[bdutta]

Dear Mods, have tried quite extensively to search for relevant threads but didn't quite find a relevant one for Lodgy with brake issues. Apologies if I missed some any and feel free to merge in that case.

Friends,

Suddenly a problem has cropped up in my Lodgy 1.6 RXZ last Saturday. My Lodgy is driven around 100kms every week, i.e. almost every other day. Friday it had rained heavily in parts of Bangalore. Saturday morning when I started Lodgy, I went ahead about 20meters, and then had to reverse her a bit. During reverse the initial 5meters of so seemed fine, and then a sensation of a sudden application of brakes. I am 100% sure that neither handbrake nor foot brake had been engaged. It jarred me a bit. I attempted the manuever again, and I got a similar sensation. Then I decided to drive ahead, and after about 20-30meters @ about 20kmph, I heard and felt a sound that sounded like some cable break under the body, perhaps the cable from handbrake. The handbrake lever which could only be lifted to about 30 percent earlier, now had become loose and could be lifted to about 45 percent or more. However, at 45 percent the handbrake still engages, but the car doesn't seem as firmly stopped (so feels as if it is only partly being applied, but car can be brought to 100% stop using it).

Also, I noticed when I was driving around in the colony and nearby areas trying to see what all might be wrong, I sensed that foot brake felt very different. It was no longer ABS (or the EBD was off), and felt like conventional brake. It wasn't very effective, the power-assist was working but the "feel" of EBD was completely gone. I know this feel very well, so I'm 99% sure.

All of the problems are absolutely out-of-the-blue, i.e. without any prior hints or clues of such impending issues.

Wondering if there are some clues as to what might have happened ? I have taken an appointment for tomorrow to take the car to the Renault Service Center -- but would be good to know the potential technicalities of the issue beforehand.

Thanks in anticipation.

regards,
BD

[Rahul Rao]

Check your rear brake drums. This is an almost sure symptom of the brake lining which is pasted to the brake shoe coming loose.

Rahul

[bdutta]

Originally Posted by Rahul Rao

Check your rear brake drums. This is an almost sure symptom of the brake lining which is pasted to the brake shoe coming loose.

Thanks, will certainly keep that in mind. However is the no/missing EBD type feeling also something that could be associated with the rear brake lining coming loose ?


regards,
BD

[Sutripta]

Originally Posted by Rahul Rao

Check your rear brake drums. This is an almost sure symptom of the brake lining which is pasted to the brake shoe coming loose.

Very likely.
I would call it a known problem for Renault.
Don't get taken for a ride by the dealer. Who will start of by trying to lay the blame on you.

Regards
Sutripta

[bdutta]

Originally Posted by Sutripta

Very likely.
I would call it a known problem for Renault.
Don't get taken for a ride by the dealer. Who will start of by trying to lay the blame on you.

Thanks Sutripta. Do you mean to say that you've come across similar issues with the brakes in other Renault cars ? And I suppose dealers try to say that it is due to poor driving practices ? Is it otherwise supposed to be covered under Warranty ? My car is now 3years old.

[humyum]

Remove the rear wheels, take a hammer and hit it on the brake drump with a little more than a mild force, see if the drums rotate freely after that, if they do, your problem is solved enough to take it to the service station.

Ask them to open and check the rear brake cylinders, the adjusting nut on those cylinders, clean the liners and drums back and fix it back, 99.99% you should be good to go!

[Sutripta]

^^^
Lining coming off - yes.

If you are outside warranty, bad luck.

But before jumping the gun, be certain in ones diagnosis.

Regards
Sutripta

[Kosfactor]

Do you keep the handbrake engaged while parking the vehicle for more than a few days?

There are times where brake liners refuse to release from the drums after extended periods of leaving it with the handbrake on (sometimes moisture ingress makes this worse).

However that does not mean they can brake loose inside the drums or even the handbrake can break loose, they are not supposed to. Claim warranty if you do have it.

There are some garage queens in our flat, brake jam is not uncommon for them.

[bdutta]

Thanks a lot for all the inputs folks. This seems to be a relatively less catastrophic issue than I'd imagined initially then. I'd be careful. I always use handbrakes while parking, even on completely flat lands.

Since my Lodgy is little over 3yrs and I didn't go for extended warranty, I'd need to pay for this from my pocket, but is it usual for a 3yr old car to have this problem ? Also, what kind of bill should I be looking at ? 5K+, 10K+, 15K+ INR or more ?

[Sutripta]

^^^
IF you can source the linings (and maybe drums, if damaged), FNG will be a better bet. Remember, you have to work on both sides, even the unaffected one.

Regards
Sutripta

[bdutta]

Originally Posted by Sutripta

^^^
IF you can source the linings (and maybe drums, if damaged), FNG will be a better bet. Remember, you have to work on both sides, even the unaffected one.

Pardon my ignorance, but what is FNG ? Sorry, not much of a motorhead here. I spoke with my otherwise super-expert non-authorized service-centre mechanic (Abdul -- folks from Bangalore, Sarjapura Rd area might know him). He said that it is 200% rear brake issue from the description, and he said that the minimum would have been brake-lining replacement but since I told him about the "cable breaking under tension" sound he said he is nearly 100% sure that the shoe is gone, but can't say about drum damage. I've been using Abdul's service for my other 9 yr old car, but not for Lodgy... but his expert opinion certainly put my mind to bit more ease.

[deehunk]

FNG means Friendly Neighbourhood Garage, a workshop close to your place who can do this job.

[bdutta]

Just now spoke with Renault Road-side assistance folks. They said that my car is under Extended Warranty (which I wasn't aware of, or let's say forgotten), and that they will tow the vehicle to nearest service centre, free of charge. However, as per the Road-side assistance team lady, she wasn't sure if the brake repairs are covered as part of the Extended Warranty. Wondering if anyone knows if it is expected to be covered within warranty i.e. brake-liners, brake-shoe, drum etc. ? How about the labour charges ?

Edited:
Spoke with Renault Silk-board Service Station, the Service Manager confirmed that anything to do with brakes, suspension, rubber/fiber/glass parts are not covered under Extended Warrany, and that the cost of replacing brake liners is ~6000 INR. I guess, FNG is the way to go, since the 6000 INR seems to be the conservative, minimum and actuals are likely to be much higher. With my very careful and defensive driving, that too largely on mostly flat city roads, having such brake problems in 3yrs and ~20K Kms doesn't seem like a very proud thing for the manufacturer. I suppose that is what @Sutripta was talking about.


However, to be fair to them at least they have document the above coverages & exclusions of the Extended Warranty here. As per that manual:

Replacement of parts due to wear and tear resulting from use of the vehicle or from its mileage including but not limited to clutch, shock absorbers, wiper blades, brake drum, brake disk, brake pads, brake shoe, lamp, plugs, belts, linings, bulbs, fuses, parts made of rubber, etc.

Not sure, how it stacks up against the competition.

[humyum]

Originally Posted by bdutta

Spoke with Renault Silk-board Service Station, the Service Manager confirmed that anything to do with brakes, suspension, rubber/fiber/glass parts are not covered under Extended Warrany, and that the cost of replacing brake liners is ~6000 INR. I guess, FNG is the way to go, since the 6000 INR seems to be the conservative, minimum and actuals are likely to be much higher. With my very careful and defensive driving, that too largely on mostly flat city roads, having such brake problems in 3yrs and ~20K Kms doesn't seem like a very proud thing for the manufacturer. I suppose that is what @Sutripta was talking about.

Rear brake liners last atleast 5 times more than what the front brake pads do, mine was last changed at 30 thousand kilometers because the brake pad had broken and destroyed the drum, so both had to be changed, I am at 1 lakh 64 thousand kilometer now and the service station guy says they still have a life of around 20-30 thousand kilometer.

I would suggest you get to a mechanic who is next to your house, sit with him for an hour while he opens all of this, its a very simple and easy job, if brake liners are gone (Probably a little stuck since sometime and always in contact) or if they are broken or any xyz reason, just replace them, but ask him to check the adjusting nut too, adjusting nut in the brake drum is what pushes the brake pad out towards the drum notch by notch when the liners wear over time.

Also check the brake cylinders if they are leaking or not, if they are, its a simple replacement and then a brake bleeding job.

A right FNG will do these checks/replacements and set you on your way in an hour.

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by bdutta

Edited:
Spoke with Renault Silk-board Service Station, the Service Manager confirmed that anything to do with brakes, suspension, rubber/fiber/glass parts are not covered under Extended Warrany, and that the cost of replacing brake liners is ~6000 INR. I guess, FNG is the way to go, since the 6000 INR seems to be the conservative, minimum and actuals are likely to be much higher. With my very careful and defensive driving, that too largely on mostly flat city roads, having such brake problems in 3yrs and ~20K Kms doesn't seem like a very proud thing for the manufacturer. I suppose that is what @Sutripta was talking about.

Why would you want to take chance with something like brakes of your vehicle? and that too car is under extended warranty. If things go wrong again for whatever reason, first thing they would raise is this outside job. For all you know the 6k quote is a worst case scenario with all labor etc. Brake pads being the costliest should be around 3-4k for complete set for the rear. I would also suggest using the OE part as much as possible.

Main thing is identifying what really went wrong and fixing it, and ensuring it can be ruled out in the future.