[siddheshb]

Just got my new Endeavour AT for second servicing at 10000 km, and the dealer claims that I need to replace my brake discs (13000/-) and obviously, claims it is not covered by warranty since it is wear and tear.

He claims that this might be due to excessive braking given that one cannot use clutch to handle speed.

Is this normal? Looks ridiculous to me!

[suman]

10k kms is far too low for them to take the escape route of "wear & tear". I think you should tell them that you'll escalate the matter to Ford if they don't honor the warranty.

Looks like Ford continues to have issues with its brake discs - I had them changed twice in my Fiesta (both under warranty, second time was after putting major pressure on them) & now (at 106k kms), they're a goner once again!

ROTFL at your dealer's explanation though - excessive braking buggers the discs, that's a new one!!

[blackbeast]

I think it should covered under warranty irrespective of your braking habits.Even if you report a break shoe excessive tear with in 5k of replacment, service station should consider.It happened with me at hyundai. Wear and tear is a common excuse of all service advisors. Be strong and assertive to question them about the faulty discs since you wouldn't have driven fast during the initial run up.

[nirmaljusdoit]

10K for a brake disc replacement sounds ridiculous !

As my understanding, generally the more powerful a vehicle, the brakes need to be sharper, hence early wear out.

I have experience of my Qualis where the discs were going fine even at 200,000 kms !!

Have you contacted Ford directly & logged a complaint ? Be firm with them & demand a replacement.

[nitrous]

Even if the brakes are worn out, you'll need new brake pads while the rotos could be skimmed and reused.

[siddheshb]

Thanks for the support and suggestions, guys. I did talk to the manager at the dealership, and he promised to talk to Ford and see what could be done - and lo and behold, I got them replaced under warranty

Today, Ford called in response to the mail I sent them last night, and said they would talk to the dealer - I told them the job had already been done to my satisfaction.

Net net, the brake disks and then the dealer's initial response might have disappointed me, but Ford certainly made up for it.

[nirmaljusdoit]

Siddesh - Congrats !

Good for you & good for Ford too, nice to see them with such a proactive & quick resolution of your problem

[vnabhi]

Good to know this, Siddesh. But despite the good turn of events, how can brake discs go bad so soon?

My Fiesta has nearly 24 K on the odo and the brakes feel fine. BTW, how does one get to know that the discs have gone bad? I feel the brakes are working fine.
I am asking this becuase my car will run out of extended warranty in another 6 months.

[siddheshb]

Vnabhi, here's what I think happened... the Endeavour has excellent sound insulation, blocking out all engine noise from the cabin. And I rarely roll down the windows. So, number one, I didn't get the early indications of the rubber wearing out... if the roar of the Endy was lower, and if I drove with windows down, I would probably hear indications of the rubber wearing out much earlier. You typically start hearing this slight screeching noise when you apply brakes, and in later stages, you will start feeling the tires being "grabbed" a little differently when you brake. Especially when making a cold start after the car's been left out in the rain for some time.

Second, I had this long trip to Goa and back clocking 1500 km in about a week's time, and when I left, the rubber had probably worn out to the max extent. So most of the trip went by without the rubber, with the brake shoe starting to hit the brake discs directly. By the time the screeching got heard over the engine roar, it was too late.

Thirdly, add all the offroading I did in muddy waters, and the situation probably got worsened by small stones and mud getting into the brake assembly.

And finally, with an AT, with most of the speed control duty coming on the brakes, I guess the wear and tear is a lot more on the Endy.

I've had an Ikon for 1 lakh km, 10 years and a Fiesta for 70K, 4 years, and I don't remember ever changing disks - so I would assume this to be a one-off quality issue with the brake disks coupled with other factors that accelerated the wearing out of the disks. I don't think you should worry

[siddheshb]

Oh, and one point I wanted to add, specifically in a separate note:

I have Xenon lights on my Endy, which meant I have "tinkered" around with the electricals. Thankfully, Ford did not use this excuse to deny me the warranty.

[4x4addict]

With Automatics, there will some more wear on the brakes as there is no option of controlling speed with the gears. Besides every time you are stopped in gear, you are holding back the car with breaks. However, 10 is too soon. In my M-Class which was automatic, I changed my first set of brake pads only at 50K Miles (not kilometers).

[vnabhi]

Thanks for the clarifications, Siddesh. I don't get those sounds, so I guess I need not worry.
But when I start the car in the morning, after driving through rain the prior day, I do get a sound from the brakes when the car starts rolling--as if the brakes got released after clamping shut. I also get this in the WagonR and I suppose it is normal.
Note: I don't get any abnormal sounds while braking thereafter.

[suman]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

I don't get those sounds, so I guess I need not worry.

Don't worry till such time that you start feeling a shudder in the steering wheel when you brake at medium to high speeds. That indicates a problem with the Discs.

And, contrary to Siddhesh's pleasant experiences, Fiestas do exhibit disc issues - as mentioned below, I've had problems & so has Unni (to name a couple off hand).

[ghodlur]

Originally Posted by suman

And, contrary to Siddhesh's pleasant experiences, Fiestas do exhibit disc issues - as mentioned below, I've had problems & so has Unni (to name a couple off hand).

Now this is giving me goose bumps. Does Ford not cover the brake discs inspection during any of their services. Surely they must be having a specific check or do they do it only after a problem is reported. Also would there be a quality issue with the discs, batch wise, vendor issues maybe?

I am supposed to go in the 3rd service in Oct, should I ask for the checking of brake discs?

As vnabhi pointed out, even I do hear some noise from brakes for which I had started a thread but only during the first start. Rest of the day driving, I dont hear any noises.

[suman]

Originally Posted by ghodlur

As vnabhi pointed out, even I do hear some noise from brakes for which I had started a thread but only during the first start. Rest of the day driving, I dont hear any noises.

Nope, its not about noise. The steering judder on braking is the key - if there is no such issue, your Discs are fine, don't worry.