Brake vibration after fitting new discs- am I being blagged?

[Ray Luxury-Yacht]

I bought some new 'performance' brake discs from a company that shares their initials with, ooh let's say, 'Eastleigh Borough Council.'

After working well for a couple of months, gradually along has come more and more brake judder, to the extent that now coming off motorway slip roads braking causes the steering wheel to judder very badly indeed. Highly unpleasant.

I sent an email to the supplier - a third party UK based reseller who specialise in motorsport parts.

Here is the reply. Am I being blagged???

The Motorsport seller said:

Hi,

I have just spoken with Eastleigh Borough Council and they advise they do not cover “Warped” discs under their warranty. They have asked me to point you to 2 links on their website for more information regarding brake judder and how to combat this:

Linky 1

Linky 2

They also advise that another common cause of brake judder (more so if it builds up over time) is caused by a build up of brake material on the face of the disc. This will also be cured by having the disc skimmed by a pro lathe.

The Technical team are happy for you to call them and discuss this, and they can explain it better for you. Ask for either Bart or Bob. Eastleigh Borough Council Technical Dept = 016904 583344

So basically it's my fault and I have to pay to get them fixed...

I would value your comments please as I fear this may 'go big'.

[aw51 121565]

How many miles have you covered since fitting the new discs? And who fitted them?

The devil is in the detail .

[mike325112]

Are you sure its the brake discs causing the problem? I'd checked out suspension parts etc as well first before going the legal route.

[Ray Luxury-Yacht]

Done fewer than 3,000 miles since fitting, I don't drive it much as I work so close to home.

Fitting was done at a VAG specialist, who is also a friend, called IGS - funnily enough in Eastleigh...

And at the same time they fitted a new front ARB and bushes, new genuine part shocks and springs all round bought from Skoda.

Oh and new pads and brakelines all round too.

And they cleaned the hub with a wire brush drill attachment and put copaslip on the hub.

There's definitely been to kerb / pothole interfaces since.

Hence my slight annoyance at the immediate accusation about the problem being me or the car.

What should I do next do you reckon?

[eybic]

I have some of their discs and have had no issues despite heavy useage.

[steveo3002]

ive had troubles with em , infact there was a huge thread along similar problems on one forum iirc

one thing that couldve happend , did you clean the mouting face on the hub of the car super clean , if theres a rust spot on there it will make the disc run out of true

[Output Flange]

So you're guessing they're warped?

You need to check the tyres, the wheel balance, the front bushes, if the calipers are sticking, get a runout gauge on the discs before you can determine the cause.

[littleredrooster]

They're well-known in the bike world for not being up to the job, frequently warping just as yours have.

[defblade]

Ray Luxury-Yacht said:

And they cleaned the hub with a wire brush drill attachment and put copaslip on the hub.

Could be wrong, but I think that's your problem. The smallest inconstistancy from true will cause the disc to warp and I don't see how, once you've cleaned back to the properly-flat-and-true hub face, you can hope to retain that flatness/trueness with a layer of grease added.

Or you've been standing on them like a Driving God

I ended up with Zimmermans on my E36, but I was killing everything else with trackdays I learnt about the TOTAL cleaning of the mounting face when the first set of discs I fitted did exactly what you say...

[snowen250]

I have a set of these pads on the front, with a different make discs.

I get a vibration through the wheel, but only when i brake sometimes! Its very intermittent, and no garage has ever found a fault. im sure warped discs would be easy to spot.

Could this be the cause?

Simon

[*Al*]

Heavy braking to a stop and then leaving the brakes applied can and do warp dics due to the clamping effect of the pads and the way the discs cool unevenly. Depending on the quality of the materials some warp easier than others.Where possible i always release the brake pedal to dissapate the heat then re-apply.

[northandy]

defblade said:

Could be wrong, but I think that's your problem. The smallest inconstistancy from true will cause the disc to warp and I don't see how, once you've cleaned back to the properly-flat-and-true hub face, you can hope to retain that flatness/trueness with a layer of grease added.

Or you've been standing on them like a Driving God

I ended up with Zimmermans on my E36, but I was killing everything else with trackdays I learnt about the TOTAL cleaning of the mounting face when the first set of discs I fitted did exactly what you say...

I thought the same thing, personally i wouldnt grease the hub/disc interface.

Op i dont suppose you have new tyres fitted lately?, i had a car where over tightened wheel nuts warped the discs.

[TallPaul]

I'd also agree that copper grease is not good for using between the disc and hub. Personally, I just wipe engine oil over the mating faces before fitting new discs. The copper particles will break down pretty quickly, changing the way the disc and hub sit.
One of the first things I was taught as a spotty teanager repairing cars, was never use copper slip on anything thats torqued up.

[bamberwell]

TallPaul said:

One of the first things I was taught as a spotty teanager repairing cars, was never use copper slip on anything thats torqued up.

this!!

[Olivera]

In my experience EBC discs are utter crap. I managed to badly warp a new set of Ultimax discs (the dearest ones they do) in under 10 minutes. And yes I had bedded them in beforehand.

[John D.]

Are'nt warped discs a myth?

How were the new pads bedded in? Have you tried doing a series of hard stops and then letting them cool? (essentially bedding them again). I cured a brake vibration problem that way once (different brand pads/discs!).

Check out the Stoptech website.

[VPower]

May not be your problem!!!

But I've had similar which was caused by the master cylinder seals letting in air.
New disks and then skimming and then new disks again before a mechanic sussed it!

Also had same on a different car that was cured by a complete brake bleed with new fluid.

So basically I suspect air in the system or old fluid caused a pulsing of the hydraulic pressure in the dual circuit(?), this set up some form of oscillation the fekked the discs.

But to be honest I'm not at all sure what what causing it, just that it was not the disk themselves causing it but suffering for it.

[mike88]

A friend had those discs and pads on his car, the pads fell apart. Literally fell off the backing material. They sent him a new set, but still very dangerous..

[saaby93]

A mate had warped discs a while back after a failing master cylinder caused the brakes to stick on and over heat
He thought they would wear flat again over time but no joy. Tried a few things but new discs sorted.

[Rich_W]

Get the discs checked for run out. Proceed as required.

From what you say it's warped disks. But depending on your driving style it could be excerbating the problem.