do so and all was fine for a little while. However, after a couple months or so the car begin to shake under the pedal and in the steering wheel when the brakes were applied. This became worse over time particularly when going downhill. When I contacted my mechanic about this he said that he needed to readjust the front brakes and that he was so sorry he must have adjusted them a little bit wrong and he would have them resurfaced because they are warped now and that was his fault therefore he would pay for the resurfacing and I would not be charged for anything. My question is is this entirely true? I have since been told by other mechanics that the brakes are self adjusting after replacement. Just trying to see if I need a new mechanic. Thank you all in advance!
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Welcome to Motor Vehicle Maintenance & Repair! Is this for the front or the rear brakes? Trying to figure out why it is tagged as "drum brakes"?– Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 ♦Nov 8, 2022 at 18:12
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You might check the tightening of the (front) lug nuts. Sometimes ppl get carried away with the air gun, sometimes they forget.– GeorgeNov 10, 2022 at 2:50
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Paulster2... I have it worded like that because the front brakes are not drum brakes and the rear brakes are. Or at least that's what he told me. He has since torn apart the dashboard on the Honda Ridgeline that my father and I share just to get the ignition switch out and look at it and I had already gotten it more than three quarters of the way before he ever showed up. He then proceeded to steal all of the screws and bolts to put it back together and refuses to do anymore on it until he gets paid. However, we of course refuse to pay him for tearing it totally apart unnecessarily– sarah hornNov 12, 2022 at 5:04
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This sounds like this would be fun to watch as a reality show!– EᑎOTNov 22, 2022 at 22:17
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1 Answer
Front brakes cannot be adjusted. Rear drum brakes may need to be adjusted manually after a replacement, however during normal use they are indeed self-adjusting.
The shaking you are experiencing is very likely indeed to be related to your front brake rotors being warped. While misadjusted rear brakes may have caused some of that problem, that particular cause is unlikely after the rear brakes were adjusted.
The front brake rotors may become warped due to coninuous heavy braking, braking hard and immediate rapid cooling (such as driving into a puddle of water), or just being made out of cheaper grade steel.
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Thank you for the advice. I was recently told however, that the brakes are self-adjusting Nov 12, 2022 at 3:42
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Like I said, the front brakes are non-adjustable (hydraulic piston only). However, the rear drum brakes need to be adjusted after being replaced as it's possible to have the shoes not spread far enough. If the shoes are not adjusted, the rear brakes will not function too their full capacity, if at all (and your parking brake will not hold well). In this case, the front brakes may overheat and warp.– EᑎOTNov 15, 2022 at 20:26
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My e-brake was in fact not holding well at all. Does this mean another adjustment should be made in order to fix the issue? Nov 17, 2022 at 15:35
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Seems likely that the rear brakes were not engaging due to misadjustment, that put too much load on the front brakes - they overheated and warped.– EᑎOTNov 22, 2022 at 22:15