Did F1 autocenter mess up?

[alienmuppet]

Hi, I took my car (Mazda 6 2011) to F1 today because the front nearside brake was stuck on - I assumed stuck calliper. It got really hot because I was driving for miles on the motorway, and then noticed it when I got home. The car felt off for sure.

It ended up costing me £600, where they replaced the rear pads (I knew they needed doing so that is fine), front pads, front discs and a new caliper (not a recon apparently so some 3rd party thing beginning with P), and finally brake fluid.. which is annoying because it was just replaced in major service, but guessing it got too hot.

So I just picked it up, got home... peered down at the new caliper and there was a funny smell. It was definately hotter than the other side. Also when I let the car roll back slightly it creaks and stops like the brakes are on a little.

Not sure what to do. I can take it back and I'm sure they'll sort it for nothing, but I'm beginning to wonder if it was the caliper in the first place.. And that is a lot of money if it didn't really need replacing, especially if they replaced it with something inferior..

[WosMyName]

The only thing not replaced is the brake hose , if that has collapsed internally then the fluid is not able to return causing the same symptom as a sticking caliper .

Take it back for rectification .

[Muzzer79]

If you’re not sure, take it somewhere else and ask them to diagnose it only.

Then, take it back to F1 and get them to sort whatever problem they didn’t sort the first time.

[richhead]

Muzzer79 said:

If you’re not sure, take it somewhere else and ask them to diagnose it only.

Then, take it back to F1 and get them to sort whatever problem they didn’t sort the first time.

Just take it back and tell them its not fixed, like another poster said , it could be the hose at fault, or a wheel bearing, or alot of other things. but def take it back, they took on the job, they should fix it, and personaly i wouldnt expect another bill, apart maybe from parts

[alienmuppet]

Would it be unreasonable to expect a refund for a caliper i probably didn’t need? I might at least ask for the old one back so I can check it. Or they can check it again and put it back. Can’t help thinking they put 3rd party rubbish on

[richhead]

alienmuppet said:

Would it be unreasonable to expect a refund for a caliper i probably didn’t need? I might at least ask for the old one back so I can check it. Or they can check it again and put it back. Can’t help thinking they put 3rd party rubbish on

Be suprised if they still have it, did you ask them to change the caliper?

[rallycross]

That’s a big bill if really all you had was a sticky calliper.
Avoid places like this if possible depends on each branch of course ( my local F1 is a good place as the guy who runs it is a proper mechanic not a rip off merchant but each centre has monthly targets so it’s always a risk using these places).

Front calliper around £100
Less than an hour to replace it and bleed the brakes .

[alienmuppet]

Nope, they said it was sticking and they couldn’t unstick it. Wouldn’t be surprised if they tried unsticking it while still connected, bad hose applying pressure..

[alienmuppet]

Blows my mind they could get this wrong. It’s like they didn’t even test drive it.

[richhead]

to be fair, alot of the guys at fast fit places arent time served mechanics, just fitters, diagnosis isnt the strong point

[texaxile]

A pattern or OEM caliper won't be faulty if it has just been fitted, try to find the manufacturer from the invoice, if it is "Pagid" then they're actually as good as the originals, and also consider pads do need bedding in to a point, which may give rise to the funny smell, but they should have replaced both sets of pads, not just one side.

If one side caliper is siezed, the car might, under braking , pull to one side, but that's not a hard and fast rule.

The car should roll freely in neutral though. Making odd sounds means something is not right.

Run it back into them, tell them the issue and let them sort it. £600 from an independent is pretty steep for pads, discs, a caliper and fluid change. Then again, I just parted with over a grand for JLR to fix a broken wire. Shysters.

When you take it back, explain the problem and don't allow yourself to be fobbed off with them saying "the pads are bedding in" or somesuch nonsense.

[alienmuppet]

rallycross said:

That’s a big bill if really all you had was a sticky calliper.
Avoid places like this if possible depends on each branch of course ( my local F1 is a good place as the guy who runs it is a proper mechanic not a rip off merchant but each centre has monthly targets so it’s always a risk using these places).

Front calliper around £100
Less than an hour to replace it and bleed the brakes .

I saw a lot of good reviews, even here I think. I didn’t really think of them as a quick fit place, but now I know…

The pads needed replacing, previous garage said they were near end of life but were honest and said there’s a few months left yet. That was a few months ago..

Front Discs, heat probably didn’t do it much good and again they were probably nearing end of life.. maybe. I don’t remember the last time they were replaced.

So I guess it added up from that.

I sure won’t be recommending them to anyone. For that money I’d expect a proper job.

[Nickp82]

Did they replace the caliper and carrier? If just the caliper, the slider pins in the carrier could be the cause of the issue - they usually are with Mazdas.

[alienmuppet]

Just says caliper on the bill. It’s definitely screwed, it was smoking after 3 miles. So that maybe is more knackered pads disc and fluid?

[Bobupndown]

It does seem to point towards a collapsed flexible brake hose not allowing pressure to release. Unlikely, but not unheard of, that a new caliper is defective. Bearings and seals could have been damaged by excessive heat mind you.

[rallycross]

Nickp82 said:

Did they replace the caliper and carrier? If just the caliper, the slider pins in the carrier could be the cause of the issue - they usually are with Mazdas.

Good point.

[alienmuppet]

It seems unlikely that both the caliper and carrier would be screwed at the same time, so hopefully they’ll give me a refund on caliper if they do the carrier and it fixes it

[Muzzer79]

I find it really odd that you’ve come to all these conclusions without even having it diagnosed.

Take it back. If they’ve messed it up or missed something, then get it sorted.

I took my OHs car for a service sometime ago. New place I’d never tried before.
When we got the car back, it was jerky and misfiring. I thought they’d cocked something up so was ready for an argument.
Turned out that one of the new sparkplugs they’d fitted was faulty from the manufacturer. New plug in and away we went.

I’ve used that garage ever since and they’ve been as good as gold.

Moral of the story - find out facts before assuming the worst.

[alienmuppet]

Yep for sure I’ll take it back and give them a chance to rectify it. But the fact is they let me leave with an unsafe car. The brakes were still binding, worse than before. Before I didn’t have the smell of burning rubber and smoke. I guess the new pads and disc means it bound even more.

Its brakes. Surely they should have checked it thoroughly. I mean, imagine if I’d gone straight onto the motorway for 2 hours or something.. I don’t think the tire would have made it.

But yes if they make it right tomorrow then fair enough, and I will come back and say so.

[alienmuppet]

I should probably change the topic to something like “Did F1 autocentre mess up?”. I was pretty upset when I wrote it. I’m sure intent wasn’t to rip me off. I just wish they’d taken more care. Might need an admin to do that for me.